I think maybe we are spoilt a bit with how much good television there is at the moment (the 'moment' defined by the last decade or so), with smart writing, risks being taken, and plenty to engage that works. I say that because I think in another mindset Fortitude probably works better than it did for me, but as it is its weaknesses seemed too starkly presented. It is a shame because in a way the show is perfectly fine, and deserves credit for what it tries to do. It is set in a small isolated community of people who have washed up there for one reason or another, opens with a memorable moment of violence, plays out relationship and crime dramas, while at the same time having an odd horror element (which is related to something at the root of the town). All of this sounds good, and being presented with such a strong cast only adds to that; but it is the writing that doesn't make it work.
It starts early, as the first episode has far too many expositional scenes which come over as clunky in the way that it wants to bring the viewer up to speed as fast as possible, or to flag future issues. It is understandable in some ways, as it is trying to grab an audience, but it did feel forced. This continues into the rest of the show, where it consistently lacks that feel of naturalism or organic plot growth. As a wholly non-creative person, I struggled to put my finger on what is wrong with it, but it does seem like it couldn't get the control of all the moving parts, and ends up focusing on whatever it is doing at that moment, and can't make it a seamless whole. This is most apparent in the lack of embedding of themes.
Perhaps I am stretching for something not really there, but there should be more than gore to the idea of a town such as Fortitude being a place threatened by things long buried that start to come out due to specific revealing actions. This seems like an obvious connection, where both elements could strengthen the other, but the script seems to fumble it and not bring it out. As a result of this and other weakness, it is never what it could have been – and I felt that frustration throughout. The cast and location help it; it looks great in its white isolation, and the performances are mostly delivering on what they are given or more. In particular Tucci, Dormer, and Echegui all do good work, but others are not as engaging, or seem to have as much presence. Few of them manage to produce great characters though, only good performances, and as a result the various twists and turns of later episodes do not really have the impact they should have done.
In the end it is a show that is worth a look for what it tries to do, but one that frustrates in how it doesn't deliver on its promise. It constantly feels like it is trying too hard, pushing all its elements, when really it needed a more balanced touch to bring out more in an organic way. I'm not sure if it did enough for me to rush to the second season, or if at all.
It starts early, as the first episode has far too many expositional scenes which come over as clunky in the way that it wants to bring the viewer up to speed as fast as possible, or to flag future issues. It is understandable in some ways, as it is trying to grab an audience, but it did feel forced. This continues into the rest of the show, where it consistently lacks that feel of naturalism or organic plot growth. As a wholly non-creative person, I struggled to put my finger on what is wrong with it, but it does seem like it couldn't get the control of all the moving parts, and ends up focusing on whatever it is doing at that moment, and can't make it a seamless whole. This is most apparent in the lack of embedding of themes.
Perhaps I am stretching for something not really there, but there should be more than gore to the idea of a town such as Fortitude being a place threatened by things long buried that start to come out due to specific revealing actions. This seems like an obvious connection, where both elements could strengthen the other, but the script seems to fumble it and not bring it out. As a result of this and other weakness, it is never what it could have been – and I felt that frustration throughout. The cast and location help it; it looks great in its white isolation, and the performances are mostly delivering on what they are given or more. In particular Tucci, Dormer, and Echegui all do good work, but others are not as engaging, or seem to have as much presence. Few of them manage to produce great characters though, only good performances, and as a result the various twists and turns of later episodes do not really have the impact they should have done.
In the end it is a show that is worth a look for what it tries to do, but one that frustrates in how it doesn't deliver on its promise. It constantly feels like it is trying too hard, pushing all its elements, when really it needed a more balanced touch to bring out more in an organic way. I'm not sure if it did enough for me to rush to the second season, or if at all.
