‘Stags’ (2024) Series Review - Test My Trust

The show by Daniel Cullen has six episodes and there's some sort of trauma hidden in each episode. I didn't exactly like the writing as it was too brutal and heart-wrenching. Coming to the point of what we learn from this - never trust anyone when your life is at stake. This circle of eight friends did some terrible things and hid many secrets. The group is on a vacation to celebrate their pal's marriage and you can consider it a sort of bachelor party. Little did they know that they'd end up on an aloof island that's controlled by two idiotic siblings. The reason why they're on this island is drugs and what's been made on the same island is drugs. Wasn't this a bit of too much coincidence so, there's a mischievous element here. Don't get too excited about it because it's not as tempting as it sounds.

The makers and the writers didn't take into consideration approaching this story as a thriller. If they did then, it might've been better liked and understood. The audience has to understand that this film is based on the bond these eight people share with each other. Everything looks good on the exterior and with slogans like one for all and all for one being said, I had hoped they'd be able to leave together. Greg, one of Stu’s (who was about to get married) friend had a balloon filled with cocaine in his gut. His luck betrayed him as it burst inside him and he overdosed. Thus, all of these eight people were sentenced to an island that was surrounded by thieves and goons. They'll have to fight for their survival and each other. This however doesn't happen as there are a lot of secrets.

This British group tries to do everything they can like contacting the embassy (which declined to offer them help). The two mafias on this island try to utilize what the group has to offer in their favor. It's when a war breaks loose between these siblings, that the inmates get a chance to escape. I didn't like the constant addition of twists and turns. It might work for some but for me, it was too much to take. There's a lot of tension and my patience gradually wears out. I barely made it past the fifth episode and the last one was a complete disaster. What was with the last two episodes they felt like they needed a better plot for these ones.

Stags had a good beginning yet that effect wears down quickly. In all, it's an average series and can be watched by the section of the audience who like survival series. For me, the plot carried too many bad things and there's not a single nice thing included. The island was filled with criminals (the majority of whom were wrongly accused) and there's always one character dying per episode. So, it felt better to just watch the ending and see who survives. The unnecessary addition of the giant animal was a waste of screen time.

Final Score – [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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Publisher at Midgard Times