The Stolen Girl

The first episode had me hooked. Although not typically a fan of disjointed storytelling, I liked the way the show unfolded, which makes the final episode and the conclusion of the story that much more irritating. After the final episode, I kept checking back for another episode not believing that was the actual ending of the story.

The acting was good, particularly the leads. I found the detectives role in the story pretty terrible, I also didn't think the reporter editor interactions with him.

Overall, I liked the story, and the twists that unraveled through the disjointed storytelling. However, I just can't support the ending.

This was really good, until it wasn't. The concept was great, and so were the first two episodes. But then there were so many red herrings and plot twists that it descended into ridiculousness. To the point that when it ended, I didn't really care about the main character, and I was glad it was over. Very disappointing.

The premise of the show is great and this story had so much potential for interesting twists, turns and real drama.

Obviously, it's not (like others have mentioned) the acting. Denise Gough or Ambika Mod could sit on a stage for two hours reading a book, not saying a word and be incredible. Andor was, of course, one of the best tv shows we're lucky to indulge in in recent years and anyone who saw it knows what Denise Gough is capable of. The same goes for Ambika Mod who I've enjoyed in everything she's been in so far.

So, I'd say it's really tough to direct Gough, Mod or any of the other cast in a way that causes audiences to review the performances as bad acting. But alas, here we are.

Unfortunately, the writing of the show was just very clumsy. Many of the scenes felt cringey with the characters acting in the most annoying way possible. And not in the annoying way that provides the main characters with interesting challenges to drive the story along. More in the I wanna bang my head against my fridge door way.

There were some interesting themes that could have been explored properly. Gender roles in parenting, social media, police failure, relationship dynamics and more. But none of them were looked at in real depth. The show felt incredibly flat, cheesy and on the nose. Some of the dialogue sounded so fake that it took me out of the story completely.

Not all is bad about this piece of television (even though I realise I made it sound like that). I see the potential and am sure everyone involved put their all into it. But seeing some of the best actors around today in something that doesn't know what to do with their skills and talent is just slightly upsetting.

The only reason why I did not give this show a lower rating is because I love Holliday Grainger who was the best part of the show.

The mother with the stolen girl and the journalist are two of the most unlikeable characters I have seen in a very long time. Part of it can be attributed to the writing for sure but half of it is the acting. The mother is an absolutely annoying character and the journalist has the most horrendous facial expressions. I swear I just want to fast forward whenever they're on screen which is the majority of the time.

I'm also absolutely shocked that Jim Sturgess (still handsome as ever) is in the show. He was on the verge of becoming a real big star about 15 years ago and now he's in this god awful tv show.

It was a good series. Entertaining, but I firgured out pretty quickly what must have happened. I was waiting for another twist, but it never came. I did watch it in one go, so it kept me interested!

Great perfomance by the women in gthis cast, especially the woman who plays Elisa and the woman who plays Josephine's mother. The man who played Fred also did a great job.

Not everything seems to be realistic in my opinion, but it also wasn't extremely farfetched. I would watch if there will be another season made.

I was left with a few questions about the 'why?' of some things, so maybe those questions could be answered in a second season.