[imagesource: Apple TV+]

Before we get to the reviews for Shining Girls, we must mention the South African connection here.

The Apple TV+ series is based on South African author Lauren Beukes’ 2013 crime thriller, The Shining Girls.

Good stuff.

The eighth and final episode aired on Friday, June 3, so there have been plenty of reviews doing the rounds over the weekend.

Let’s start with the plot via the official trailer:

Shining Girls follows Kirby Mazrachi (Elisabeth Moss) as a Chicago newspaper archivist whose journalistic ambitions were put on hold after enduring a traumatic assault.

Years after a brutal attack left her in a constantly shifting reality, Kirby Mazrachi learns that a recent murder is linked to her assault.

She teams with veteran reporter Dan Velazquez (played by Wagner Moura) to understand her ever-changing present—and confront her past.

Roll tape:

In their four-star review, NME called the eight-part series “a mind-bending mystery thriller”:

Moss… is sublime as a traumatised character trying to make sense of her post-attack world.

…It is easy to see why its detractors will complain – it is a little opaque, and perhaps it fails to stick the landing – but its mystery is a huge part of its charm, and you’ll be gripped till the very last minute, anxious to see how all the pieces of the jigsaw come together.

Empire also dished out four stars and heaped praise on Moss’ performance:

 It requires patience and occasionally a strong constitution, but Shining Girls is equally effective as a mystery-box show, as a detective potboiler, as a horror-tinged sci-fi, or as a powerful metaphor for women not being taken seriously. It’s also another stirring showcase for the seemingly infinite talents of Elisabeth Moss.

It’s clearly not the sort of series you can pop on in the background while tinkering on your phone.

Put it down. Watch your show. You can reply later.

[sources:apple&nme&empire]