How Did "The Missing" Go So Far Under The Radar?
If I can answer my own headline with a fact that I just discovered after writing it: it’s because the trailer stunk. That TV trailer doesn’t do The Missing an OUNCE of justice.
Nonetheless, I’m not even sure if I’d heard of The Missing before the Golden Globes on Monday night. They aired a trailer for, I believe, season 3 and I thought, “Holy fuck this show looks awesome.” When I Googled it I was thrilled to find out there were already seasons ondemand because finding out there’s new TV to binge is the greatest gift a person can receive in 2016. I’d blame myself for never hearing of this show but I asked Kmarko and KFC, two of the other biggest TV guys I know, and they both said the same thing: never heard of it but the trailer for season 3 look awesome.
Well I spent the last three days watching it and guess what? It checks out. It’s fucking great. All the standards are there: excellent writing, excellent acting, cinematography, setting, etc, etc. Even the score is fucking perfect. But my favorite part is that every single episode both gives answers while simultaneously building suspense. I understand if that’s a bit confusing, but it’s almost like every few episodes are mini-seasons. There are huge storylines built and closed constantly. Most shows build and build and build then wait to squeeze all the answers into the finale episode. The Missing is incredible at opening doors that lead to potential resolution but not stringing you along for an entire season.
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The only thing that left a little something to be desired was the ending, but that’s always the most debated part of a show. I’m not going to get into detail about it, but I wasn’t totally satisfied. Unlike Westworld, which had one of the best endings I’ve seen in a while, The Missing didn’t seem to answer everything to my liking. I’m sure some loved it and some hated it, but I definitely wanted more. Save for the last few minutes, though, it was an extremely, extremely enjoyable and thrilling season of television. If it was on any network but Starz it would be a humongous hit.
Plus, it’s got Tcheky Karyo who is a MONSTER. You may remember him as the French guy from The Patriot. That dude is a MONSTER who should be in everything.