Absentia Season 1 Review: Had Promise But Got Water Logged

"Absentia" is a Prime Original and has 10 episodes total. Don't confuse this with the 2011 Mike Flanagan movie by the same name. In this "Absentia", Stana Katic of "Castle" fame stars as FBI agent Emily Byrne. She is believed dead after some six years of being missing (hence the title).

The opening episode is a real nail biter. Emily is locked box that is quickly filling up with water. Will they make it to her in time? Also I can't think of a worse way to die. It totally creeps me out.

Emily will obviously suffer from PTSD after this. She also doesnt remember anything that happened during her time away. Ex husband Nick (Patrick Heusinger) has remarried and her young son Flynn barely knows her. All of this might be an interesting character study in itself...but wait, there's more. Bodies begin to pile up. The feds think Emily is responsible (probably because her DNA is found everywhere). She is captured. She escapes. She is captured again. The rest of the family is pulled into the drama (poor Alice). Should Nick really be working on this case? Isnt there some rule in FBI about conflicts of interest? There are lots of scenes of running though the woods. A big mystery is revealed...blah, blah, blah. The end.

Grade: 3 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). Stana Katic (of "Castle' fame) is great in the lead role. She also serves as executive producer. Unfortunately the series gets waterlogged along the way. Emily is captured and escapes several times. A lot of time is spent running through the woods. The show would have been more effective as a movie (or a limited series). Ten episodes is way too many for this story. "Absentia" has been renewed for a season two. Let's hope they iron out the issues by then. I'm willing to give the series a second look.