Slight spoilers.
UPDATE: As of episode 7, the series is improving steadily and I am now enjoying it. The writers have corrected some of the problems. They are no longer spoon feeding the audience, and the actors seem more comfortable in their roles. Time will tell if the very rough start doomed this one. -- ORIGINAL REVIEW I don't care if this faithfully follows the books or the films. The issue is that the writers of this adaptation have a very poor opinion of their audience. In episode 2 Rhyme mentions saltpeter and a colleague asks, "salt what?" Rhyme is then obliged state the name of the well-known substance a second time and then to explain what it is. When a social media-obsessed girl's murder is linked to Narcissus most viewers would get the connection right away, but just to be sure Rhyme quickly explains the Narcissus myth. At this point pretty much anyone would be on board, yet a few moments later, the writers feel it necessary to have our apparently clueless heroine ask "so the victim was killed for posting selfies and that makes her Narcissus?" to which Rhyme sagely explains, "Narcissistic. Self absorbed." Rhyme even has to explain that a painting of Narcissus with an X through it indicates that the victim has been killed. Rhyme is supposed to be a genius, but a child could follow the killer's clues.
These are just two examples but the script is laden with exposition to spoon feed the audience what should be bleeding obvious. The Lincoln Rhyme movies were OK because they gave the viewer an opportunity to think but this show is so dumbed down that I can't decide if it's more boring or insulting. Either way, it lost my interest almost immediately. Intelligent writing would make this worthwhile.
UPDATE: As of episode 7, the series is improving steadily and I am now enjoying it. The writers have corrected some of the problems. They are no longer spoon feeding the audience, and the actors seem more comfortable in their roles. Time will tell if the very rough start doomed this one. -- ORIGINAL REVIEW I don't care if this faithfully follows the books or the films. The issue is that the writers of this adaptation have a very poor opinion of their audience. In episode 2 Rhyme mentions saltpeter and a colleague asks, "salt what?" Rhyme is then obliged state the name of the well-known substance a second time and then to explain what it is. When a social media-obsessed girl's murder is linked to Narcissus most viewers would get the connection right away, but just to be sure Rhyme quickly explains the Narcissus myth. At this point pretty much anyone would be on board, yet a few moments later, the writers feel it necessary to have our apparently clueless heroine ask "so the victim was killed for posting selfies and that makes her Narcissus?" to which Rhyme sagely explains, "Narcissistic. Self absorbed." Rhyme even has to explain that a painting of Narcissus with an X through it indicates that the victim has been killed. Rhyme is supposed to be a genius, but a child could follow the killer's clues.
These are just two examples but the script is laden with exposition to spoon feed the audience what should be bleeding obvious. The Lincoln Rhyme movies were OK because they gave the viewer an opportunity to think but this show is so dumbed down that I can't decide if it's more boring or insulting. Either way, it lost my interest almost immediately. Intelligent writing would make this worthwhile.