Unbelievable on Netflix Review: Totally Realistic and Remarkably Executed!

Yet another gem distributed by Netflix for the true-crime aficionados, Unbelievable created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon stars Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever in the lead roles. And the series is based on reporting by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong originally published by ProPublica and The Marshall Project. The premise of the show is regarding a series of rapes which took place in the states Washington, and Colorado between 2008 and 2011 where random women went through their worst nightmares in the most horrible ways possible.

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The eight-episode series narrates the stories of the first victim, Marie Adler played by Kaitlyn Dever and the investigative process conducted by two female Detectives Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall, played by Toni Collette and Merritt Wever, respectively. Contending with sensitive topics such as female safety, trauma and the stressful aftermath, the entire series takes itself very seriously from the beginning till the end. It is simple in its approach, doesn’t channel the usual TV norms like being melodramatic and stays realistic and substantially believable.

There are no jokey moments or scenes filled with loud background score to manipulate the viewer’s emotions. Every frame and the precious solid runtime focused decisively on the subject and tried to highlight the actual story rather than dilly-dallying on unnecessary things. In addition to the profound attention given to the premise, the teleplay of Unbelievable also impressed me thoroughly. The pacing of all the eight episodes was flawlessly structured and didn’t feel like a stretch at all.

Although the overall premise of Unbelievable doesn’t get too twisted with surprises or miscalculations, the majority of the show gives us an in-depth look into the entire investigation. Furthermore, the narrative also does a wonderful job by showcasing characters that we can emotionally relate to. Be it a simple interaction scene between the two Detectives or the internal family struggle that they had to get through while balancing within professional and personal lives. Or the mental trauma the victims face every day and how the situations physically wear them down and their surroundings, every little detail through and through were brought to view brilliantly.

The lead female cast, anchored by two Emmy-award winning actresses are also one of the primary reasons for the series’ success. Kicking off with Merritt Wever who plays Det. Karen Duvall, the calm and composed church-going cop and a complete opposite to her counterpart, Collette’s character. Her performance is the stand-out of the entire show as it felt very genuine by her gestures, attitude and body language.

Toni Collette, on the other hand, plays the partially impassive cop who doesn’t fall for simple emotions and has her unique way of handling things. Coming to the performance, she also portrays her character magnificently as the moments between her and her husband, in particular, transcended well on-screen.

However, Kaitlyn Dever, who plays the victim, also plays a significant role in the entire show as her story unfolds in a completely different timeline. The pain and a wide variety of emotions that her character goes through the season were portrayed exceptionally by Dever to a point where we start rooting for her mental strength and physical well being.

To wrap it up, Unbelievable on Netflix is one of the very few series’ that takes the subject very seriously. The pain, agony and the stress each of these characters strived through to fight their internal and external demons was illustrated masterfully throughout all the episodes. The realistic approach and the relatable characters also make it appealing and disturbing to watch at the same time as this is one of the best shows, if not the best show released on Netflix this year. Watch ‘Unbelievable’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 4.5/5 | Grade – A+