This show is a perfect example how a good idea crumbles under the weight of its own premise. The setting makes for a perfect mystery scenario: reclusive tech billionaire assembles a motley crew of entrepreneurs and artists in his Icelandic resort, and then death comes a-knockin'. The writers obviously thought that the rest of he story would appear by itself, so we get a cringe-worthy Lisbeth Salander knock-off as an internet sleuth trying to put the pieces together. She has no painful back story like in "Dragon Tattoo", but just happens to be a moody Gen-Z making increasingly bad decisions. By the end of episode 5 you will either have quit this show or you'll enjoy the worst ever written lead character for its trash factor. I mean, what is the one thing you don't do on a nocturnal date by a pool with an unknown informant?
Supposedly intelligent people doing incredibly stupid things has become a major problem in US content. "The Glass Onion" had a similarly convoluted implausible plot. Good mystery shows have identifiable characters like "Only Murders in the Building", which is so beloved by its fans that it may run until Steve Martin and Martin Short's natural expiration date - because it is very well written and even its least important roles are memorable. This show is just about a bunch of unsympathetic elitists unable to figure out the laziest murder mystery ever (if you don't know who the killer is by episode 5, you've never read a novel).
The intriguing setting could have been saved by a local director like Baltasar Kormakur who perfected the Icelandic murder mystery with "Trapped" (2015-2021) and made use of its spectacular landscape in the disturbing "Katla" (2021). Kormakur makes trashy action films like "Beast" for Hollywood, but his local films make excellent use of the isolation Iceland's unique atmosphere inspires.
Supposedly intelligent people doing incredibly stupid things has become a major problem in US content. "The Glass Onion" had a similarly convoluted implausible plot. Good mystery shows have identifiable characters like "Only Murders in the Building", which is so beloved by its fans that it may run until Steve Martin and Martin Short's natural expiration date - because it is very well written and even its least important roles are memorable. This show is just about a bunch of unsympathetic elitists unable to figure out the laziest murder mystery ever (if you don't know who the killer is by episode 5, you've never read a novel).
The intriguing setting could have been saved by a local director like Baltasar Kormakur who perfected the Icelandic murder mystery with "Trapped" (2015-2021) and made use of its spectacular landscape in the disturbing "Katla" (2021). Kormakur makes trashy action films like "Beast" for Hollywood, but his local films make excellent use of the isolation Iceland's unique atmosphere inspires.