London. 1890, 1941, 2023, 2053. Four police detectives find a body in an alley. Naked, shot through the right eye. Same alley, same body… Detective Shahara Hasan (2023) catches a young boy running away from the scene, but he takes his own life. The investigation leads her to one of her friends, Elliot, a very troubled teenager who grew up lacking love. A cult seems to be manipulating the young boy. Shahara soon discovers that two other detectives have investigated the same victim in the past. Equally disturbing, her actions could provoke or avert an attack that would destroy London and shape the future.
It’s hard to sum up such a rich and complex plot in just a few lines. But the great strength of this beautiful series is to find the right level of complexity in the story, without losing the viewer or taking shortcuts. Obviously, the plot relies on time travel. However, that’s not the only clue here. At each period, the detectives face a chilling manipulator at a different time in his life. And therein lies the central message. Everyone can change, right up to the last moment. Although, the last scene suggests that even so, the future could still be written?
Carried along by an impeccable cast (bravo!), the series neglects neither narrative (rhythm, twists) nor emotion. I only regretted that the music was sometimes a little heavy – with the exception of a superb Agnus Dei – and that the conclusion was a little long. But all in all, despite the risky scenario, I think this is one of the finest achievements of recent years.
Miniseries, 8 episodes (60 mn), 2023 on Netflix
With : 1890 : Kyle Soller / Alfred Hillinghead , George Parker / Henry Ashe – 1941 : Jacob Fortune Lloyd / Charles Whiteman, Greta Scacchi / The woman – 2023 : Amaka Okafor / Shahara Hasan, Michael Gibson / Jack Barber, Gabriel Howell / Elias – 2053 :Shira Haas / Iris Maplewood, Stephen Graham / Mannix, Tom Mothersdale / Gabriel Defoe.