I don't understand why people loathe this program so much except that art is subjective. I personally enjoyed it very much and hope they make a season 2. I watched it in 2 sittings and was never bored, but I watch a lot of international TV and my husband is from Mexico so I speak passable Spanish and don't mind subtitles.
You might want to skip it if you don't speak Spanish and hate subtitles or dubbing into your language. Also if you need a neat, tidy ending, or you are not a fan of X Files, Stephen King, etc. Where you might have to take some things with "a grain of salt." It is a predominantly young cast so is diverse in gender, race and sexual orientation but not so much age. Global warming is discussed. If any of that bothers you, skip it.
If, however, you enjoy psychological thrillers/sci fi, amazing geography (filmed in Barcelona, San Sebastian and The Canary Islands), good acting (Spanish style acting can run more "theatrical" like American soaps but this one was no more overacted than Defending Jacob which I just finished and enjoyed, and Belinda - who plays Afrilux - is quite well known in Mexico. She's been acting since 10 - so cast not all novices or unknowns), a fast pace IMO (episodes are short 30 to 45 min and only 8 of them) and don't mind an open ending, you might give it a shot.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Those who said they don't understand why there's very little security the answer is they don't need it. You are trapped on an island. Where are u going to go? They show the guy at the beginning trying to run and hide. When they all come for u, u are outnumbered. If u do manage to hide, how long can u keep it up and how are you going to feed yourself?
The cult part was very well done IMO. Just watched the documentary about the real life cult Nexium. It works the way they portrayed it: prey on the lost and disenfranchised (background of abuse, neglect, trauma or people who "don't fit in"), make them feel safe, valued and heard, make them a part of something special that is worth defending. Use reward and punishment to keep people in line. Harass and terrify people who try to leave or speak against the cult. In real life people capitulate very quickly to brain washing and it is extremely difficult to remove someone from a cult. If they come out, most have to be deprogrammed so I felt they showed that dynamic very well, albeit in a more young-adult angsty way.
I agree about the not fighting back, however. Yes, they were exhausted, traumatized and unaware of what a cattle bolt looks like and what it would do to them, but there should have been at least a little more fight. Granted in a boat or against a cliff's ledge there's not much room to fight, but they could have at least tried to take one with them. But again, where can you go if you do manage to take the 1 or 2 guards down? Eventually the cult's posse would overtake u.
And picking a chosen few new recruits and releasing the rest was explained. They were looking for certain personality types who would fit in and "get with the program." 100 strangers plied with alcohol, driven thru the night, plied with more alcohol, easy pickings. I was 20 a few decades ago, but definitely had a few nights that were blurry, so not noticing 5 strangers out of 99 not getting back on the boat would be plausible. They felt safe because it looked like a legit production for a new product, so no one was really on high alert. And then the 5 that were chosen were the kind who might run off or take time away, so friends or families not too alarmed at first.
Again, got to take this genre with a grain of salt. One James Bond villain had radioactive lint (I actually saw it in a museum of movie props in England LOL) and one of my favorite Twilight Zones had a gremlin tearing up the wing of an aircraft while in flight so...;)
You might want to skip it if you don't speak Spanish and hate subtitles or dubbing into your language. Also if you need a neat, tidy ending, or you are not a fan of X Files, Stephen King, etc. Where you might have to take some things with "a grain of salt." It is a predominantly young cast so is diverse in gender, race and sexual orientation but not so much age. Global warming is discussed. If any of that bothers you, skip it.
If, however, you enjoy psychological thrillers/sci fi, amazing geography (filmed in Barcelona, San Sebastian and The Canary Islands), good acting (Spanish style acting can run more "theatrical" like American soaps but this one was no more overacted than Defending Jacob which I just finished and enjoyed, and Belinda - who plays Afrilux - is quite well known in Mexico. She's been acting since 10 - so cast not all novices or unknowns), a fast pace IMO (episodes are short 30 to 45 min and only 8 of them) and don't mind an open ending, you might give it a shot.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Those who said they don't understand why there's very little security the answer is they don't need it. You are trapped on an island. Where are u going to go? They show the guy at the beginning trying to run and hide. When they all come for u, u are outnumbered. If u do manage to hide, how long can u keep it up and how are you going to feed yourself?
The cult part was very well done IMO. Just watched the documentary about the real life cult Nexium. It works the way they portrayed it: prey on the lost and disenfranchised (background of abuse, neglect, trauma or people who "don't fit in"), make them feel safe, valued and heard, make them a part of something special that is worth defending. Use reward and punishment to keep people in line. Harass and terrify people who try to leave or speak against the cult. In real life people capitulate very quickly to brain washing and it is extremely difficult to remove someone from a cult. If they come out, most have to be deprogrammed so I felt they showed that dynamic very well, albeit in a more young-adult angsty way.
I agree about the not fighting back, however. Yes, they were exhausted, traumatized and unaware of what a cattle bolt looks like and what it would do to them, but there should have been at least a little more fight. Granted in a boat or against a cliff's ledge there's not much room to fight, but they could have at least tried to take one with them. But again, where can you go if you do manage to take the 1 or 2 guards down? Eventually the cult's posse would overtake u.
And picking a chosen few new recruits and releasing the rest was explained. They were looking for certain personality types who would fit in and "get with the program." 100 strangers plied with alcohol, driven thru the night, plied with more alcohol, easy pickings. I was 20 a few decades ago, but definitely had a few nights that were blurry, so not noticing 5 strangers out of 99 not getting back on the boat would be plausible. They felt safe because it looked like a legit production for a new product, so no one was really on high alert. And then the 5 that were chosen were the kind who might run off or take time away, so friends or families not too alarmed at first.
Again, got to take this genre with a grain of salt. One James Bond villain had radioactive lint (I actually saw it in a museum of movie props in England LOL) and one of my favorite Twilight Zones had a gremlin tearing up the wing of an aircraft while in flight so...;)