R E C O M M E N D A T I O N – S H O W
Fiana Islam
Mystery thrillers are difficult to get right. Most of the time, despite finishing the shows, we often tend to feel hung between multiple interpretations. Personally, mystery shows never feel disappointing whether they’re relevant to crime or drama or the gothic genre; for me, it’s always a “hard to ignore and easy to get spooked by” type of situation.
So to keep you updated with some recent thought-provoking mysterious shows, we recommend you the following for this weekend.
The Outsider
IMDb: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Undoubtedly, The Outsider is one of Stephen King’s best mystery creations. It aired on HBO Max, in January 2020. The ten episodes of this mini-series will definitely give you goosebumps without any jump scares. The story begins with the mysterious murder of a child in a small town. With the proceeding investigation, the detectives get to know it is not a human that they are chasing but a mythical entity, turning the direction of the investigation completely. The twists are such that you will be forced to question all your beliefs.
It’s a well-put mystery thriller with a gripping plot and an amazing cast, bound to leave you yearning for more after each episode.
Raised By Wolves
IMDb: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
I personally loved Raised By Wolves. The first season of this modern sci-fi mystery series aired on HBO Max in 2020. The story is quite interesting — as religious extremists threaten the human race, two androids get the responsibility to raise some human children on a different planet on their own. Everything about this series is extremely well done, including the allusions to “Adam” and “Eve” in the two androids.
Amanda Collins’ terrifying portrayal of the lead role “mother” is beyond explanation, and Ridley Scott has gifted us with another one of his gems by merging science with the original history of the epic fall of mankind.
Defending Jacob
IMDb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
This eight-episode mystery-thriller aired first on Apple TV+ last year, and the title gives away some of what the story is about. The Massachusetts district attorney Andy Barbar was assigned the murder case of a local teen who was also a classmate of his only son Jacob. The first plot twist appears when the investigation leads its way to Jacob and accuses him of being the murderer. The father’s constant struggle to save his son from the case, and the gradual unfolding of some of the family’s past injuries have balanced the overall narrative really well.
Chris Evans is in the lead role in this series, along with Michelle Dockery and Jaeden Martell. Based on a book by the same name, Defending Jacob might feel way too detailed at times, but is definitely a good watch.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
A Netflix follow-up of The Haunting of Hill House. It is an American mystery gothic series that will give you a glimpse of love, sacrifice, fear, and happiness at the same time. The plot is based on The Turn of The Screw (1898) by Henry James.
The story follows a hired au pair’s (governess) supernatural experiences in a haunted mansion — “Bly Manor” — after she started to look after the two children of the dead owner. The au pair, Dany, suddenly realizes that the siblings Flora and Mike are possessed by their former governess Miss Jessel. Dany tries her best to save the children from the possession but eventually finds out that it’s not just Miss Jessel that’s wreaking all the havoc.
I personally loved this show after The Haunting of Hill House. It might appear to be somewhat of a slow burn at first but the series eventually unravels like a book.
Unbelievable
IMDb: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Unbelievable follows the story of a young girl called Marie, who claims to have been sexually assaulted by a masked intruder in her home in Washington. This miniseries is based on the true story of a real rape survivor of the same name.
Initially, local detectives dismissed Marie’s case as they thought she had made it all up to get attention like teens might do. But three years later, Marie’s case was reopened when similar reports began to be filed against a mask intruder in another estate. The mystery of this masked man unfolds at the very end, and it is quite shocking.
The most interesting part is that despite having the same pattern that every crime mystery story has, Unbelievable holds on to the details. The series does a great job of delicately portraying sensitive issues like rape and PTSD.
Behind Her Eyes
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
Based on the novel by Sarah Pinborough, Behind Her Eyes is a nail-biting mystery thriller. This six-episode miniseries aired on Netflix this year.
It portrays the story of Adele and David, a “well off” looking married couple who are seen to secretly struggle in their marriage because of some mystery of their past. As an intruder in this broken relationship, David’s assistant Louise adds some flavour to both of their lives. But, as it turns out, it is not just these three but someone else with an “inexplicable” ability who’s manipulating them from an invisible place — like a third eye!
Fiana is a human-ish writer by day and a Scorpio coven witch by nightfall. Reach out to her @_ffikipedia_ to share any thoughts.