A Confusing but Engaging Series That Will Leave You Questioning Reality

I started watching this series because it was recommended as a great match for 'OSD', and I'd seen it paired with that show on many 'must-watch' lists online.

So, for anyone who's like me and was sold on the promise of a similar atmosphere to 'OSD', let's break down whether that's actually the case, and where the similarities and differences lie.

There are definitely some similarities, especially with the first season, but they're mostly plot-based. The show starts off with a classic setup - a small, quiet town, the sudden disappearance of kids, a mysterious organization on the outskirts, and a web of secrets shrouded in darkness (in this case, the A.S.). As the main events unfold, the underlying dynamics of the seemingly innocent local families come to light. Beyond that, it's a whole different story. Even with all the deaths, 'OSD' manages to keep its brightness, its color palette, and its well-developed characters. You genuinely care about each person and root for the good guys to win. In 'Tma', everything feels like just a cog in a machine, leaving you feeling detached.

Now, let's talk about the series itself, without comparing it to anything else. I usually try to write about movies and shows in a structured way - plot, cast, conclusions - but this one's not your average series. I want to discuss it based on key points, facts, and themes. Talking about its strengths and weaknesses without giving away the plot is tough, especially since the main issues lie with the story. I'll do my best, though - no choice!

▪◼⬛ Tma / Dark ⬛◼▪

▪ Genre: thriller, science fiction, drama

▪ Duration: 3 seasons, 10 episodes in the first, 8 in the subsequent two

▪ Plot:

It's the story of four families living a peaceful and uneventful life in a small German town. The idyllic facade crumbles when two kids go missing and dark secrets from the past start to resurface.

◼ All red and menacing

I was looking for familiar faces from Hollywood, without flaws or with standout features, as I started watching the first episode – no regard for the fact that it's a German series. But what I got was a sea of identical, unremarkable, dull faces – even with all the redheads packed into a square meter. I'm not against redheads; it's just that there are a lot more of them here than usual. I guess that's just what Germans are like... As a result, the acting feels a bit half-hearted, not that it's bad, but it's just lacking something. And, of course, everyone looks the same.

But that's actually a unique aspect of the series – it's incredibly dramatic and doesn't give the actors much room to play with positive emotions. However, by around the third episode, you start to get used to the faces, notice the charming features, differences, and the characters stop feeling like just a uniform mass.

I've tried to include character photos in my reviews, but this show is a bit different. There are multiple versions of each character, and including photos would give away too much. So, I'll just share some screenshots instead.

◼ Family Ties

On top of the complicated family dynamics, we've got a huge cast of characters. There are kids, their parents, grandparents, and everyone's relationships are thrown at us all at once. We see who's friends with who, who works where, who's sleeping with who, and who's got a crush on who - all within the first episode.

You'll struggle to keep track of everyone's faces, and then you've got to deal with a whole new set of unfamiliar names and faces from 33 years ago. It's like trying to keep up with a never-ending Santa Barbara marathon, and then they throw in some new characters from back then, too. To make it easier to follow, they've included some collage shots to help you keep everything straight.

I was really underwhelmed by the time jumps in this show. They only made sense in one episode of the first season, and even then, it was relatively easy to follow. But as the series went on, they added more and more time jumps, and it became a total mess. To make sense of what's happening, you need to keep track of who these people are in different time periods and hold onto that information tightly. And to make matters worse, the time jumps are all over the place - we're in the present, then the future, then the past, and then back to the present, but with characters from the future. It's like they're trying to confuse you on purpose.

The problem isn't just that the characters look similar in different time periods - the actors did a great job of casting lookalikes. But the real issue is trying to keep track of the characters' backstories. Where does their mom work? Who does their dad cheat on? What's their grandma's last name? It's like they're trying to overload you with information.

◼ Don't blink or you'll miss something

I'm not exaggerating, but this show is definitely not something you can watch after a long day at work with a half-empty mind. You need to be fully engaged and paying attention at all times.

One thing that really gets my goat is how they try to cram in all these characters, but then they gloss over the actual plot twists. I mean, there's this one girl, Masha, who lives with her mom, and her dad's basically nonexistent, but they keep dropping hints throughout the series that he's this guy, Ivan Petrovich. And then, in the final episode, they show a photo of Masha as a baby with some other guy, and you're supposed to piece together that he's her dad. But honestly, if I blinked at that moment, I'd miss the whole point of her storyline. It's like, you need to know who her dad is to understand what's going on.

The pacing is all over the place, with these super dramatic shots and meaningful glances, but the actual important stuff is glossed over like we're running late. It's like, they're trying to be all deep and philosophical, but it just feels like filler.

◼ The show's creators seemed to be trying too hard to be clever

I'm having trouble picturing the super enlightened person who's 'time-traveling' for all sorts of reasons. They've got Einstein's portrait hanging above their bed, and a Bible and philosophy books on their bedside table. It's like they're trying to show off their intellectual credentials.

I've never even seen the cult classic 'Back to the Future,' but the few time-travel movies I have seen taught me that time travel isn't something that's accessible to just anyone. There are rules, and if you're trying to fix something in the past, you have to be careful not to mess things up. Usually, in movies, the main character doesn't just run up to their younger self and shout 'don't marry Masha and invest in Bitcoin' before disappearing into the sunset.

What struck me about this show is how everyone's always rushing around, like they're caught between the past and the future. They're acting impulsively, like they think they're the ones calling the shots. Each character thinks they're some kind of creator, like they can just up and leave to live in another era without even having a clue about the local currency or where they'd even stay. They're trying to save their world from disaster, but it's like they're just fleeing to another time, and it's hard to tell who's even being saved.

But let's be real, for all the fans of time travel theories, the grandfather paradox or the predestination paradox – how many people actually understand what the Emerald Tablet is? I mean, its text is literally tattooed on one of the main characters, and it's like the writers are trying to tell us something. They're really hammering it home, you know?

◼ It's all very interesting, but ultimately, it's just confusing. And when it finally makes sense, it's lost its appeal.

The first two seasons set the bar pretty high, but the third season really let it down. It feels like the writers were getting tired of untangling all the plot threads they'd created.

I have to admit, the first seasons were a lot more engaging. The story of little Misha really tugged at my heartstrings, and the characters felt more fleshed out. I could understand their motivations and the plot twists didn't feel forced. But by the third season, things got really convoluted. The show became a never-ending cycle of characters running through portals and having deep conversations about the meaning of life. It was like they were trying to tie up loose ends, but ended up creating more questions than answers.

To be honest, I found myself skipping entire episodes and just watching the first and last ones of the season. The rest of the story just seemed to be stuck in a time loop. I'd watch the same episodes over and over, and nothing would change. It was like I was stuck in some kind of temporal purgatory. They even introduced a new plot thread in the third season, which just added to the confusion. I mean, they still had a million unanswered questions from the previous seasons, and yet they thought it was a good idea to introduce more complexity.

I have to admit, what really cracked me up was how they handled the whole issue of familial love between relatives. They just removed one character and added a new one, like they were the same person, but without the family ties. It's weird, because the entire drama of the first season was built around this forbidden love, and then it turns out that the family relationships were so messed up that it's just laughable. It's hard to explain without giving away spoilers, but the storyline is just ridiculous.

The show is so complex and convoluted that you think you're one of the smart ones, paying attention, trying to piece things together, making theories and guesses based on what you see, waiting for the plot twist, and then suddenly another character just comes along and explains how it all works. And we're not even shown how they came up with that explanation, it's just a dialogue that sounds like 'oh, I just sat there, thought about it, and figured it out.' And of course, it's all sprinkled with some deep philosophical musings about existence.

◼ "The end is the beginning, and the beginning is the end."

You'll hear this quote a lot while watching the show, and it's not just about traveling; it's about a very complex time loop, and that's the real star of the show.

I was really looking forward to seeing the details behind every little twist in this small town, but instead, it feels like the show just cuts off most of the storylines because they're not meant to be fully explored. It's like they're just a part of the larger puzzle, but we don't get to see the whole picture.

When I first started watching, I was hooked on the storyline about the missing kids, and I wanted to see exactly how they were taken and what kind of experiments were being done on them. I wanted it to be a full story, not just a bunch of fragmented memories.

It's the same with most of the characters - we only get to see half of their story, and then they're just dropped. If you're going to introduce a character, you need to follow through with their storyline. If I wanted to use my imagination, I'd be reading a book, not watching a TV show that leaves me with more questions than answers.

Honestly, the main characters seem clueless about their actions and motivations. They're just following orders, running through time, and doing whatever the loop tells them to do – and that's dictated by other characters who are just as clueless.

◼ The rest is just minor stuff

As for the rest of the series, I don't have much to say – neither good nor bad. The soundtrack for the credits is fitting, with some melancholic howls that seem to match the tone of the show.

The cinematography is classic – a mix of drama and serial elements, with a dull, sad tone and locations that are all too familiar.

◼ It's either you love it or you're clueless

I'm still undecided on whether I'd recommend the show – it's engaging, but the third season was a struggle. I was initially hooked, but the third season had me questioning my sanity after each episode. I wanted to give up, but I felt like I needed to see it through to the end.

I've noticed that most of the positive reviews were written before the third season came out, and the opinions of those who had seen the entire series are similar to mine.

Confusing? Yeah, it is, but I don't get what's good about it. I think it's easy to get lost in the plot, and they didn't do a great job of untangling it. In the end, the show got put in a category where if you didn't like it, you just didn't get the deep meaning.

Seriously, if you don't like it, you're just not smart enough. I've seen people throw around phrases like that. If you try to pick apart anything in the show, they'll accuse you of not being smart enough and tell you to keep watching.

But to me, the show is more for people who enjoy getting all wrapped up in it. If you're okay with untangling complex relationships, scouring forums for explanations, and Googling what the heck the Emerald Scroll is, and you don't mind if the show's logic and sequence don't make sense to you, then this is the show for you.

Looking for something to watch?

New releases 2025

▪ A battered story by King, kids, torture, telekinesis, and a good Samaritan

▪ Favourite actors and a brutal world of British mafia

*** *** ***

The infamous body horror of 2024