Why Aren’t You Watching ‘Absentia’? You Really Should Be

Here’s a sad fact: you’re probably not watching Absentia because you’ve probably not heard of it…and that in itself is one of the great injustices in the world.

Absentia which stars Stana Katic (who played Det. Kate Beckett on Castle) is one of the best new TV Shows of the 2017/2018 line up.  Get this, it also stars Richard Brake, who played the first (and scarier) Night King on Game of Thrones. Here, Brake plays the primary antagonist of the series – a role he plays to eerie perfection.

Okay, here’s the official plot:

The series tells the story of FBI agent Emily Byrne (Stana Katic) who, while hunting one of Boston’s most notorious serial killers, disappears without a trace and is declared dead. Six years later, she is found in a cabin in the woods, barely alive and with no memory of the years she was missing. Returning home to learn that her husband has remarried and her son is being raised by another woman, she soon finds herself implicated in a new series of murders.

Obviously, I did have my issues with the pilot episode because for a moment it seemed to be moving too fast, then too slow and then fast again…but then again, which pilot episode doesn’t have problems. By the second episode, the show had figured out it’s pacing.

Absentia will appeal to those who love procedurals and investigative shows. Of course, the content is a little ‘intense’, considering it’s dealing with a woman who had been captured and tortured for over half a decade – I personally have tried to stay away from ‘heavy’ shows like this, which led to my sci-fi leanings; however, Stana Katic plays her role so delicately, charismatically and beautifully that I couldn’t help but be enamoured, I just couldn’t look away. And I kept looking forward to seeing her on my screen every week.

While the show boasts of an intriguing plot and a stellar (albeit unknown) cast, what really sells this show are the character motivations. You get why everyone does what they do and you completely understand their motivations.

I’m not completely sold on Emily’s son, Flynn, who is being rude to his mother for no absolute reason. I understand that it can be disruptive when a mother who you never really knew and who you mourned shows up after being missing and declared dead for six years. I get that, what I don’t get is why he is not giving her a chance? Is he scared of losing her again or is she just some random stranger to him?  I don’t know, I don’t understand it and I would like a little more exposition on this.

Besides, that, everything else is in tip-top shape. I hope this series gets better recognition though, it’s pretty good and Stana Katic brings her A game in this…which she pretty much always does so that’s not new.

On a scale of 1-10, I would give it an 8. Try it out if you’re looking to get lost in a new series.

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