Well, I’ve clawed my way to the end of episode 4 of Hidden. On the upside it was easy to remember the plot after not watching for a few weeks since not much has happened so far (The Bridge it ain’t). Unfortunately it has become even harder work than previously, like inching up the south face of Annapurna by tooth and nail. Every moment is now taking a huge effort to hang in there. It’s just so slow…
I’ve challenged myself to appreciate that it’s about atmosphere and realism, and that too much modern film and TV spoon feeds pace and action. But whole minutes of Hidden eke out mundanity and as if to test me further episode 4 pushed this to the maximum. Someone opens a door, they walk into a room, they walk to the end of it, they stop and they sigh. So what ? It’s painful
Mrs C bailed out midway so I’m on my own now.
The characters, while shuffling pointlessly around, don’t develop unlike say in Broadchurch. They don’t do anything that alters your understanding of or empathy towards them. My fascination with Dylan’s Inspiral Carpets haircut wore off some time ago. Little new plot or information emerges.
It seems to me that there are two kinds of crime drama. The “whodunnit”, where the story has the advantage of covering twists and turns in identifying the culprit, or, those where the culprit is known early on. The latter have to meet the challenge of retaining interest.
The Fall was like that and the culprit had a family, job and local community to interact with, as well as cat-and-mouse with the police. Great thriller. However with his victim unconscious, Dylan in Hidden had almost nothing to interact with in episode 4 apart from his truck and his grumpy mother. It was a brave decision (I think I’m being kind here) by Hidden’s writers to get the two of them to sustain most of the hour when neither can manage more than a sentence, a long stare and chopping some wood.
I’m torn now since I’ve spent 4 hours of my life on it - does episode 5 leap forward ?
Watching it is like being stuck in a hut in a drizzly forest with nothing to do. Or is that the point ?
All merely my humble opinion
Pete