I recently finished watching Furious after seeing numerous social media influencers enthusiastically praise it as a potential frontrunner for Emmys next year. However, I found this series to be poorly written, with unconvincing performances and pretentious cinematography. It’s another reason why I don't consider Hulu to be a good streaming platform; their original shows are consistently bland and disappointing. The show tackles the serious issue of pedophilia, which exists in a disturbing space between crime and morality, but secondary storylines involving the characters detract from the central plot, making it feel like a typical network drama with a superficial attempt at grit. Alice is portrayed as a survivor of domestic violence who also enjoys participating in S&M activities. Research doesn’t indicate any connection between these experiences. By including Alice's interest in S&M, the writers seem to be trying to distract viewers from feeling empathy for her past relationship with Marshall. Her trauma feels like an elaborate attempt to mislead the audience about domestic violence. I would have preferred a more complex portrayal of Alice, but her characterization seems disconnected from her history, which is difficult to accept over just a few episodes. Introducing her past involvement with a child predator felt exploitative; it serves only as a convenient plot device for her to kill Easton and elicit a certain reaction from the audience. It seemed like the show was desperately trying to appear socially conscious. A disabled romantic interest intended to humanize a serial killer antagonist, a police officer caring for a disabled child with his ex-wife, Marshall’s terminally ill mother, the antagonist being a lesbian, and a random gay couple—none of these elements were necessary. The story would have been the same with or without them. This series exemplifies what forced inclusion looks like: it's uncomfortable because the writers fail to convey their intended message clearly. The show attempts to present Catherine, the antagonist, as an anti-hero. While I appreciate the effort to portray a ruthless assassin who gives drugs as someone sympathetic, it doesn’t quite work, especially when you realize her motivation is based on a false memory and that she played a role in the suffering of the person whose death she's avenging. I couldn’t figure out how the FBI gained jurisdiction over this case. It seems like the writers think their audience isn't very intelligent. This isn’t network television anymore. The series repeatedly shows the FBI overpowering the local NYPD, and I kept wondering when and how that would happen in a murder investigation within NYC. The writers are too preoccupied with subplots to explain the practical details of the story. Nora, Alice's supervisor, is detrimental to the show and should be fired immediately. Her attempts to appear confident don’t help anyone; instead, they lead to compromised operations and lost evidence. She's worse than a novice. I doubt the writers consulted with actual FBI agents during production. For individuals supposedly running a child predation ring of significant influence, none of the victims have bodyguards or weapons. A young girl is able to get dangerously close with nothing more than a fentanyl-laced needle. While I’m not suggesting that these men need to improve their security measures, the writers shouldn't portray the victims as so naive and easily manipulated. The show wants us to believe that Catherine knows exactly how to manipulate people, causing them to blindly follow her instructions. That’s simply unrealistic. The soundtrack is bizarre. Even the title music undermines the seriousness of the subject matter; it sounds more appropriate for a state fair than an FBI investigation series. Ultimately, don't waste your time on a show that feels like promotional material. Instead, watch films like Spotlight and Silence of the Lambs or shows like The Mare of Easttown.

Source on TMDB