Netflix recently released an erotic TV series, and the Obsession review shares whether it deserves all the hype it’s getting. This show stars Richard Armitage, Indira Varma, Rish Shah, Sonera Angel, Charlie Murphy, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Marion Bailey and Francesca Knight, alongside other cast members. The episodes are directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, while Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Benji Walters. This show is based on the novel by Josephine Hart and contains four episodes, each ranging from 30-45 minutes.
– Obsession Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
With the rise in new spicy content, people seem to enjoy seeing people exercising their sexualities. Obsession is exactly like that. Viewers can expect to get a good hearty refill of sexual content and nudity. However, this doesn’t make up for the lack of acting prowess showcased by the artists in this show. The dramaticism parallels that of a CW show, while the writing truly resembles the deepest embers of Wattpad. In short, this show was a massive throwback to this writer’s reading era, filled with fan fiction and poorly written romance plots.
Furthermore, we get a really small glimpse into all of the characters. The limited series format of telling stories only exists so that creators can explore every character in detail instead of glossing over them in a 90-minute film. However, instead of seeing some good character developments, we get to see some incredibly bad decisions without anything backing them up. Initially, there is an expectation that there would be some angst between the characters, but we don’t see anything of that kind. There is no inciting event to the chaos caused in this show.
The only thing that isn’t chaotic is the fact that the female protagonist has clearly defined boundaries and manages to reinforce them at every turn. Except, both their decision-making skills are so highly impaired that it doesn’t make sense to root for either of them. In cases like this show, where the storyline hangs by a thread that needs to be balanced well to create controversy, this one immediately falls apart. There is no slow-burn action to show us exactly why these two characters are attracted to each other or what their motivations are in chasing each other.
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Infuriatingly, the background music plays sinisterly in the background as if it is a horror or suspense show. It already starts playing in the beginning, and because there is nothing that ominous teased, it seems like all this musical angst is created for nothing. It isn’t like one of the characters gets possessed and becomes some kind of a Catholicism-hating girl who died because of a dark secret. It must be appreciated that while the female protagonist was given an appealing backstory, it wasn’t enough to carry the show.
For a piece of media made in this part of the 21st century, fans, especially women, expect some kind of action that isn’t limited to penetrative sex. Female pleasure is often an important conversation that surrounds these shows and becomes a viable reason why they should be made. Obsession doesn’t even manage to do that. For a man ready to cross multiple boundaries and express his undying love for the woman, he isn’t particularly expressing that through the one thing that the two characters share.
Funnily, it seems like the male protagonist had absolutely no reason to be obsessed. It’s as if she had some magical pheromones, and he was succumbing to their wiles. Once again, everyone’s attraction to the female protagonist can be pinned on her instead of the other people who pursue her, and she lets them. Feminism took such a backseat.
Obsession Review: Final Thoughts
This writer asks everyone to save their time and energy by not watching this show because it does absolutely nothing to give closure or give characters a chance to grow. They can watch Bridgerton and get the same level of spice while also learning about the world during a time when people were bigoted but still managed to be more feminist than this. Dark romances are fun; not liking the characters is also fun, but if there is no motivation in terms of the writing, then it all goes to waste.
If the creators of the show wanted us to feel for the male character, then they missed the mark so badly. Painting the main guy as the villain is not the bargaining chip they should use to bring people to watch it. The toxicity is off the charts, and honestly, it hurts the writer to think of Rish Shah doing this to himself. Rish, you were in Ms Marvel; you didn’t have to.
Obsession is currently streaming on Netflix. What did you think of Anna and William? Let us know in the comments below.
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