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Nov 13, 2023 · Darby Hart (Emma Corrin), an intense young computer hacker, tracked down a serial killer with Bill Farrah (Harris Dickinson), a moody amateur investigator she met online and fell in love with.
- ‘The OA’ Creators Are Back With a Murder Mystery - The New ...
In “A Murder at the End of the World,” Emma Corrin plays a...
- ‘The OA’ Creators Are Back With a Murder Mystery - The New ...
Nov 8, 2023 · In “A Murder at the End of the World,” Emma Corrin plays a young true-crime author trying to solve a murder. (With Harris Dickinson.) Chris Saunders/FX. Marling, 41, and Batmanglij, 42, talk in...
- Esther Zuckerman
- The OA creators’ tale of technology and annihilation is here to test your patience
- A Murder at the End of the World Gallery
- What’s your favorite whodunit of the 21st century?
- Verdict
By Lena Wilson
Updated: Nov 14, 2023 11:35 pm
Posted: Nov 14, 2023 11:30 pm
In a 2018 article for Slate, critic Kathryn VanArendonk decried “the manspreading of TV,” her term for the then-subtle increase in television runtimes. This creep, she noted, was especially evident as streaming services produced longer episodes, eager to give their originals the air of prestige enjoyed by the premium-cable competition. Five years later, when this problem only seems to have gotten worse, VanArendonk’s essay is a bleak read. But it’s a useful tool with which to criticize A Murder at the End of the World, an FX/Hulu whodunit whose telling is as overlong as its mouthful of a title.
Er, sort of. Because of its aforementioned unnecessary length, nearly all of Darby’s actions are padded with emotional backstory. This will be no surprise to those familiar with the show’s creators, Marling and Zal Batmanglij, who were also behind Netflix’s cult hit The OA. That meandering tale of near-death experiences and alternate dimensions was meant to span five seasons before its cancellation – but while The OA was original enough to sustain itself almost entirely on vibes, A Murder at the End of the World is, ostensibly, a murder mystery. You might expect narrative urgency and high stakes. What you’ll get are gorgeous visuals, moving performances, and a plot that moves at the speed of molasses.
Of course, beautiful scenes and stellar acting are hardly negligible, and A Murder at the End of the world has both in spades. The cast is stacked, and it’s fun to watch everyone bounce off of each other, even if this show is concerned with Darby’s inner life at the expense of her colorful compatriots. Corrin and Harris Dickinson, who plays Darby’s complex first love, bring gravity and sentimentality in their many scenes together (though it’s worth noting that Corrin is also a powerhouse alone). Marling and Owen are as menacing as they are mysterious. Other characters, like a pleasantly blank AI (Edoardo Ballerini) and a bitchy corporate goon (Raúl Esparza), add some much-needed flavor.
Knives Out
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Brick (2005)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Other. Tell us in the comments.
The show’s camerawork, production design, and costumes are unflaggingly on point. Darby has enviable, androgynous style. The tech Marling and Batmangli have dreamed up is believable and aesthetically pleasing. Perhaps most impressively, the creative team actually has a tenable grasp on young people and modern technology. Iceland has never looked better, thanks to cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen. Marling and Batmangli are also clearly concerned with the epidemic of missing and murdered women, and have no compunctions about linking it to misogyny in general.
A Murder at the End of the World may tackle climate change, technoethics, misogyny, and true crime, but it feels lackluster thanks to overlong, navel-gazing episodes. It’s unclear, even after watching a majority of the episodes, where this show is going. That’s less than ideal for a murder mystery! It’s hard not to feel like this wonderful cast and...
- Lena Wilson
"A Murder at the End of the World" is a mystery series with a new kind of detective at the helm -- a Gen Z amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker named Darby Hart. In the...
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Nov 13, 2023 · A compelling commentary on misogyny — stemming from the countless murder victims who speak to Darby’s soul, to Lee’s career as a hacker being destroyed after she was doxxed and stalked ...
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Nov 14, 2023 · A Murder at the End of the World is a mystery series with a new kind of detective at the helm — a Gen Z amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker named Darby Hart (Emma Corrin).