Marcella

:

Season 1
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
6.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 29
  3. Negative: 5 out of 29
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User Reviews

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  1. eevilalice
    Jul 13, 2016
    6
    An often confusing detective show with way too many characters, none of whom are terribly sympathetic. However, I stuck through to the end and was surprised a few times by the twists. Marcella could be an interesting character, but the fugue-related memory losses feel like an unnecessary gimmick.
  2. grrlclimber
    Jul 6, 2016
    8
    Friel is amazing as the complex Marcella who's journey of loss and redemption plays out in parallel to solving a cold case reopened from her past. It's a twisted and violent wild ride that keeps you guessing to the end.
  3. Prosmooth
    Jul 12, 2016
    6
    I'm hard pressed to think of a show that starts off so well and then descends into such complete mediocrity that it's almost like watching a completely different show by the time it's finished.
  4. jeremyp
    Jun 14, 2018
    7
    I give it a B+ for entertainment, a C+ for plot, a D for dialog. It's just entertaining enough to get over the plot holes without destroying the chassis, but it's better to suspend disbelief. I love Anna Friel, and she is great when she inhabits a neurotic and difficult to like character. The Brits have borrowed too much from Nordic Noir, and the serial killer with an m.o. that isI give it a B+ for entertainment, a C+ for plot, a D for dialog. It's just entertaining enough to get over the plot holes without destroying the chassis, but it's better to suspend disbelief. I love Anna Friel, and she is great when she inhabits a neurotic and difficult to like character. The Brits have borrowed too much from Nordic Noir, and the serial killer with an m.o. that is supposed to be decoded is de rigueur. Don't people kill just for the fun of it anymore? The psychology 101 professionals are embarrassing. If we do have a dissociate then let's educate the viewer about the disorder.… Expand
  5. marco34la
    Jul 28, 2016
    9
    After I finished watching 'Stranger Things,' I wanted something else to binge watch. I found 'Marcella'
    and was very pleasantly surprised. Overall, it's a pretty engaging murder mystery/detective show. The lead actress is amazing. There are a few subplots that pop up and make you think you've missed something, but that's minor. With all the crap out there, this was a great find! Loved it.
  6. beat_c
    Nov 22, 2018
    6
    "marcella" is entertaining enough, but competely ludicrous and silly. i do really like the crazy overbearing soundtrack and sound design.
  7. Ripandread
    Sep 27, 2016
    9
    This show started off slow and one has to get use to the characters, but as the episodes progressed I actually liked Marcella. I believe the show was not renewed for a second season, which is a shame.
  8. TheGreyWolf
    Jul 24, 2016
    9
    I am murder mystery aficianado. Marcella is excellent. It so knowingly takes the 'rules' of the genre and amps them, multiplies them, in a way that intrigues and amps the fun, The acting, especially by Friel, is good, as is directing. Camera and shot setup are good, but not special. Excellent costuming and makeup. It really shows how a world full of compromised characters makes lifeI am murder mystery aficianado. Marcella is excellent. It so knowingly takes the 'rules' of the genre and amps them, multiplies them, in a way that intrigues and amps the fun, The acting, especially by Friel, is good, as is directing. Camera and shot setup are good, but not special. Excellent costuming and makeup. It really shows how a world full of compromised characters makes life difficult for everyone else, including themselves, and makes an intersecting complicated plot. There are no pure good guys, even some of the children. You get from fallible to really evil or sick. Lead character's self-doubt is not totally new, but rarely done or done this well. Not surprisingly comes from creator of the Bridge. Yet true to our real world. Addictive viewing that may lead to some frustrations.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Yahoo TV
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Jul 6, 2016
    60
    Marcella starts off well, but pretty soon its pace is impeded by a number of subplots and the abrupt introductions of characters whose role in the overall plot is either unclear or irrelevant. The series has a familiar enough cop-show structure, so if you like Friel’s performance, you’ll be carried pretty far along into the season.
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  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    Jun 30, 2016
    40
    Marcella is portrayed as both an excellent detective and a basket case in a way that doesn’t add up (despite the past traumas that are introduced as explanations), and her blackouts feel like plot devices, there just to keep things mysterious. After the season finale, you may find yourself just as much in the dark as Marcella.
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  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Molly Eichel
    Jun 29, 2016
    83
    There’s an artfulness to Rosenfeldt’s killers, and that’s what makes his stories compelling, even if they’re ridiculously improbable. Seeing how Rosenfeldt can keep everything moving cohesively is almost as much fun as the story itself.
    Read full review
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