‘The Accident’ (2024) Netflix Series Review - Honey, I Killed the Kids

One of the earliest signs you notice while watching The Accident that provides some indication regarding the quality of this show comes through cuts that interrupt the characters' normal routine by displaying images from the day of the fatal...accident. These sudden interruptions are clumsily inserted and affect the show's rhythm. What the cuts suggest is that death arrives without a formal introduction. One day, you are hugging your kid, and the next day, you might find yourself crying at his funeral. Don't take anything in your life for granted. All the parents are introduced with a shot showing them kissing their children. This is just The Accident's way of rubbing your face with the information that parents love their sons and daughters. When the bouncy house gets carried away by the wind, we are meant to wonder, "Oh, what a tragedy. The parents were just hugging their kids!" Maybe we would have registered some shock if The Accident hadn't spoiled this tragedy through those glimpses. However, the series' strength isn't in its style, which resembles a cheap TV aesthetic. The Accident is merely interested in presenting something repulsive: Humans in grief dispensing justice.

Observe how the characters are shown to the audience. We learn the most basic thing about them, and the series, too, never digs deep into their mind or past. Charro is a violent criminal who abuses his wife, Lupita. Lupita has understood a thing or two about bad behavior through her husband. David is married to Carla, who is a journalist, which means she crosses the boundaries of ethics. Carla is the sister of Daniela, a police officer with an ambitious husband named Emiliano. Emiliano's business partners/colleagues are Javier and David. Javier is Emiliano's good friend, while David simply loves moolah. Then there are Moncho and Yola, who are Emiliano's servants. The former is loyal to his boss, but the latter hates everybody rich. Moncho is the "clean soul" of this series. He is good honest and kind. This means he ends up getting blamed for the "accident." The other characters are all evil in different ways: Some, like Charro, are completely bad, while others, like Javier, have a faint trace of humanity within them, but it's hidden behind the wall of selfishness. Emiliano and Daniela can be separated from the other members. They exist in gray shades. They want to make morally correct decisions but often deviate from their path. Emiliano doesn't immediately surrender himself (he is persuaded not to confess to the police officers), and Daniela, after learning the truth about her husband, doesn't take any legal action, even though she thinks about taking such a measure.

What is The Accident trying to convey to us? That humans are assholes? That they act first and think later? People like Charro not only take extreme steps based on incomplete information, but they also encourage others to participate in horrific crimes. They are not concerned with getting justice; they merely want to satisfy their ego as well as their desire for revenge. Charro represents the id of the other parents who lost their kids during the birthday celebration and want to punish Moncho for his negligence. This is not a story where only rich characters are painted as corrupt. Yola, too, drowns in her greed, making her one of the culprits responsible for another murder. All this can be interesting to think about -  up to a certain extent.  After a while, you have to ask yourself, "What the hell is The Accident actually feeding us?" If it wants us to hate life or the characters, well, congratulations! There came a moment when I started hating this world, so much so that I wanted to step into the series to punch everyone. My anger increased tenfold whenever I saw Charro. He has a rotten soul whose influence extends to the very fabric of The Accident. The place looks like hell - almost everybody resembles a vulture.

Not every show or film needs to fill you with happiness. A filmmaker can infuse vigor into his story and world through wicked people, but there has to be something more than just extreme emotions. What about substance? What about characters with more than one dimension? The Accident looks like an empty carcass. It has nothing fascinating, entertaining, or insightful to offer to the audience. What's worse is that after a while, it keeps repeating the same points it had made earlier. It gives you nothing new to learn about the characters or their situation. There is some mystery regarding who killed Moncho, but apart from that, there is nothing to look forward to here. Some events are built up and then abandoned. A man with whom Daniela had an affair in the past returns and begins flirting with her. Fabian, a psychologist, is threatened with a custody battle. His daughter is seen as a Miracle Child because she claims the Virgin Mary rescued her. Nothing significant comes out of these threads. They are prematurely concluded during the last episode, which gives rise to another problem. The Accident consists of ten episodes, yet it rushes through everything in the final episode. The comeuppance is delivered so swiftly that it appears insignificant. I laughed at the absurdity of the scene where Emiliano tells a prisoner that they are trapped in different prisons. If the creators cannot provide a satisfying ending with so many episodes, they should consider turning their story into a feature film instead of unnecessarily dragging it out.

Final Score- [3.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times