56 Days Review: When Oliver and Ciara stumble upon one another at a supermarket, it starts a fascinating and intense relationship between the two. 56 days later, though, someone ends up murdered in Oliver’s apartment – who is dead and why?
56 Days Prime Video Cast
Dove Cameron, Avan Jogia, Karla Souza, Dorian Missick
56 Days Series Directors
Alethea Jones, Shana Stein, Lauren Wolkstein, Jessica Yu
The series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 48 minutes and is based on Catherine Ryan Howard’s novel of the same name.
56 Days Review
Although 56 Days would like you to believe that it’s a very sexy thriller, this Prime Video series is quite a tense watch that controls itself when it comes to showcasing unnecessary sex and nudity on screen. The series, starring Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia as the protagonists, follows two broken people stumbling upon one another and starting a very obsessive romance, although they both are hiding terrifying secrets from one another.
The series is quite tense, and I found myself satisfied with the ending as well, although it differs heavily from the ending of the novel. I think I was behind the ending mostly because the real ending would’ve been a bit obvious for me. The build-up to the ending is also great, and I totally believed Oliver and Ciara’s relationship as it went beyond just another revenge story into something more intense and interesting.
It’s not always that these seductive thrillers feel like worth watching, but, for a change, I quite enjoyed watching everything unfold in the series. The chemistry between Avan Jogia and Dove Cameron is great, and I was constantly on edge wondering where things go from here from the first episode. I found the twist that the series added, which totally separates it from the novel, is interesting and opens it up for nuanced conversations. I can’t get too deep into it because it will spoil the plot, but I found it to be a very engaging turn out.
The novel was set during COVID, so that made it more intense. The series does a good job of pivoting from that plot (because let’s be honest, no one wants to relive the pandemic craziness) to something more current, and it’s believable as to how Ciara ends up together with Oliver. Both the characters’ buildups are well done, and I believed that something was wrong from the first minute, but I couldn’t really put a finger on what!
The series looks and feels beautiful and also very intense as it showcases a dangerous relationship forged by trauma bonds. The storyline ends on a more positive note than the novel, and although I won’t get into what or how (spoilers!), the ending will surprise some. I think it won’t sit right for fans of the novel. However, if you haven’t read it first, this one will be enjoyable and oddly fitting, considering how these two characters are written.
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The police are also an integral part of the storyline, and I liked both of them well enough, for a change. The story gives them space to have some sort of personality instead of showcasing two bumbling detectives flailing about. The ending is mostly dependent on their arc, and I found it to come to an enjoyable conclusion from that angle as well.
Final Thoughts
In the end, I enjoyed watching 56 Days. Its flashbacks don’t make you confused, and it does a good job of capturing the intensity of the escalating relationship between Oliver and Ciara. Cameron’s naive yet edgy, and Jogia’s magnetic yet opaque performance will be enjoyable to most viewers. It doesn’t showcase too many uncomfortable sexual scenes and mostly strikes the right balance between sensuality and thrill. Overall, I enjoyed this one.
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