A recent entry in the world of streaming service content, “Clickbait” is a mini-series which spends most of its run time generating confusion rather than providing answers. Starring Zoe Kazan, Betty Gabriel, and Adrian Grenier, the story unfolds through the perspective of multiple different characters. This method of storytelling has been used before, “Knives Out,” and “Pulp Fiction” being two such examples. Each episode focuses its lens on a single character. Some are major players in the story, and others are more ancillary characters.
Typically, we call something clickbait when something that looks enticing enough to click on it turns out to not be what we expected. As the story begins, the viewer witnesses a typical family conflict, which is drama at the dinner table. The next day, a video of a man who appears to be held captive begins to make the rounds online. In suburbia, something like this just doesn’t happen. The video threatens violence; the initial horror turns into curiosity, which turns into every reporter clamoring to tell the story. If the video reaches a certain number of views, terrible things will happen to the man in the video. As a family member implores their community not to watch the video, the views continue to increase anyway. Does curiosity kill the cat in this case?
Telling a story through the eyes of multiple characters helps the viewer to get a more complete picture of the world in which they live. In the case of a mystery such as “Clickbait,” it also leads to a lot more questions. We see how the major event, a kidnapping, and the secrets uncovered throughout the investigation, has impacted each one of these characters. The kidnapping occurs close to the start of the series, which then proceeds to jump back and forth in time throughout. As the series progresses, viewers gain more information on the events leading up to the kidnapping, which helps the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.
For example, an early episode suggests Sophie Brewer, portrayed by Betty Gabriel in quite a nuanced performance is somehow involved in the kidnapping. Her calm demeanor is quite an unexpected reaction to the violence of the event. A later episode, told from her perspective, clearly casts doubt on her involvement. Sophie is hiding something, however. This leads the viewer to question who else is involved, and that is the skill of the writing here, each episode leads the viewer in a different direction. This is a series about misdirection and misperception. We learn that people are not who they seem.
I appreciated the strength of the writing during the more emotional moments of the series; some of the more uncomfortable moments to watch felt uncomfortable. “Clickbait” showcases an appropriate level of human emotion, as implausible as the story itself may be. We feel the grief reflected in a mother who loses her child. The whole family feels its impact, however the mother’s grief is so hard to watch it is almost palpable. We feel the shame of a woman who has the news of an affair brought to light. The horror of a sister who learns her brother may not be who he seems. We feel the resolve of a family determined to find answers.
The story loses a bit of steam as it progresses, starting strong with the major players in the story, and ending with lesser characters. While again, this adds depth to the story, I wasn’t as connected to these less important characters. I wanted more with the main characters. An episode which focused on a mistress was unnecessary. This was not as meaningful to the story, and the whole thing resolved in an odd way.
The series succeeds on an emotional level. It is gripping at times, an edge-of-your-seat kind of feeling that is rare for a series. I felt a rollercoaster of emotions, from sorrow, to horror, to sadness. It’s worth a watch to uncover the truth, and to discover where the series goes. This isn’t a pleasant story by any means. However, as a viewer while it was occasionally hard to watch, it was just as hard to look away. The twists and turns are a plenty, and quite farfetched at times. But, the emotional storytelling, and a few strong acting performances make it gripping to watch.
“Clickbait” is currently streaming on Netflix.
