Reviews

I do not think Dark is by any means a bad show, but it couldn't keep my interest and i couldn't point my finger as to why. 1899 was different. What I most enjoyed was the dense atmosphere and the setting. Everybody speaking their native language on an international ocean liner added a great deal. The casting was wonderful. Like in Dark I did not care too much about the internal challenges the characters present at first, but the show drew me in with that "off" feeling and i am sure I'll notice more things pointing to the conclusions by a second watch.

The soundtrack was unnerving and intense. For my personal take i did not like the more modern music coupled with that fin-de-siecle aesthetic at the end of each episode

At one point I had this sinking feeling: Sooo many mysteries. There is no way this is getting a satisfying conclusion. And too many red herrings and things we're probably not supposed to really care about. I did feel very satisfied by the ending. It gives enough answers to be satisfied and leaves enough open to want to continue.

The good: Loved the setting, the overall "look" of the series, also some of the characters were people I empathized with. I personally like dark serial killer stories and that's what drew me in. Doesn't have to be the main aspect of the show, which is the case here. The actors are solid and they don't have an easy job.

The bad: At some point I was really annoyed by the main character not being allowed one scene not crying or in extreme panic. At first I was impressed, how realistically she displayed severe anxiety. Sure, her situation is terrible and her extreme emotions are warranted, but the dial was set constantly to 11 which is numbing and ground the story to a halt.

The antagonist is so cliché, its hard not to laugh and take them seriously. Their motivations also didn't make sense - but maybe they were just as insane as everybody else. Well, their core motivation does make boring sense, but the way they went about it didn't.

The mind-sequences got boring. A bit like a thriller being halfway solved through prophecy or coincidences... which is a bit lazy. I know, you could make a case for the character subconsciously picking up hints and understanding them in her mind, but it didn't feel like this. This was used to make the viewer guess: Was her vision real or not.

I felt that the very bloody parts of the series were over the top. I don't mind this in general, but it didn't play into the main conflict and was just a cheap shock effect.

Won't be watching future seasons, if this gets more releases, but will watch out for other projects the actors are in.