It’s been done before; the victim of amnesia has a complicated history and must learn what really occurred to him or her. Therefore, Surface is the latest in a long line of shows to promote this notion, and it accomplishes this in the most meandering and unimpressive manner one could reasonably anticipate. “Surface” has a lot of potentials, but it is squandered by a long list of issues from the beginning to the end. It includes unredeemable characters, a weak hook, and a disappointing conclusion.
The storyline revolves around Sophie, a woman with a traumatic head injury who is treated in upscale San Francisco after an accident on a boat. Everyone around her informs her that she has severe memory loss and that this was caused by suicide. However, was it really?
Sophie sets out to attempt and put back her life and ascertain what occurred because she isn’t entirely sure. It seems like everyone is hiding something from her, including her suspicious husband James, and her best friend Caroline.
After viewing all 8 episodes, it’s safe to conclude this show is neither especially sexual nor elevating while being billed as a “sexy, elevated thriller.” The story meanders over eight excessively long chapters, with the middle episodes, in particular, groaning under the weight of this paper-thin narrative that required at least half the runtime to tell its tale.
It takes approximately 18 minutes before we really reach the core of the problem because there are so many fillers throughout the entire movie, even during the climax when we finally receive some much-needed answers.
Although many series have surrendered to this padding, Surface is particularly terrible in that regard since none of the characters actually change and mature. There are indications that the arcs of our central quartet—Sophie, James, Caroline, and Baden—might emerge, but they never do. Even if the plot has advanced a little and more solutions have emerged, by the book’s conclusion every character is in exactly the same place as they were at the beginning.
To be accurate, Surface does make an effort to conceptually develop the question as to whether our reality is something that has been pre-programmed or modified by our personal experiences. However, the characters aren’t really appealing, so the journey isn’t particularly enjoyable. James also struggles to learn from his mistakes, and Sophie, notably, never does. Additionally, the dialogue is often subpar throughout, which doesn’t help.
Although this show portrays itself as a mystery, it is really more of an introspective character analysis. However, as was already noted, the characters in this show aren’t particularly likable, which makes it a completely pointless endeavor.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw adds some star power, and there is the typical assortment of Apple merchandise on show, but this project is a complete dud (no pun intended). Surface simply doesn’t have enough to differentiate itself, and with a formulaic plot and a plodding pace, it drowns in the burden of its own pretensions.
