Middle class suburbia, SUV’s, dingy lighting and a story with more plot holes in it than Boris Johnson’s autobiography, no it’s not a Tory party conference, it’s yet another Harlan Coben thriller. The ‘Coben Televisual Universe’ has taken over Netflix with three of his novels being turned into Netflix thrillers since 2020. However, Fool Me Once has to be the must mind-numbing of them all.
It is at times painful, the dialogue is patchy and melodramatic: "I’m Grieving" was definitely Maya’s go to line of the series. The plot feels implausible and contrived, although you could say that watching a Harlan Coben thriller for well-executed plots and believable dialogue is like watching EastEnders for Brando-esque style acting lessons. So, why has there been so much praise for this lack-lustre, formulaic Popcorn thriller?
The answer is simple. Enter Michelle Keegan. This was her show. Ex-Soap Stars typically have bad reps, often being referred to as one trick pony’s, but Keegan proves this stereotype wrong almost instantly. This is her first major role since the successes of Our Girl and Brassic, check them out if you want to see her shine even brighter. Her character Maya needed to have a level of ambiguity, but there also needed to be a subtle depth and warmth to her. Keegan captures this effortlessly.
The plot feels implausible and contrived, although you could say that watching a Harlan Coben thriller for well-executed plots and believable dialogue is like watching EastEnders for Brando-esque style acting lessons.
So, in spite of bad scripts, Keegan has proven she can flourish when given a leading role. She was organic, convincing and real (all qualities that this show was lacking throughout). Parking the Michelle Keegan fan club to one side, let’s talk about Joanna Lumley’s supporting role in the show. It felt almost as if she was playing a pantomime parody of her iconic character Patsy Stone. It seemed a bit tame for Lumley and her acting abilities were wasted because of, you guessed it, poor writing.
However, the award for the most one-dimensional performance goes to Richard Armitage. In fairness, Armitage probably has ‘Coben Universe Fatigue’ after appearing in all 3 of Coben’s Netflix dramas. The role of the dullard husband must get tiresome to play.
In short, the plot washes over you like a tidal wave. Michelle Keegan stole the show and entered her earlier than expected Renaissance era after years of being used as the northern wild card. Joanna Lumley should have done another travel documentary and Netflix need to give Armitage a break: other actors do exist.
