STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
SEASON ONE
In 2013, Sonja Farek (Shannon O' Neill), a drug test analyst in Oklahoma, was discovered to be using drugs taken during police seizures, for her own recreational use while working in the lab. This lead to a number of convictions for drug offences being investigated, and in some cases, overturned. Other instances of this were recorded over the country, leading to a widespread examination of corruption within the police and criminal justice system, and who was really to blame and who was being hung out to dry.
The fact is stranger than fiction mantra strikes again with this latest Netflix documentary series, delving into the world of the war on drugs and the validity of those who work within it. Yes, even the people who test the purity of drugs seized are taking a bit on the side, as in the case of Sonja Farek, our main protagonist, a lonely, unappreciated, but by all accounts dedicated and professional worker, who tried to fill the emptiness of her existence with the seized narcotics that were left too easily within temptation's grasp.
I've lamented, in numourous other reviews, how overly lengthy NF tends to make their series, so it's something of a contradiction that I think this one suffers from being too short, with four thorough but crammed episodes not really giving the story enough time to get fleshed out enough to really delve into the heart of the subject matter, a shame since there's lots of meaty potential to do so. Another issue is the unsure tonal balance. As with all their documentary series, NF gives it the veneer of a serious, no holds barred presentation, but at times it appears to have more of a cool, edgy vibe to it, that puts it at odds with what it's trying to be.
It's still interesting and effective, though, a depiction of something that had all the potential to go on, and went on under everyone's noses until it blew up and became a big, well, scandal. ***
SEASON ONE
In 2013, Sonja Farek (Shannon O' Neill), a drug test analyst in Oklahoma, was discovered to be using drugs taken during police seizures, for her own recreational use while working in the lab. This lead to a number of convictions for drug offences being investigated, and in some cases, overturned. Other instances of this were recorded over the country, leading to a widespread examination of corruption within the police and criminal justice system, and who was really to blame and who was being hung out to dry.
The fact is stranger than fiction mantra strikes again with this latest Netflix documentary series, delving into the world of the war on drugs and the validity of those who work within it. Yes, even the people who test the purity of drugs seized are taking a bit on the side, as in the case of Sonja Farek, our main protagonist, a lonely, unappreciated, but by all accounts dedicated and professional worker, who tried to fill the emptiness of her existence with the seized narcotics that were left too easily within temptation's grasp.
I've lamented, in numourous other reviews, how overly lengthy NF tends to make their series, so it's something of a contradiction that I think this one suffers from being too short, with four thorough but crammed episodes not really giving the story enough time to get fleshed out enough to really delve into the heart of the subject matter, a shame since there's lots of meaty potential to do so. Another issue is the unsure tonal balance. As with all their documentary series, NF gives it the veneer of a serious, no holds barred presentation, but at times it appears to have more of a cool, edgy vibe to it, that puts it at odds with what it's trying to be.
It's still interesting and effective, though, a depiction of something that had all the potential to go on, and went on under everyone's noses until it blew up and became a big, well, scandal. ***