FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE YET TO SEE THE WATCHER, THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.

Lost in the Reel‘s video review for The Watcher

Ryan Murphy is riding high right now because of his recent success with “Dahmer”… and I have a feeling he is going to have a lot more to be excited about with his new limited series “The Watcher”.  This show is tailor-made for the Netflix audience… with its horror and mystery elements, and ripped from the headlines narrative.  There’s no doubt in my mind that it will be a huge hit for the streaming platform, though I doubt it will reach the numbers that Dahmer was able to pull it off.  But, the real question is… is it any good?  Well, I would say mostly yes, but there’s a lot here that doesn’t work, as well.

WHAT IS THE WATCHER ALL ABOUT?

After the Brannock family moves into what was supposed to be their suburban dream home… it quickly becomes a living hell. Ominous letters from someone calling themself “The Watcher” are just the beginning… As the neighborhood’s sinister secrets come spilling out.

HOW ADDICTIVE IS THIS SHOW?

The Watcher, to me, is the definition of a guilty pleasure.  It is probably the most addicting thing I’ve watched in quite a while.  It’s one of those shows that get you irritated by the Netflix notification asking if you’re still watching…. Because, of course, you are!  This is the reason why they created the term binge-watching.  You have to stay up all night to find out who the culprit is and why they are doing what they are doing.  In that way, this reminded me so much of last year’s Netflix show, Clickbait.  The substance of that show wasn’t all that good, but it was an entertaining ride that had you hooked until you got to that ham-fisted finale.  Speaking of endings, well… I’ll get to that in a second.

THE TONE OF THE SERIES FEELS OFF…

Right off the bat, I felt like the tone of it felt really off.  There were moments when it would be creepy and suspenseful, then all of a sudden it was trying to be darkly comedic, then it would be flat-out ludicrous and silly.  There was a part of me that felt like I was watching a spoof of the genre at times… Like in another Netflix series The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.  Luckily, The Watcher finds its rhythm as its episodes progress… but, then it runs into another problem.  It starts to be increasingly repetitive.  

HOW MUCH OF THE WATCHER IS BASED ON REAL-LIFE EVENTS?

I think the reasoning behind this is that it’s based on a very simple true story… and the showrunners have stretched the idea into seven episodes.  What actually happened in real life, was a couple bought a house in New Jersey and before they had even moved in, they started getting threatening letters in the mail.  Some of the sentences and phrases from those letters have been used in the series, and a couple of other stories about the neighbors and urban legends from the area have also been included… but, beyond that, the entire narrative is fabricated, right down to the fact that the couple never even moved into the house. 

So, while they have used the phrase “based on a true story” pretty liberally… I don’t really have a problem with that per se, because the idea of this “Watcher” is so creepy and intriguing.  Yet, I’m not sure the showrunners really knew where to go with the idea, besides leading us on a wild goose chase with a ton of kooky characters and red herrings.  And when I say red herrings, there are so many in this series… it will make your damn head spin.  There’s a feeling that you get while watching, that you are just going around and around in a circle and there’s just no end in sight.  

IS THE ENDING GOING TO SATISFY AUDIENCES?

And to my surprise, the showrunners do actually take that concept and use it to their advantage in the ending. Though I don’t think they’ve crafted a satisfying-enough conclusion to this story, especially a story that revolves around its mystery so much that it wouldn’t be anything without it… I do think they’ve done enough to make me walk away not feeling like I’ve completely wasted seven hours of my life. 

Without giving too much away, there are a couple of times in the last few episodes where you think that our characters have solved the mystery… and every single time, I would be a bit furious because I wasn’t satisfied by that end result.  Then the showrunners would throw another twist at us and we would realize that the mystery wasn’t actually solved yet, and I would be content again.  Maybe I just never wanted it to end.  I don’t know.  Either way, I think how they’ve finished the whole thing is probably one of the best ways they could have possibly ended it… but, I still think it’s going to be divisive with audiences.  

HOW IS THE ENSEMBLE CAST?

For me, the main reason to tune in to The Watcher is for this incredible ensemble of performers.  Naomie Watts and Bobby Cannavale are perfectly cast and are able to capture the hysteria of being caught in this torture, whilst also allowing us to care for them and their family in the process.  You might get irritated at their actions, but you also can’t help but feel so bad for their predicament as well. 

I do have to say though, the real treat here is getting to see this supporting cast of veteran actors allowed to let loose and run wild.  Though their characters are so over-the-top they oftentimes teeter on the edge of camp… you can tell this ensemble is having so much fun.  With the likes of Margo Martindale, Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher MacDonald, Richard Kind, and Mia Farrow sinking their teeth into these batshit crazy roles, it’s truly hard to resist.  My MVP has to go to Noma Dumezweni though, who plays the Private Eye Theodora Birch… I honestly would love to see this character get her own prequel spin-off series.  

IS THE WATCHER… WORTH WATCHING?

There’s really a whole lot to love about Ryan Murphy’s The Watcher.  The biggest compliment I can give it is that I really enjoyed my time watching it.  My biggest complaint is looking back, I’m not sure that there was a whole lot there that warranted my investment.  But, not all things have to have deeper importance other than providing their audience with some schlocky, mindless entertainment.  And The Watcher is able to do just that.

All 7 Episodes of The Watcher are Streaming Now on Netflix.

For More Reviews, make sure to Stay Tuned to That Hashtag Show!

Keep Reading:

Halloween Ends – A Tale Of Two Halves [Fright-A-Thon Review]