Fool Me Once is a mystery series, based on a Harlan Coben novel, about a woman trying to find out whether her murdered husband is, in fact, alive. The series features some profanity (the "F" word, "c--t," "s--t"). The lead character has a military background and frequently carries and uses various guns; dead bodies are shown with bullet wounds and blood.
Contrived, plot heavy, story where the writer is ever present manipulating the plot
The plot is littered with obvious misdirection and unbelievable, thin and largely unnecessary backgrounds. So much of the plot feels contrived to me in order to orchestrate the ending and most of it felt forced. I did need to know what happened but that is the only reason I watched to the end and not was it disappointing. I certainly hope the book is better. So many plot lines that went nowhere and unnecessarily and lots of exposition dumps of info. Lots of characters there just for the sake of adding to the ‘who done it’ but so forced and man I feel so annoyed this kind of crap gets air time at all when there’s so much good writing out there.
The acting is mediocre at best with a few stand outs but the writing is pretty awful imho. How this hit 7.1 on IMDB I have no clue.
FOOL ME ONCE follows Maya Stern, a recent widow raising a young daughter on her own after her husband's murder. When she thinks she sees her dead husband on the nanny cam, Maya's motivated to untangle a byzantine conspiracy around her husband's death.
Netflix's Harlan Coben series have become a cozy and reliable source for mystery stories that know how to sustain suspense and intrigue, but this one drops the ball. Fool Me Once never really gains momentum, and the characters are only defined in broad strokes (overbearing mother, drunk widower, rookie cop, etc.). Lead actor Michelle Keegan can't quite get the tone right -- her character mostly shrugs off all the strange and malevolent things that happen, despite her deep personal stake in them. The result is a mystery with mechanics that function, but without the production support to make them work.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the mystery. What is the central question of the show? What are the clues? What do you think happened? Why?
What are some tactics that Maya Stern uses as she searches for answers? Do you think she's right do use these tactics? Why or why not?
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
