Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 2.5/5 Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 4 -| Review Score – 2/5 Episode 5 -| Review Score – 2/5 Episode 6 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 7 -| Review Score – 4/5 Episode 8 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Clickbait is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a show that reels you in with an enticing mystery and then takes a while to actually get to the good stuff. It’s not a bad show per-se, but the stylistic idea of changing protagonists every episode doesn’t work and ultimately loses what momentum the final three episodes build so effectively. Thee story itself is actually relatively straight forward, despite the numerous twists and turns. A seemingly normal family finds their life turned upside down when beloved brother and father Nick shows up online holding several placards. According to these signs, he abuses women and the perpetrator promises that Nick will die if the video reaches 5 million views. With the social media giants unwilling to take the video down, Nick’s sister Pia, Detective Amiri and Nick’s wife Sophie all scramble to try and find Nick before it’s too late. The video does inevitably does reach 5 million views, which certainly ups the ante, but any initial thrills are quickly distinguished with a thriller that slows the pace down to a crawl and focuses on different supporting characters to flesh this story out. It’s not until the final three episodes where things start to get more interesting, working in a thrilling climax and some well-worked twists along the way. The middle act of this show though is, quite frankly, poor. There’s a whole episode dedicated to a shady reporter called Ben that adds absolutely nothing to the story. In fact, this whole chapter is simply there to exude exposition and bridge the gap to the final act and introduce one final key player in this puzzle. Likewise, the first episode featuring Pia is a bit of a deal breaker too. While the story itself is fine, obnoxious, arrogant and self-entitled Pia is almost enough to turn the whole show off. Where Clickbait excels though is with those aforementioned twists and you’ll be kept guessing right up until the final episode over who the culprit is. The final reveal will undoubtedly leave you shocked, and it’s a tough one to predict too. Clickbait is a real mixed bag in truth, with an equal number of highs and lows. When the show kicks into high gear, it delivers an enthralling and well-worked mystery that encapsulates all the best elements of thee thriller genre. When it slumps to its lows, the show is almost unbearable to watch. This makes reviewing Clickbait a tough affair. At the end of the day, fans of thrillers and mysteries will find enough to reel you in and the constant twists and turns are undeniably addictive and keep you watching until the end. It’s just a shame that the show has some serious misfires along the way that sour the thriller experience. It’s worth checking this one out, but if you can go in with some patience, stagger the experience over several days, and take to the story you should find enough to like.
