Merritt Wever was an unknown actress to me until I watched the fantastic Netflix series Unbelievable. In that short-series, she played the role of a detective trying to understand and catch a serial-rapist who seems to be impossible to catch. Even though that is when I first saw her on my screen is partly my fault, because she has earlier played roles in series such as The Walking Dead, Godless, and The Nurse Jackie, but neither of those shows interests me at all, so Unbelievable was the first time I saw her.
But, a few months ago, HBO released the new series named Run. This is also a short-series (1 season, 7 episodes), and luckily, I don't think there will be any more episodes or seasons coming for this show.
Merritt Wever is accompanied by Domhnall Gleeson, a guy I normally like to watch in movies, for example in Ex Machina and About Time. All in all, the combination of these two should give Run a great potential, but I became quite fed up with this early on (but I still watched all seven episodes).
What is Run all about?
The two characters knew each other way back in history. They made a deal with one another that if one sent an SMS typing Run, and the other replied with Run, then they would leave everything and meet up at a railway station and travel together. And that is how the story starts as the SMS with the text RUN is received, and Merritt Wever replies with RUN. The adventure is on!
But, what are they running from? Billy Johnson (Domhnall) is a man known for brilliant speeches and encouraging messages that help people live their own lives in a better way. Ruby (Merritt) is married and she even has kids. So, why are these two adults suddenly on the run?
As the episodes pass by we learn more and more about both characters, what they might be running from, why they are running, and what will happen next.
Is this a drama? Is it a comedy?
I had a hard time categorizing this show. I thought it would be funny, but if annoying can be placed in the comedy category, then it is. Because, instead of making me laugh, this series made me annoyed. It might be a drama, but it didn't take me neither high nor low, it just made me feel ignorant (when it didn't annoy me).
Not even Phoebe Waller-Bridge can help this show...
One of the executive producers of this series was Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the fantastic British lady who is behind shows such as Killing Eve and also Fleabag. She wasn't working only behind the screen, but she is also showing up in three of the episodes. However, she didn't manage to make this show any more interesting.
What is my final judgment?
The problem is... when HBO produces a show, I expect it to be top-notch. I expect it to be interesting, to be catching, and to give me the addicted feeling. Run didn't manage that at all. I guess the critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes (80%) comes as no surprise. But, the real score that should interest all of us is the audience score, people like you and me. Do you know what the average audience score is on Rotten Tomatoes? 40%! That is a disaster!
Based on my own feelings, I share that opinion, and give Run a 4/10 score!
Famous actors and producers are not able to make a great TV series by themselves. And so Run became a series with seven quite boring episodes. It had its moments, but in general, I would call it boring and a worthless little story. Go watch something else instead!
Should you watch it? If you have trouble falling asleep, turn on Run, and it will for sure help you. Do you want to watch something that boosts your energy and gives you some happy moments in front of the TV? Watch something else!
Have you seen Run? Write your thoughts in the comment field!
