1899

“1899,” like “Dark,” certainly draws strength from its own reveals. Whether or not withholding key information is something that works in favor of “1899,” there’s at least a method to the haunted ship madness. In many ways, it helps to be as adrift and clueless as the people playing out the story in front of you.

An intriguing, densely layered puzzle-box mystery that defies easy categorisation but somehow works.

Clarity is difficult to come by in the German duo’s latest eight-part effort, and that can sometimes be more vexing than exhilarating. Nonetheless, there remains much to savor about this period-piece whirligig, which spins around and around until it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction—if, that is, anything at all in this saga is actually real.

On the other hand, this is an expertly-crafted puzzle which, from episode four on, goes to truly mind-bending places. It isn’t for the easily-bored or anyone partial to zoning out in front of the television. But for those who enjoy drama that challenges as much as it dazzles, 1899 is a date worth keeping.

For first-time watchers of Friese and bo Odar, 1899 might be too discombobulated to enjoy. It will lose viewers with its lack of satisfying answers, and its disconnected language gamble. But the mystery shifts and buzzes when given time and energy. It snatches at you, gnaws at you, wants to nestle inside your mind as you await the next episode, even if the story is as jumbled as many have experienced.

For a show to be successful in the long run, there must be characters to care about with meaningful stories. And while 1899 succeeds in building a puzzle that’s at the same time brilliant and accessible, it fails to have us cheering for the future of its best characters. When the credits roll in the season finale, so much has been subverted that both their victories and failures have no further purpose.

The story doesn’t particularly move quickly. Maybe as we dig into the back stories of the other passengers, things will pick up. But we get wary of shows that choose long shots of an abandoned ship over character development or plot movement, and 1899 will very easily slip into a too-languid pace if it’s not careful.

Ultimately, this genre-bending mystery set on the high seas has been brought to the screen with much thought and care. At this early stage of the season the story is more engaging than its characters. But with each episode revealing more about them, the two will hopefully align to allow 1899 to power on full steam ahead and reach its maximum potential.

This is several shows at once, and part of the puzzle lies in figuring out which one it wants to be. ... Despite an often witty interpolation of 20th century pop (“The Killing Moon,” “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” “White Rabbit”), the prevailing humorlessness becomes wearisome after a while: as with the recently canceled “Westworld,” the game leaves you not with a smile, but a furrowed brow.

Episodes range from languid to gruelling, crawling towards the next plot point with a frequently agonising level of restraint.