Is it just me, or does Mia McKenna-Bruce somewhat look like the stand-up comic Taylor Tomlinson? Tomlinson, on the other hand, has been compared by her fans to Florence Pugh. What a filmmaker needs to do, then, is simply cast these three in a murder mystery where everyone frequently gets confused about the identities of the characters played by Pugh, McKenna-Bruce, and Tomlinson. I imagine it would offer the filmmaker plenty of opportunities to craft visual misdirections. But since that movie doesn't currently exist, let's shift our attention to the one that's available.
This one has McKenna-Bruce playing an intrepid detective because the police officers are inept. They rule a man's death a suicide, but McKenna-Bruce's Lady Bundle Brent isn't convinced, so she launches her own investigation. Hence, we have Agatha Christie's Seven Dials.
This Netflix murder mystery is three episodes long, yet it feels like a roughly two-hour Netflix feature. It's tight, crisp, lean, and focused, moving with swift momentum. Writer-creator Chris Chibnall doesn't risk losing the audience's attention, so he sacrifices emotional heft and character development to create a bingeable piece of fluff. Every time Bundle is knocked to the ground by tragic circumstances, she bounces back almost immediately, flashing a chirpy smile that makes her look like an enthusiastic teenager. The series spends little time on pathos; it moves with sprightly steps. No feeling is allowed to remain on-screen for more than 10 seconds. Or rather, the only feeling that persists is the one telling you not to take things seriously. Just relax.
In place of flesh-and-blood characters, Seven Dials gives you quirky jesters who keep the story firmly in the realm of harmless fun. When a man holds Bundle at gunpoint, she remarks that he has jeopardized his future employment references. Then there are actors like Edward Bluemel and Martin Freeman, who play different shades of clumsy and clownish. The former, as Jimmy Thesiger, can't keep a secret, while the latter, as Superintendent Battle, looks like a funny little man when he attempts to explain his deductions—only to be constantly interrupted by other characters, much to his impatience.
I can't quite explain how, but Freeman simultaneously blends in and sticks out like a sore thumb. He looks appropriately buffoonish as he walks around in his small frame, and at the same time, his expressions and movements feel exaggerated. He exists on a different frequency, yet he feels perfectly at home in the scene toward the end when he recruits Bundle. And of course, there's Helena Bonham Carter, who by default carries the air of a comic figure. With so many cartoons populating the story, it's no wonder Seven Dials feels so blithe and casual. It doesn't linger in the mind—it exits as quickly as a bullet leaving a gun. Still, that doesn't stop it from teasing a second season. Perhaps next time, we'll find McKenna-Bruce alongside Pugh and Tomlinson. If that happens, we won't have to imagine what a project might look like with these three women.
Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times