Ten Days in the Valley

The first two episodes demonstrate a firm grasp on both story and style. ... Cunningly provocative project.

One of the new season's better ones.

[Kyra Sedgwick's] performance here is nothing less than masterful. ... In only the first few episodes, the possibilities appear endless, adding necessary multiple options for this whodunnit. That said, the level of menace seems low.

The show’s appeal rests on the fact that Jane is an enigma. As quick as she is to judge, to insist, to order, to remonstrate, who is she really? Sedgwick makes us want to know, even if we don’t always think we much like the character.

As the self-destructive and recklessly impulsive Jane, the electrifying Kyra Sedwick is far from an everyday heroine. ... The tone is closer to propulsive pulp melodrama. [16-29 Oct 2017, p.14]

The premiere fails a few Believable Human Behavior tests, but it’s well-made enough that I could see anyone who got into stuff like “Secrets & Lies” engaging with it. And Sedgwick is always solid.

As Ten Days in the Valley plays coy with the truth behind Jane and anyone she’s ever interacted with, there’s a sense of withholding information that feels like the show taking the audience hostage, too. Even so, it might not have been a problem with a little more focus to the plan.

For the writing staff, working on material that strikes so close to home is surely cathartic, but that doesn't make an extended stay in this "Valley" more enticing.

The series can't quite figure out what to do with Jane as an anti-hero. Sedgwick gives it her all, but Jane's actions are bizarre and suspicious, which is odd considering she's supposed to be an expert on police procedure. The series also overdoes it with flashbacks and psychedelic visions in Jane's scenes that end up more hokey than illuminating, and are often fighting the story rather than adding to it.

Why ABC thinks American viewers will care about what happens to a TV scriptwriter who brings turmoil and heartbreak upon herself is beyond me. Maybe it’s the Kyra Sedgwick of it? Even “Closer” fans may have a hard time cozying up to this character.

The story here is sloppy and underdeveloped, and no matter how much Sedgwick tries, she can’t make the viewer care about the fate of a kid that her character doesn’t seem all that invested in rescuing.