I Will Find You: A Review of Netflix's Wheel-Spinning, Pulpy Harlan Coben Thriller
Netflix's 'I Will Find You' is a prime example of a modern, distracted-viewing show. It's a limited series adaptation of Harlan Coben's work, and it's built to be watched while doing other things. The show's plot is repeated and reiterated, with characters seeking the same information and following the same breadcrumbs, leading to an avalanche of exposition. This is not the result of executive notes, but rather a deliberate design choice to cater to multi-tasking viewers.
The series stars Sam Worthington, Britt Lower, Milo Ventimiglia, Erin Richards, Jonathan Tucker, Madeleine Stowe, Logan Browning, and Chi McBride. The cast is top-notch, but the plot is a mess. The story revolves around David Burroughs, a father serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his son, a crime he denies committing. The prosecution claimed he committed the crime in the throes of chronic night terrors, but this detail is never mentioned again in the series.
The show is full of fleeting pieces of information that are tossed out with no consideration for what they might actually mean to the story. Chekhov would not approve. The series is a disposable mixture of repetition, red herrings, narrative dead-ends, and illogical resolutions. Despite the irritation, the show remains generally watchable thanks to the top-notch cast.
The series' creative team never received a Netflix note saying, 'Guys, you're fitting two hours of plot into eight hours of programming, is there any other way we might use this time better?' The show is designed to be half-watched while keeping track of external stimuli like the World Cup and busy news headlines. It's a show that ultimately is designed to be watched while doing other things.
In my opinion, 'I Will Find You' is a prime example of a show that has been designed to cater to the modern, distracted viewer. It's a show that is built to be watched while doing other things, and it's a prime example of how Netflix is accounting for multi-tasking, multi-screen viewership. Personally, I think the show's repetitive and reiterated plot is a result of a deliberate design choice, not executive notes. What makes this particularly fascinating is the way the show's plot is repeated and reiterated, leading to an avalanche of exposition. From my perspective, the show's weak points are its illogical resolutions and narrative dead-ends. However, the show remains generally watchable thanks to the top-notch cast.
