This was one of the best shows I have watched so far. It wastes no time in introducing us to the life of Leila- a troubled teenager who is still grappling with the loss of her older sister. She befriends Abbie, a nerd, and together they, except for studying, are doing everything else, like drugs, skipping classes, bonding over the Beatles, etc. This, of course, doesn’t go well with Mr Turner and Abbie’s parents. Mr Turner convinces Leila’s mother to send her to Tall Pines Academy- a reformatory institution which Leila doesn’t want to attend. Something doesn’t feel right about this school just by the looks of it, and soon, we are shown why it is. Now comes into the picture police officer Alex Dumpsey, who moves to Tall Pine with his pregnant wife after an incident at his previous workplace in Detroit. His wife, Laura, was in TPA, and Alex doesn’t know much about that academy. Things take a twist when Abbie is abducted in the middle of the night right in front of her family, who do nothing about it. Turns out she is being sent to TPA. Inside TPA, Abbie is made one of them, and Leila has no idea where her best friend has gone. Mr Turner coldly tells her that Abbie is at TPA and that Leila can't go because her mother cannot afford it. An accidental murder also takes place at the home of Alex, where Riley, a kid who ran out of PTA, gets aggressive upon seeing his wife, Laura, and says that she too is one of them. But before anything else could have been asked, he dies.
Throughout the show, Alex tries his level best to understand what exactly is going on in Tall Pines. He is new and everything to him feels strange, and he must solve all the mysteries shrouding his wife, Riley, and TPA.
This show hits the nail on the head with the right amount of psychological thriller plot, which keeps us intrigued. There is an air of mystery right from the first episode, and it continues till the very end. Not once will you get bored with it, and that’s the beauty of it. We are shown a lot about a cult-like community living through the story of Tall Pine. It weaves an intriguing plot with each episode moving at a lightning-fast speed. So that’s the beauty of it. It keeps you hooked, and the makers give you every reason to watch it in one go.
The showstopper for me was the finale. While some questions remained unanswered, most were answered too, which solves a lot of the mystery that was started right at the first episode. However, one thing is for sure: to a certain level, the plot was predictable. For example, by the looks of it, we can make out that Tall Pines Academy is not what it looks like, and the people who are put in there do not live the best life. Even Riley’s story is something that doesn’t need a lot of explanation. But the way the makers created this show, and with top-notch acting, one can ignore that and continue watching. Because, of course, there is an air of uncertainty here. So viewers, if you are looking for something in the lines of detective and mysteries, this show is a great watch. It brings us a lot of information and keeps us hooked throughout.
Final Score- [9/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Choudhuri
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times