Episode Guide
Evergreen’s review of 30 Seconds to Mars’ new album “Offset” is highly positive, awarding it a score of 3.5/5. The review also cites the band’s “infectious energy” and “energetic live shows.” Overnight’s review of the same album is more critical, awarding it a score of only 2.5/5 but citing some problems with the music and live performance. Screamer’s review of 30 Seconds to Mars’ new album “Screamer” is less positive, awarding it a score of only 2.5/5 but citing some problems with the music and live performance as well as some good points. Bright’s review of 30 Seconds to Mars’ new album “Bright” is also less positive, awarding it a score of only 3.5/5 but citing some good points as well as some bad points.
Shining Girls is a slow-burn thriller that could easily become a snooze fest for its audience. However, it injects itself with a shot of adrenaline in the last few episodes, making it one of those shows that works better as a binge watch. Apple’s model of drip-feeding everything on Fridays at the same time as all their other content isn’t always the best move. ..
The novel opens with a young girl, Ruby, who is taken from her home in the middle of nowhere and sold into slavery. She is kept in a dark and dreary room with no windows, where she is force-fed food that makes her vomit. She is also kept in a constant state of fear, as she’s never sure when or where her next meal will come from. Eventually, Ruby escapes her captors and makes her way back to the safety of her home. However, she’s not the only one who has experienced such terrible conditions; many other girls have been sold into slavery by their parents or other family members. As Ruby begins to piece together what happened to her friends and family, she realizes that there may be more than one reason why they’ve all been taken away. Shining Girls tells the story of how these girls must fight for their lives as they try to find their way back home and free themselves from their captors. It’s an intense and harrowing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
The story is slowly and carefully layered, although I must say some of the middle chapters do sag, with very little plot development. Episodes 4 and 5 are particularly egregious in that respect. However, from episode 6 onward, the show aligns all of its puzzle pieces in time for an incredibly satisfying pay-off that helps to elevate this above being an ordinary thriller into something quite special.
Kirby Mazrachi is a woman who has been through a brutal attack in the past. She is trying to make sense of her life and keep a journal, but she is constantly questioning what is real and what isn’t. It seems that her attacker, Harper, is the root cause of all of this. ..
As an archivist at a newspaper, Kirby and veteran reporter Dan team up to investigate a string of murders that stretch back to the early 1900’s. Unfortunately, Harper appears to be one step ahead of the pair the whole time. How? What secrets does he hold? And can the pair stop Harper from killing again?
Shining Girls is a gripping show that allows the viewer to follow the characters as they navigate their way through a complex plot. The acting is excellent and the show is well-paced.
Elisabeth Moss is an excellent actress, although I must confess her performance here is very close to that of Cecilia in The Invisible Man and June Osborne in Handmaid’s Tale. While I do appreciate she’s a victim here too, it’s also hard not to shake the similarities.
Jamie Bell is a noteworthy mention in this performance. He plays the chilling and unnerving Harper brilliantly. As someone who has been a fan of Bell since his performance in Deathwatch, a 2002 horror movie (which also featured Andy Serkis and Laurence Fox), it’s great to see him here in a very different role. The rest of the cast play their parts well, but Bell and Moss are going to get most of the plaudits here. ..
Thematically, Shining Girls is a dark and brooding story about the power of love and the cost of letting go. The music helps to create a truly unique atmosphere, one that is both oppressive and oppressive in equal measure. The composer has done an amazing job in creating a moody and melancholic score that perfectly matches the story’s themes.
The visuals are stunning, and the set design is excellent. There’s a nice ebb and flow to the camera work, and late on there are some particularly impressive shots that help to explain and accentuate these shifting realities.
Shining Girls is a show that suffers from its slow plotting. Some of the bigger plot developments are reserved for later chapters, and the show is actually burdened by its drip-fed structure of one episode a week. As someone who tries to judge these shows fairly both ways (watching half the show week by week and then binging the rest), Shining Girls definitely feels stronger as the latter choice. ..
Shining Girls is a slow-burn thriller with several shocking twists and an impressive degree of control to keep things tense right up to the nail-biting conclusion. Don’t sleep on this one—Shining Girls is a bright star that’s very much worth your time. ..
