Detention is a Taiwanese supernatural drama TV series which is based on the video game by the same name by Red Candle Games. The series is directed by I-Hsuan Su, Shiang-An Chuang and Yi Liu.
Detention episodes 1 and 2 recap
TV shows based on games are always a dicey affair. And that’s exactly what we have with Detention. No, it’s not dicey… yet, but the first two episodes of the series feel like they’re going to come with a lot of action and ghost action.
The first episode of Detention is completely character and background build-up and I have to say that it’s not as cringy as I thought it would be. The series is not a slasher or does not have too many twists and turns, but then this is just the first two episodes.
Detention episode 1 and 2 follows Yunxiang Liu as she moves from a big school in Taipei to Greenwood High School which is still operating under repressive political laws of the 60s. This means that no dissent is tolerated in the school and the punishments are brutal and severe. One day out of curiosity she goes to the forbidden building where a student, Ruixin Fang, committed suicide 30 years ago. Yunxiang comes face to face with her, and that’s where the story starts.
It seems that the two will share some bond with each other. Ruixin does a favour for Yunxiang by disposing off her teacher. Ruixin, thus, wants a favour back at some later stage.
However, what is more chilling and horrifying is the way the teachers and the authorities treat their students. The punishments range from not being able to talk about anything other than studies and literally beating teenagers in front of the whole class. These parts of Detention are absolutely horrifying to watch and extremely uncomfortable. These are the areas where the series goes absolutely bonkers and I am excited to know how this worked into the 30-year-old suicide tale.
Detention, a series profoundly about the paranormal and everything horrible, has some of the weirdest CGI work though. It looks very fake and cringy and these are the moments when you will absolutely be out of the whole experience. However, it is a good-looking series otherwise, and most of the show is bathed in darkness to give you that vibe and creepiness.
I am excited to know what the rest of the show has to bring forth. Hopefully, it won’t be a cringe-fest filled with clichés and will continue to build on what it has established.
Detention episodes 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix.
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