Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar have brought their drama/mystery series ‘1899’ to the content streaming platform Netflix, which made it’s arrival exclusively on the popular streaming platform on November 17th.
However, fan reaction has been confusing, albeit while heaping praise, with many unsure of what to make of the series.
According to the official synopsis: “Immigrants on a steamship travelling from London to New York get caught up in a mysterious riddle after finding a second vessel adrift on the open sea.”
One particular review from The Independent called the series “a thrilling and invigoratingly confident watch” while jokingly cautioning viewers that Netflix will likely cancel it, continuing their confusing trend.
Per the review: “Dark impressively ensnared non-science-fiction viewers by presenting an (initially) easy-to-follow plot in a contemporary setting; while as the title suggests, 1899 is a period piece filled with characters whose motives aren’t clearly defined, and it’s impenetrable for at least seven of its eight episodes. This is cause for worry. TV viewers generally love a laidback watch and tend to switch off at the merest hint of a challenge, but 1899 actively puts people through their paces, albeit with an invigorating confidence.”
“For us, it was important that in the first episode, really from the get-go, you feel unbalanced. It does feel a little bit like an 1899 historical drama piece, but something is off,” Friese said during an interview with IndieWire. “What we constantly do is play with expectations. You read a code and you expect something and you feel safe in that. You think you figured it out. We’re breaking that expectation, and then hopefully giving you a satisfactory answer. At least at the end of Season 3, but hopefully already during the very first season.”
Check out the series yourself, which is currently available on Netflix.
