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In this procedural murder mystery, the highs are the crime, and the lows are the investigation and lack of consistent and meaningful character development.

Summary

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Recently, Nathan Rose was released from a psychiatric hold after violently attacking a man known as “The Cremation Killer,” but born Mark Hooper. What Nathan witnessed led him to cut corners, as his mind just couldn’t handle the trauma it was exposed to, and no sooner does Nathan rejoin the police, he is forced onto a new serial killer case.

Said case leads to the familiar face of Emily, who used to be an underling but now is a supervisor, and a new person named Lake, an American who hasn’t learned to assimilate to British culture yet. Together, they are tasked to identify the body parts of a monstrosity known as a “Ragdoll” alongside attempt to protect the killer’s advertised list of future victims, including Nathan.

Highlights

The Faust’s Murders

Inventive, gruesome, and elaborate, each death is more shocking than the next and perhaps the first season’s sole consistent highlight.

Low Points

How The Faust Is Handled

From revealing who The Faust is too early to making them cocky, and then how things end for them, The Faust’s initial trajectory is undercut by the writers deciding to make them into a showy villain.

On The Fence

The Various Storylines Presented Which Had Potential

Whether it is Lake having PTSD after a case, her buried skeletons in America, or her struggling to adjust to London, so much with her character is passed up. But she isn’t alone. Emily, too is presented with a multitude of opportunities to be more. She could be more than a token Black character used to, on a superficial level, explore what it means to be a woman of color in her position. Also, considering what her family went through with the government, it would have been nice to see them, especially considering how strained the relationship sounds based on what little Emily says about them.

Heck, even with Nathan, whether you want to speak on his chemistry with Emily or who he is outside of work? In so many ways, it seems that the focus was heavily on the story, and the characters were just a means of building up to the Faust’s next kill.

What Could Happen Next

1. Lake’s investigation into Joy
2. Emily struggling with alcoholism, as she is haunted by all the dead bodies she is partly or wholly responsible for
3. Nathan struggling on his own, with his own PTSD, and eventually having to return to the UK, likely due to Joy trying to pick up from where her husband stopped

Overall

Mixed (Stick Around)

I don’t think it has reached that point of no return when it comes to Ragdoll. Many of the storylines which had potential can still be explored, and while The Faust is a loss, there are those left behind who could pick up where they left off.

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Ragdoll: Season 1 – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Who Is This For?

Those who love gruesome crimes and are willing to let the show burn through its first season hinting at its potential vs. fully realizing and exhibiting it.

Highlights

The Faust's Murders

Disputable

How The Faust Is Handled

The Various Storylines Presented Which Had Potential

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