Unbelievable
Episodes and My Ratings:
Ratings are IMDB scores
1. Episode #1.1 (8.2/10)
2. Episode #1.2 (8.3/10)
3. Episode #1.3 (8.5/10)
4. Episode #1.4 (8.3/10)
5. Episode #1.5 (8.3/10)
6. Episode #1.6 (8.4/10)
7. Episode #1.7 (9.0/10)
8. Episode #1.8 (8.9/10)
Percents are my opinionated score
My Rankings
1. Episode #1.8 (99%)-After the last episode, I actually thought the series would just conclude quietly with this episode and tie the bow around things, and wow was I completely wrong as this episode stunned me across the board and brought me to tears. This episode not only deals with psychological insight into evil men's minds (especially the one featured in the show) but mixes in emotions, a court session, the thrilling tone and of course references to society today which Unbelievable has expertly handled for all of the show. As Karen and Grace prepare for court, they are faced with challenges and an unknown victor who happens to be Marie and therefore connects her story which begins the frustrated and empathetic tone the audiences must be feeling especially for Marie as there were various opportunities for help. But after Marie is finally given justice (and with perfect performances from Eric Lange), we see the character move on and give the audience the satisfaction desired as even though Marie can never move past that devastating incident, she can rest knowing there will be justice and already has been. However, the show still makes continuous references towards how unreliable all the systems are which only increases the quality of the show and exaggerates the stellar writing Unbelievable really has. The court scene where the victims are confronting the serial rapist really got to me and is one of the best scenes on television of the year as it directly shows you what these women suffered and what many across the world are forced to endure with minimal help and is the perfect message for the show to pass on in addition to the timely and crucial other ones. The writing and acting are masterful for this episode but the acting stood out more as Kaitlyn Dever and Merritt Wever reach new levels unseen to the audience in their talent while Toni Collette might have a more minimal role but still steals every scene she is in especially in the court scene that makes this show stellar, moving, beautiful, powerful and overall amazing. A truly stunning, fantastic, tragic and spectacular episode that is bound to be one of the best episodes of television of the year.
2. Episode #1.7 (97%)-This episode was tough but was surely a major turning point for a heartbreaking series that the previous episodes were all leading up to and pointing towards. The chasing of the suspect really brought the thrilling tone to the top of the list for the episode and really revealed the amazing writing but still brought the conflicting ideas involving Marie's story as we see her directly struggling with the issue in a therapy session that expertly mashes up the exciting chase scene everyone has desired with the emotional struggles the show needs to bring to highlight on the issue of rape in the world. Merritt Wever really expressed her masterful acting in this episode and proved how stellar her acting can be and finally grants justice which I am sure audiences were heavily desiring while watching the captivating six previous episodes. The storyline continues to be exactly on point and this episode really created a climax for the show as everything we had been waiting for (not necessary with Marie's story) finally occurred and brought some new meaning to the show and appreciation for the two lead detectives which represented the superior character development present. While Marie's story was a bit limited in my opinion and could have had more time, it was an interesting sight into her condition that only made the character more complex yet crucial to this storyline and I'm excited to see how her plot will conclude in the next and last episode. An exciting and amazing episode to a perfect series!
3. Episode #1.2 (96%)-This is another brilliant addition to Unbelievable as the camera lens widens the angle and introduces us to new characters in the future while never losing focus towards Marie's heartbreaking storyline. The introduction of Detective Karen Duvall is spot-on and cleverly shows the contrast towards how she helps a rape victim towards Marie's story which amazingly highlights the inconsistency and issues with the police system that continue to occur today. With the new character of Detective Grace Rasmussen, audiences are introduced to the three main leads of the show and this episode feels like the defining point for the entire series as it develops the overall storyline well and represents the strong writing and directing. Merritt Wever and Toni Collette convey their powerful and strong acting in very difficult and unusual roles while Kaitlyn Dever continues telling the devastating story. Another stellar episode that might lose the extreme yet significant emotions present in the other episodes but definitely introduces the thrilling and necessary story to the audience fantastically.
4. Episode #1.1 (96%)-A truly devastating episode that will make any audience member tremble and sob as we are introduced to the layered characters and storylines that will lead this incredible series. The story of Marie Adler's rape is heartbreakingly revealed to the audience from the beginning but the truly hard part to watch is the constant harassment towards Marie from the police and what she is eventually forced to do despite it not bringing justice. Kaitlyn Dever stunned me and introduced a whole new depth to her acting in this episode and is 100% an award-worthy performance that is so moving, touching and difficult, it is surely one of the best of the year. The writing is also amazing in this episode as it shines a light towards a major issue in society in a clever way that will almost force people to understand why they need to take action and stand up against any form of sexual assault or rape. My only problem was the lack of other center characters as although it is a great portrayal of Kaitlyn Dever's acting, I desired more from the given side characters or wanted other characters introduced that would play bigger roles as they would help the story feel more full, however, it is a truly stunning and eye-opening episode that everyone should watch despite the difficulty.
5. Episode #1.3 (95%)-Wow, another great episode to Unbelievable that just every so slightly drifts to the slow side but for the majority of the episode keeps the audience captivated and on their toes especially as this emotional hunt for this monstrous serial rapist begins. This episode stood out to me for expertly combining the emotional tone yet thrilling detective ideas into a massive genre-bending program that near-perfectly crashes them together. As Karen and Grace began their journey of working together, the excitement ideas are created that someone will finally pay attention to this overdue issue which is only strengthened by the continuing great acting from both great actresses while Marie's story of struggling with false judgment and the press will touch your heart, unlike no other show in a while. Unbelievable knows what it wants to do for the audiences including entertaining and educating and this episode really brought that out and really brought the crucial thrilling and suspicion aspects to an already spectacular show. It suffers from relying too much on the acting at times and is probably one of the worst examples of the superb writing in the series but still continues to shine and help flow the growing plot of Unbelievable to new stages
6. Episode #1.4 (94%)-I really think that Unbelievable might just never lose steam as each episode continues to impress me with its meaningful storytelling and touching storylines that only continue to convey the superb writing that Unbelievable just always expertly manipulates to create entertaining and vital stories. Marie's story in this episode is tragic and will just increase the frustration in the audience as they can connect with Marie's character and are striving for justice in the show which is only developed by Kaitlyn Dever's continuously perfect acting as this character. Karen Duvall and Grace Rasmussen continue their chase to catch their suspect using some help from more upper areas and this storyline is just as entertaining as previous episodes and will continue to hook you on this series and basically force you to watch the next episodes. It's an overall transition episode that somehow exceeds expectations for what a transition episode should be as the writing still manages to make it unique and take it to amazing places that other television shows still struggle to do.
7. Episode #1.5 (91%)-This episode might be one of those middle-of-the-series episodes that aren't as loud as other episodes but it continues to be just as stunning as the rest of Unbelievable and while it isn't as significant overall to the series, it continues the high-quality entertainment and lessons for society today. As we divulge deeper into Karen Duvall and Grace Rasmussen's character, they continue to make new discoveries and learn shocking revelations that were probably even surprising to the audience, conveying the masterful storytelling and writing that continues all throughout this episode. Marie's story is, of course, the sadder part of the show, however, it is surely continuing to build up to something that creates an exciting tone that hooks audiences to watch more yet also show them a crucial real-life story. Plus, the ending scenes were well-done and one of the best moments of Unbelievable in my opinion.
8. Episode #1.6 (90%)-An entire show earned above 90%! Unbelievable is just really that good that even its weakest episode is still better than about three-quarters of television and continues the amazing qualities of Unbelievable just to a lesser extent. It might trip on character development especially with the story of Marie as it drags on her story a bit and although the episode doesn't build up on the high exciting intensity present in the other episodes, it surely continued to captivate audiences as the spectacular ending is well led-up to just in a slower pace than normal for the show especially with the development of the intern character Elias who just stands out greatly in this episode (and his crucial and amazing discovery). Plus, Merritt Wever and Toni Collette show off some stellar acting in this episode and some of the best of the year that had to bring it up to 90% despite it being the weakest episode in a fantastic and masterful series.
Side Note: The score, cinematography and editing are also spectacular in this series as the haunting score, especially in the first and last episode, will touch anyone's heart and the way the score builds up intensity as the series develops and does the same is a genius move that makes the show all the more unique and fantastic. The cinematography also rises to the challenge of capturing every bit of stellar acting from Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever and Toni Collette which it does successfully and in a different fashion than most other shows as it never loses focus from the main ideas and always keeps the audience interested. The editing is another amazing aspect as nearly every scene serves its direct purpose and strongly impacts the show by flowing the plot or massively developing the character excellently, making this show even more amazing and perfect.
Cast/Crew
Cast:
Kaitlyn Dever........................................Marie Adler
Merritt Wever......................Detective Karen Duvall
Toni Collette.................Detective Grace Rasmussen
Dale Dickey..............................................RoseMarie
Omar Maskati....................................................Elias
Eric Lange..........................Detective Robert Parker
Austin Hébert.........................................Max Duvall
Kai Lennox....................................Steve Rasmussen
Liza Lapira.........................................................Mia
Scott Lawrence.............Special Agent Billy Taggart
Danielle Macdonald......................Amber Stevenson
Elizabeth Marvel.............................................Judith
Annaleigh Ashford...............................Lilly Darrow
Bridget Evertt.................................Colleen Doggett
Blake Ellis........................................Chris McCarthy
Patricia Fa'ausa.................................................Becca
Connor Tillman..............................Officer Nick Selig
Jun Hee Lee..........................Officer Geoffrey Morris
Brent Sexton...........................................................Al
Charlie McDermott.................................................Ty
Shane Paul McGhie.........................................Connor
Allius Barnes.......................................................Remy
Bill Fagerbakke...................................Detective Pruitt
and many many more:
Click Here for a Full list:
Crew:
Susannah Grant.......Director/Creator/Executive Producer
Michael Chabon...................Creator/Executive Producer
Ayelet Waldman......................Creator/Executive Producer
Lisa Cholodenko.................Director/Executive Producer
Carl Beverly......................................Executive Producer
Ken Armstrong.......................................Writer/Producer
Katie Couric.....................................Executive Producer
Katie DiMento...................................................Producer
Neil Barsky........................................Executive Producer
Michael Dinner.....................................................Director
Anne M. Uemura.........................................Co-Producer
T. Christian Miller...................................Writer/Producer
Daniel Rodriguez...........................Associative Producer
Robyn Semien..................................Executive Producer
Richard Tofel.....................................Executive Producer
Chris Leanza.....................................................Producer
Sarah Timberman..............................Executive Producer
Becky Mode...................Writer/Co-Executive Producer
Jennifer Shuur.................Writer/Co-Executive Producer
Ira Glass............................................Executive Producer
John E. Vohlers..................................................Producer
Will Bates.........................................................Composer
and many many more:
Click Here for a Full list:
Storyline:
"Based on the true story of Marie, a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped, and the two female detectives who followed the path to the truth. "
"After a teen reports being raped, then recants her story, two female detectives follow evidence that could reveal the truth."
-Rotten Tomatoes https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/unbelievable
"Netflix's Unbelievable tells the story of a horrifying crime and stunning miscarriage of justice. In 2008, 18-year-old Lynnwood, Washington woman Marie is attacked in her apartment by a man who rapes her. She reports the assault to police, who quickly abandon investigating her case and charge her with making a false report to police. Two years later, in Colorado, detectives investigate a serial rapist with the exact same modus operandi-all without knowing that he may have struck before
Would I Recommend?
Unbelievable is a masterpiece of television that symbolizes how effective, meaningful and crucial these stories told can become and how giant their impact on others can be. Although the show is so devastating at times, it can be hard to watch, it is necessary to watch to inform yourself on the major issue our society faces and fully comprehend what inspired the series and its complete purpose. The acting and writing are superb and near-perfect examples of wonderful series as they never let the show dip in quality and continue to captivate and teach audiences with a thrilling yet heartbreaking journey that is tragically based on a real story. To prevent these issues from occurring more in the world, everyone should watch this show and be informed and motivated to continue fighting and fully prevent any situation even slightly similar to Unbelievable to continue happening in the world. I would 100% recommend Unbelievable as it is a type of masterful show that is rarely seen in television because it combines the traditional action-type genre with an emotional and timely story that will majorly impact you like no other show this year. It is truly spectacular, devastating and stunning!
Overall/Review:
Unbelievable is a fantastic, wonderful and stunning masterpiece that succeeds in almost all departments as it tells a heartbreaking story in the most thrilling way possible which most certainly will impact people greatly and stay with them. The story follows a girl named Marie who suffered from a horrifying rape in her own apartment and when she reports it and is questioned, the police officers somehow spin everything and practically force her in a way to confess that the whole thing was made up which obviously ruined her life as all her friends didn't believe her and cut off their ties with her. However, three years after that incident, two detectives bring their cases where a woman was raped together due to the striking similarities and uncover the secret that there is a serial rapist who has been causing many of the crimes all throughout the states and who was the awful man who did the same to Marie. Most of the show revolves around the two detectives (Merritt Wever and Toni Collette) attempting to catch the person responsible, however, we continue to get glimpses of Marie's life after the incident that she "made up" and see how much this one incident devastatingly took away from her and that's not even including the fact that no one, not even her friends actually believed her.
To me, the story and writing shined when describing Marie's situation and how her life was affected as it teaches a lesson while also telling one of the saddest stories on television, but the thrilling plot of the story and the part that captivated me the most (while also showing me how truly evil some people can be) was the detectives trying to catch the suspect as the rapid pace and details that slowly are revealed to the audience make the catch that much more moving and fascinating. Therefore, the writing in the show is extremely meaningful and so powerful to where they somehow managed to create a rapid story that describes a classic search of police officers catching a suspect while also creating that emotional connection with the audience through both storylines which drove me to tears in the last episode, showing how superb and mature but intense the writing is at all times. There really is not one episode where I felt that the pace slowed down or felt too rushed as each episode feels crucial to the storyline and has some point in developing the storyline and keeps the strong consistency present throughout the show which not only indicates strong screenplay but also shows how successful the directing is. I particularly was moved by Marie's story throughout the whole series as something that seemed to be wrapped up after the first episode became much more and found new depth later in the series that really touched me and enlightened me and I'm sure many others to new issues that society needs to be more aware of. That's another outstanding accomplishment of Unbelievable as it tells a timely story that needs to be told in the world in a traditional television-style that differs from any other show as no other series makes the story so meaningful and as powerful as Unbelievable. There is nothing presently wrong with the show and almost everything is exceptionally perfect, but the strength of each episode is the only thing that works against it as the quality is so high from the first episode that even the slightest issues such as smaller storyline or side characters stand out despite them being still consistently great but just not up to the high standards the show set from the beginning at all times. But, the show is truly a contemporary masterpiece that is absolutely vital to today's time and is so emotionally present yet powerful and significant that it will provide a thrilling and quite frustrating adventure while making you cry in the series as well especially in the first and last episode.
The acting in the show is what really stands out though as Kaitlyn Dever (who plays Marie), Merritt Wever and Toni Collette (who play detective Duvall and Rasmussen respectively) are unbelievably amazing and give one the most real, organic and stunning performances of the year. Kaitlyn Dever especially reveals her stellar talent as Marie especially in the first episode because mixed with the haunting score in the pilot, she gives a raw, personal and emotional performance that I promise will stun any audience and is 100% award-worthy. The expressions Dever gives and the conflicted or complex emotions that Dever portrays Marie dealing with is next-level acting and really helps develop the character more (which is already extremely developed from the strong writing) and reveal to the audience what Marie is struggling within how to tell everyone this story when she is so shaken up and traumatized by it. When no one believes the very real crime against her, Dever continues to shine and show how upset and annoyed Marie is, and this only increases throughout the series. Merritt Wever continues to express her strong talents in yet another powerful show as her performance as a detective is not only inspirational but is proud and bold in a way that many other shows and written characters can't capture. The frustration with the case, the anger towards the monstrous suspect and the emotional toll it takes on the character is all 100% shown by Wever's performance and once again like Dever's performance, left me stunned by how truly spectacular it was. The other exceptional lead performance is Toni Collette as Detective Rasmussen and she continues the proud and bold performance like Wever but escalates it to a new level where the character is emotionally holding back from the audience and side characters but is also continuing to express strong feelings in a held back way that only a really talented actor or actress could really convey to audiences, revealing how amazing the cast is for this show. These three talented women are truly motivational and perform in a unique yet special way that makes their acting different from anything else on television right now and significantly improves the quality of the show as even though everything is absolutely wonderful about the show, the powerful acting brings the emotions, bravery and substance to an already full and amazing story,
Overall, Unbelievable impressed me greatly as I knew it was going to be good, but the way the show tells this story in a thrilling yet emotional way is unlike anything I have seen on TV this year and really stood out to me by making me cry, making me want to slam my phone down and making me consistently angered by mankind and society. The traditional police catching a suspect is not the case as the show describes more about who the suspect is, their motive and their evil personality that will for sure shake up the audience, but will also craft a much-needed message in today's world. In addition, Marie's storyline is handled flawlessly and is this perfect example of how one incident can practically ruin someone's life in the most harrowing and complex way yet which heavily balances the thrill of the series with the personality and more consistent vulnerable tone of the series. The show is stellar and any words I say will really never give justice to how shocked I was or how fantastic this show is as it not only tells a TRUE STORY sadly but inspires hope and power in a dark story that really makes it a heart-stopping, gripping, frustrating, emotional, powerful and spectacular show that all audiences should watch, learn from and will most definitely be impacted somehow.
Rotten Tomato Score: 98%
IMDB Score: 8.4/10
Rating: 98%
*Unbelievable is available to watch on Netflix and is rated TV-MA
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