Freaktana
A Major Disappointment
ChicRawIdol
A brilliant film that helped define a genre
Aneesa Wardle
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
dmben9
My husband and I watched all six episodes of Secret and Lies (Australian version) and were engaged pretty much through out the whole series. We did think there was a bit too much histrionics on the part of almost all of the characters. It seems that they all had turn at being hysterical and screaming and crying with faces all scrunched up. We knew the main suspect in Thom's death was not going to be the final killer. But we did not see the ending coming until it was upon us. It was a sort of after the fact ending, producing a killer who had no attention on him/her at all previously during the series. The story the killer told in confession was believable enough.....But then he/she had to add one other statement that showed just how dark the killer's heart really was! This was definitely not a feel-good show!
bobbobwhite
Watched almost to the end of the first episode, then quit on it. The main problem I had with this TV show was that every effort was made to make the lead(looks like Kurt Russell when young)look guilty(too guilty)for the murder of the young boy. Whenever that happens in a TV show these days it is always a red herring, and I am sure he will be proved not to be the killer. Formula, formula, formula. And, what I saw of this show was simple and unsophisticated, and not very smart. Could never align with the lead, as he was so passive as to be almost resigned to whatever happened to him. Maybe it will get better, but may do so without me watching.I just did not like the way this show was written and presented. Nice Aussie scenery though. Cannot invest the required many hours into a slow program like this one waiting for the crime solution that seems a long slog though deep muck.
Nick Ruby
Set in a suburban Australian neighborhood, this one-off series follows the story of family man Ben Gundelach, a painter (as in 'paint the basement') whose life spirals into a s**t-storm of suspicion, lies and vigilantism after finding the body of a young, neighborhood boy in the woods on his morning jog.At its core a real whodunit-type story, the plot development serves us a platter of red-herrings in Ben's quest to prove his innocence by discovering the truth, all the while having to deal with characters such as the Suspicious Detective, the Annoying Wife, the Bitchy Teen Daughter, the Womanizing Best-Mate, the vulnerable Victim's Mother across-the-street, and a host of possible-suspect neighbors. The story does a good job of keeping viewers intrigued, with frequent plot twists, layered characters and will- he-snap, won't-he-snap moments.The cast of C-list actors all fulfill their roles (some better than others), and as the story progresses we catch glimpses of who they all really are. A few small inconsistencies can be noticed by the keen-eyed viewer, but can be overlooked as most most details fall into place with the concluding episode.So, if you like whodunits, don't mind Aussie accents, can overlook some fairly stock-characters, and have some free time on your hands, by all means give this series a watch. It's shortcomings are made up for by an interesting story that keeps you guessing, enough tense moments to punctuate the talky-scenes, and a final twist that, while some may find unsatisfactory, certainly comes as a surprise. As a whodunit, it ticks almost all the boxes.Lets hope its American counterpart, soon to be released, will keep some of the same atmosphere!NR
pianojoe
Well-acted. Very good drama. Good mystery. Well-cast, but...And this may be a spoiler: The ending ruined the whole season for me. I was so put off by "who-dun-it", I wish I hadn't wasted my time on the first episode. Most of the story is centered around a man accused of murdering a young boy. He faces distrust from the police and even most of his own family. Time and again he stumbles upon a clue that might vindicate him, only to be knocked down. With all this struggle and suspense, I just knew there would be a satisfying pay-off in the end. But I would have preferred general dissatisfaction to the wretched wrap-up of this story.I'm guessing the writer of this story has a very bleak picture of humanity. My advice is to stay away from "Secrets and Lies".
