‘Bodkin’ Netflix Series Review - Enjoyable Comedy Thriller

Bodkin, created by Jez Scharf, often returns to this one question: Who is a journalist? What makes them honest? What separates them from a sensationalist, or in the words of Dove (Siobhán Cullen), a pornographer? If you take Dove's perspective (she works at The Guardian), a journalist is someone who always seeks truth and presents it to the world without caring for the consequences. Your priority should be your work - nothing else matters, not even the emotions of the other people. On the other hand, there is Gilbert (Will Forte), a podcaster. Well, he also sees himself as a journalist, and even though he prefers truth like Dove, what separates him from her is that he cares about building trust. He doesn't believe in hurting others. Gilbert says he isn't interested in selling cheap theories to his listeners. He sees himself as an honest reporter.

Despite the juicy words he uses in his recordings to excite his audience, you're drawn to Gilbert's sunny disposition. Forte's portrayal infuses the character with such benignity that he's reminiscent of those people you'd describe as someone "who cannot even kill a fly or a cockroach." Gilbert's overexcited voice reminds you of Howard Morris from Only Murders in the Building (perhaps, mix him with Loki's Owen Wilson, too). Bodkin, though, has more in common with that hit Hulu show. Both series', after all, deal with the making of a crime podcast. There, we have Charles, Oliver, and Mabel. Here, we have Dove, Gilbert, and Emmy (Robyn Cara), Gilbert's assistant. Bodkin isn't as sparkling as Only Murders, and its three characters aren't as endearing as the Hulu podcasters, but the show has its own jovial tone that maintains your interest in the story from the first episode to the last.

Directors Bronwen Hughes, Nash Edgerton, Johnny Allan, and Paddy Breathnach sustain a low-key humor that doesn't aggressively tickle your funny bones. The jokes don't grab you; they casually come and go. This should not be taken as a bug. In fact, it feels quite refreshing and enjoyable, given how many such Netflix shows either descend into portentous gloom or hit you with flat jokes (I am looking at you, Anthracite). The jokes in Bodkin make their presence felt without screaming at you for attention. A nun threatens a character with the same polite voice she uses to point at a group of people doing yoga. A driver presses a button to turn his truck into a party vehicle. A woman asks someone if she likes the makeup of a corpse during a funeral. A man fires his gun at an antique shop, and the shopkeeper says, "You break it, you buy it."

The jokes, sometimes, are more visual, as can be seen in that scene where Seamus (David Wilmot), with Gilbert in his car, waits for sheep to pass. Even the images that accompany the title wink at particular events that would occur in the episode. For instance, in the episode where we notice a gun followed by a seagull followed by the words BODKIN, we get a scene where the kids kill seagulls with guns. There is a friction between Gilbert, Emmy, and Dove, which produces its own form of humor. When Emmy feels she is being neglected, she launches into a sort of "teenage rebellion." She sleeps with a local Elon Musk-type guy named Fintan (Charlie Kelly), comes late in the morning to the place where the trio are staying for the duration of their research, and asks if anybody missed her. In another scene, Dove follows and calls a sulky Emmy, but when she doesn't get any response, this journalist from The Guardian swiftly walks past the assistant.

What this means is that Dove is not someone who is very patient with others. Her so-called quest for truth ends up pushing people away from her. She thinks that by "cutting to the chase" or dispensing "unfiltered facts," she is demonstrating her superiority and toughness. Dove is always trying to be competent. You see her and think she is someone who has clawed her way to reach this position. When she tells Emmy that in this field, people will consider you weak if you sleep with men like Fintan, you get the feeling that this advice is coming from her own past mistakes, her own personal experience.

The revelations, like the jokes, are delivered casually. You feel as if the show is saying, "Don't be serious, have fun." When secrets are divulged on the screen, you are not filled with surprise or shock. You either smile or chuckle. The one thing that remains dull is character arcs. It's all too obvious from the beginning where everyone will end up (the eager-to-please journalist becomes confident, the bitter journalist breaks down her walls). Nonetheless, Bodkin has more pluses than minuses. And the cloudy weather, too, provides a pleasing aesthetic to this show. All in all, Bodkin is pretty grand.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times