“Missing You” is the story of a woman who has been lied to by basically everyone in her life to a comical degree. It relies on a new skeleton tumbling out of a closet in every other scene, becoming increasingly ridiculous in how it twists itself in knots to keep its protagonist in the dark as much as possible. Honestly, given the number of things she didn’t know about those around her, she’s a pretty horrible detective. The only thing that salvages a truly awful piece of mystery writing is a cast that somehow finds ways to elevate it when they’re not falling victim to the machinations of the plot. Fans of the prolific and popular Harlan Coben or any of the talented performers may not care. Still, this whole thing makes almost no sense and, even worse, falls victim to the Netflix limited series machine that demands over-explanation, repetition, and a twist around every corner. It may keep people engaged enough while considering their resolutions in the first week of the year, but they won’t feel good about it.
Those unfamiliar with the output of Mr. Coben have probably stumbled across at least one of the many Netflix adaptations of his page-turners. He is a staple at airport bookstores, and anywhere else someone is looking for a time killer. (This is not an insult—I love a good “beach read” as much as the next person—just a statement of fact.) His industry of buried secrets relies on characters who have been kept in the dark for most of their lives, usually leading to a death of a loved one that they have misunderstood for years. Other Netflix mini-series based on Coben novels include “Fool Me Once,” “Stay Close,” “The Stranger,” and, probably the best of the bunch, “Safe.”
Based on his 2014 novel, “Missing You” (which, believe it or not, does use the John Waite song as a plot point) stars the excellent Rosalind Eleazar of “Slow Horses” in the truly thankless role of Detective Inspector Kat Donovan, whose fiancé disappeared over a decade ago, shortly after the death of her police officer father. The mysterious Josh literally vanished off the face of the earth, with Donovan presuming that she had just been seriously ghosted by a total jerk, until she sees him on a dating app and starts heading down a road of increasingly implausible twists and turns.
The starting point of “Missing You” is a strong hook, which is sometimes all a mystery limited series (or beach read, for that matter) needs to work, but this project gets so far afield from its origin that you start to forget the initial premise. For one, Kat begins to question the story around her father’s death, wondering if Josh’s disappearance (and reappearance) has anything to do with it. And then she meets a young man who claims his mother was dating the current-day Josh, and now she’s disappeared too. Of course, Donovan is also working a case of another missing person that is, of course, connected to all of the above. And, as if all of that isn’t enough, the excellent James Nesbitt drops in to chew some scenery as a crime boss who may have been connected to Kat’s dad (and gives the best performance in the show by a country mile even in just his few scenes). Everyone in Kat’s life, including her mother, friends, and co-workers, know some crucial piece of evidence connected to Josh, Kat’s dad, or both. I don’t mind a guilty pleasure (I mean just look at my “Carry-On” review), but it can’t be this insulting to the intelligence.
It doesn’t help matters that the insults are dragged out for five hours and consistently repeated and underlined in that Netflix way. A story was just published about how Netflix wants their writers to repeat plot points and explicitly state actions so people can only pay half attention while doing other things around their house or just playing games on their phones. “Missing You” is what happens when someone actively makes a background diversion over a creative endeavor. It’s when plot is prioritized over character or even logic. It will only make you miss what you didn’t watch instead.
Whole series screened for review. Premieres on January 1st.
