I agree and I’m not expecting a good run for the series.
The title and premise of the show, a club for people who have survived shark bites, is certainly a point of difference but not really a club that is looking to expand its membership. It’s a bit bizarre and there’s only so many scenes of loan ocean swimmers shot from below you can take.
As with most Australian dramas, the acting is great, but the script is the let down. Great interpersonal stories, but very week crime-of-the-week writing. Then the introduction of a story arc with a serial killer that inexplicably the writers have chosen to identify in the first episode. I didn’t know if I was watching Home and Away, CSI Bondi Beach or Bates Motel.
I watched last weeks episode, could’ve been worse, could have also been a lot better.
Yes the dialogue was corny, yes the script was dull, predictable and cliche but my biggest problem was the casting, and the fact the entirety of the cast was screwing or had screwed each other.
The casting is just awful. Deborah Mailman is a very good actress, but as a Senior Police detective she was terrible. It didn’t help her credibility she was bonking a subordinate either. She wasn’t believable at all, it was like she was playing dress up. She didn’t have that air of authoritarianess about her and she seemed unusually weak.
Todd Lasance couldn’t carry the show. He isn’t a terrible actor but he’s very weak. I think he’d work in an ensemble that could mask his flaws, but being front and centre exposed his acting weaknesses. It also didn’t help that Ash Ricardo was incredibly strong which made him look even worse.
Dominic Monaghan as the supposed mustache twirling villain didn’t work. Subtlety isn’t a dirty a word.
The highlight though was seeing Jacinta Stapleton. Such an underrated actress that seemingly fell off the radar so it was good to see her back. She looked great too.
Ash Ricardo, Damian WH & Robert Mammone all excelled.
I got through 20 minutes of the first episode and fell asleep. It was slow, poorly acted and written. I did not sense any genuine fear or trauma in the opening scenes when the attack was occuring. None of the characters seemed likeable or interesting. I found the acting awful, not a single stand out except maybe Damien Walshe-Howling but they all play the same types of characters in everything. Overtly archetypal
Even the way the crime was depicted was bland. I can see how the idea could have worked but Aussies probably prefer a bit straighter crime drama with stronger lead characters and actors.
