Netflix recently released a new miniseries called Below. I came across several ads for the show, and its premise looked interesting to me.
According to Wikipedia, the premise of the show is:
“When the remote Newfoundland town of Snook’s Arm is terrorized by a mysterious sea creature, a hard-bitten fisherman must fight to protect his family, his community, and his vanishing way of life.”
The show stars Josh Hartnett, who is known for movies such as The Faculty, Pearl Harbor, and Black Hawk Down.
Another star is Charlie Heaton, whom many people will recognize as Jonathan Byers from Stranger Things.
Hartnett plays Calvin Penney, a fisherman and iceberg harvester, while Heaton plays his son, Wade. The series revolves mainly around the two of them.
The series opens with a flashback to 1985, when Calvin, his parents, and his sister move their floating house to Snook’s Arm as part of a resettlement. Their boat is suddenly attacked by an unknown creature, causing the house to sink to the bottom of the sea with Calvin’s father trapped inside.
We then jump to the present day, where Calvin is harvesting icebergs for a local vodka brewery. However, the ice he brings in is deemed to be of too low a quality.
He takes the ice to Dr. Fonda Howander, a marine biologist, to have it examined.
From there, the show takes off. A mysterious creature is hunting in the waters and attacking ships, while the ice itself seems to have strange effects on people. They become delusional and develop an insatiable thirst for water.
When I say the show takes off, though, I really mean the first three episodes. After that, things start to fall flat.
Without spoiling too much, several storylines that seem to be building towards something major end up fizzling out. Characters who are introduced in rather dramatic fashion suddenly have their stories cut short.
The final episode attempts to tie everything together but, in my opinion, does a poor job of it. A new antagonist suddenly appears, wielding power that seems to disappear just as quickly. Although the show was created as a miniseries, the ending leaves the door wide open for a second season.
My conclusion is that if this sounds like your kind of show, it’s worth giving it a try. Just be aware that while it starts strong, it ends on a much weaker note.
My score: 5.5/10
About The Author
