Soulmates: What the Must Watch reviewers think
Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.
This week, Scott Bryan and Hayley Campbell share their thoughts on Soulmates on Amazon Prime Video.
Set in the near future, a test is created to tell people who their true soulmate is.
The series stars Sarah Snook (Succession), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) and David Costabile (Billions, Breaking Bad, Suits).
Have you been watching it? What did you think? Leave your comments below...
Amazon Prime Video
Hayley says: “Some episodes are stronger than other others”
“It’s like Black Mirror in the sense that it’s about technology being ruinous to lives; they’ve taken this one idea that people can find their ultimate soulmate and explored whether that is as good as the adverts for the test suggest, or if it's actually terrible.
"While the idea of there being one soulmate for everyone is a kind of gross, cheap slogan you might find on inspirational fridge magnets, you need something simple and basic like that to do what they're doing with this show, which is treating each episode like a thought experiment in how it could go wrong or right.
“It's watchable, but as with most anthology shows some episodes are stronger than others. The first one with Shiv from Succession (Sarah Snook) was my favourite, but it can be patchy. I don’t think it’s as clever as it wants to be, but it has very good intentions."
Amazon Prime Video
Scott says: “A bit too uneven for it to be a Must Watch”
“It feels as if there's Black Mirror show that delves into the future of dating every few months at the moment!
“I agree with Hayley. I like how this show is an anthology, looking at the unintended consequences of an invention where you immediately find your soulmate, without having to undergo the faff of dating. Episode one explores what it could mean for those who are already in a relationship. Are they missing out, or are they already with the loves of their lives?
“However, choosing to tell your story as an anthology can be a risky strategy. It can be frustrating, because the moment you get into the characters, the episode is just about over. You then have to invest your time with a whole new set of characters and get into it all over again.
“An anthology also risks some episodes being better than others. Unfortunately, that is the case here. Black Mirror (I'm comparing these shows together as they are both similar in tone) manages to balance talking about really interesting issues whilst always having interesting captivating characters. Soulmates poses some interesting questions, has some interesting characters, but the episodes are just that bit too uneven for it to be a Must Watch.”
Amazon Prime Video
Soulmates is available now on Amazon Prime Video.
Must Watch is released as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds and all other good podcast providers.
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