“Crowded Room” review: the series that made Tom Holland rethink his life

Series Crowded room, available on Apple TV+, starts with an alarm event. There is a shooting going on in the violent and dark New York of the 1970s. A bloody circumstance that becomes a shock wave of horror and paranoia. Danny Sullivan (Tom Holland) was there and participated in the tragedy. At least he suspects so. However, his recollection of what happened is not entirely clear.

The dilemma he faces is not, or not exclusively, about the perception of memories or their subsequent interpretation. Crowded room immediately indicates that the mystery surrounding its protagonist is more complicated than it seems. Especially as it explores the idea that the human mind can be a dangerous labyrinth with hidden and undecipherable places.

But what seemed to be a conflict based on a distortion of the point of view of reality immediately arouses interest. During its first chapter, it becomes clear that the script by Akiva Goldsman, also the creator of the series, is playing outright in disarray. Is everything Danny remembers true or is it just an illusion fueled by his childhood trauma?

failures Crowded room

The argument claims that its protagonist is the product of a tormented childhood and a devastating youth. Therefore, all his actions and even words must pass through the filter of double interpretation. What is right and what is wrong for a person who finds refuge in his mind with frightening frequency?

The issue becomes more relevant because Crowded room insists that Danny he is an unreliable narrator. This suggests that the shooting he remembers—even the people he saw and interacted with—may have been something else entirely. Through frequent jumps in time, the production links past and present to provide an explanation for a split reality.

At least that’s what he tries, though he doesn’t achieve. Danny He is a traumatized young man whose mind is a confusing place full of light and shadows. But Crowded room he doesn’t dig deeper than necessary to realize that the character is about to succumb to his personal fears. So the need to understand the breadth and rarity of what overwhelms him remains a valid resource that goes no further.

The secret that doesn’t exist

One of the big problems Crowded room the fact is that by showing scenarios and facts to be reconsidered, he questions each situation more than once. Which ultimately creates a feeling of unnecessary repetition and highlighting obvious ideas. It quickly becomes clear what is wrong with Danny and what the consequences of explaining his behavior in the future may be. But instead of dealing with the idea of ​​the obvious, the series insists on hiding its details. Although it is inevitable that the script reveals its secrets in the first episode.

In particular, through the interaction between Danny And Ariana (Sasha Lane), whose appearance in the story explores the duality of the story as a whole. Gradually, Crowded room builds a perspective in which each situation is actually a challenge to the truth. Something that gets more confusing when the police Ria Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) tries to find a reliable starting point for an investigation.

The character becomes a symbol of trust, and the way the plot develops him is perhaps his most obvious mistake in his attempts to hide his mystery. Every question you ask must be answered from two dimensions. This allows us to draw immediate conclusions about where such fragmentation of testimony comes from. Danny.

Crowded room he can’t keep his secrets

based on the book Thoughts of Billy Milligan, by Daniel Keyes, the story strives to be as unpredictable as its literary version, and to create an atmosphere in which everything can be the subject of speculation. But not only does he not reach the promised tension, but he collapses as soon as his biggest mystery is quickly revealed. Not because history allows it, but because pieces of information are built so clumsily that they immediately collapse.

Tom Holland is perhaps the best of Crowded room. His acting ranges from genuine vulnerability to a bizarre take on evil. All in a deep understanding of the dilemma that suffocates his character. However, his ability to explore the conflict does not make the production more dynamic, much less solid.

The script gets weaker as it tries to protect its game’s main trap from red herrings. Once discovered – which happens much faster than you might think – the plot has little to offer. A major problem for a series that strives for narrative tension but fails to fully maintain it.