Netflix's "Dark" season one review: best sci-fi series on the network. Period.
Prove me wrong. But, before I present my review and opinion, let's read the "Dark" season one synopsis:
A missing child sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers as they unearth a mind-bending mystery that spans three generations.
By: Nick
(Evil*) Editor-in-Chief, 8FLiX
*as presumed by some "Stranger Things" stans, and maybe also The Duffer Brothers.
"Dark" season 1 review & opine, in short:
Based in the town of Winden, Germany (a real town, but fictional in this case…more on that in a minute), a child goes missing, then another, then another. A dead boy suddenly appears, partially buried in the forest, but not one of the missing children.
Birds are falling from the sky, almost at random, dead before they hit the ground. Electrical disturbances, strange sightings, sheep falling dead in a pasture with blown-out eardrums…all of this seems eerily familiar. Déjà -vu perhaps, or caused by the nuclear power plant? Maybe something supernatural?
Many are convinced that the nuclear power plant is responsible. And so begins the wonderfully-told, mind-bending, time-travelling German thriller, Dark.
Give it a chance
The first few episodes of Netflix's Dark, an original series from Germany, build the characters – a little bit about each is revealed as the story moves along. The narrative will become clear soon enough. To build something great, it takes time. Give this series at least two episodes to build the suspense, it will be well worth it.
Some compare Dark to Stranger Things (why do some people compare nearly every supernatural Netflix series to Stranger Things?). I wouldn’t go too far with that opinion. Part of the Dark story happens in 1986, but also in other time periods. Comparing the two shows would do neither justice. If you need to compare, they are both great. That’s it.
Unlike Stranger Things‘ Hawkins, Indiana, Winden is a real town. However, according to series creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, Dark‘s Winden is a mashup of the small German towns that they grew up in around the time of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.
Why, tho?
This is a complex show with a lot going on. So, it's important to pay close attention because the characters are intricate, full of emotion, and everything they do affects everything and everyone around them.
It’s binge-worthy and you can probably watch the first season over a weekend (10 episodes, roughly 50-minutes each).
(Originally posted January 20, 2018. Edited for aesthetics June 29, 2020 and March 9, 2021 and October 4, 2022)
By: Nick Runyeard
Evil Editor-in-Chief, 8FLiX
