I watched “Big Money Theory”. The sudden leader among the latest Russian TV series

The new series “Big Money Theory” from ivi is rapidly gaining popularity in Russia.

What’s really interesting is that I personally don’t often see new products from this streaming service in the lists of leading search queries. It was for this reason that it initially became interesting why people loved the project, and it turned out that it had its advantages. Of course, there were some serious downsides.

What’s new? Let’s figure it out. We have already watched the series and will hasten to share our conclusions.

An ironic detective story for everyone. Or not really

What is the series about?: Mikhail Aleksandrovich Nefedov, a mathematical genius, teaches at the university taking into account probability and mathematical statistics. He remembers everything he has ever heard, seen or read. Mikhail learns that his teenage son has a dangerous genetic disease, the treatment of which will require a multi-million dollar sum. Having sold the apartment, Nefedov makes a bet, perfectly calculated by his brilliant mind, on a local football league match, but… loses.

He could not have made a mistake, which means there is an unaccounted variable in the equation. And this is an underground bookmaking business, where the results of games are rigged to extract illegal income. Mikhail identifies the organizers of the shadow business and demands his winnings from them.

Thus begins the war between a university teacher and the bookmaker mafia. Deprived of emotion, condemnation and fear, a genius does not save anything… But one day he turned to himself as a vulnerable, dependent and truly living person.

Little-known directors Philip Fiberg and Ksenia Miroshnik worked on the series. This point has already caused mistrust. It’s not often you see a successful debut.

But the authors of the project helped them with a good screenwriter Andrei Zolotarev, responsible for the series “13 Clinical” and the recent film “Lord of the Wind”. Of course, there was some borrowing here, but personally I allow it if it’s done Fine.

In the case of the new product, you could already guess from the description that the idea was taken from The Good Doctor. In any case, I thought that they were inspired by the creators.

The plot itself is difficult to evaluate. Either he is post-ironic, or simply delusional. Naturally, it’s hard to believe that such a series of events simply cannot happen in real life. But this, surprisingly, does not discourage viewing. Quite the contrary.

The overall story is simple, has a large number of plot holes, but I can’t call them serious. She looks complete and is interesting to watch, primarily thanks to the acting cast.

Ilya Malanin was able to adequately imagine a person next to healthy creatures. You believe in his character’s problems, you begin to empathize literally with the first episodes. He stands out precisely for his charisma, coupled with all the modesty given to him.

Exactly This is what keeps the short story going. Other actors are not attracted to his background and play clichéd characters: a student-teacher in love with a student, a botanist in love with her, a stupid athlete, and so on. They evoke almost no emotions, you absolutely don’t care about them, although the authors and the minds do otherwise, adding personal dramas to them.

And what do we have in the end? A typical plot, read from the first episodes, not the most expressive characters (with the exception of the main characters). This should already scare away the controlled viewer, but this does not happen. Why?

The series is captivating

The main interest is the accompaniment of events and how they will later be played out during the narrative.

The project lacks fresh ideas, but it also holds up well on borrowed ones. Let’s take, for example, the main trick of mathematics – to calculate all actions directly in your head. We saw this in Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch. This is spectacular form, representing to us the superman. But right away we contrast his genius with the imperfection of the world. Almost everything can be calculated, but not everything.

Bribes in this case sincerity of the character. The way he feels badly about the fact that he was wrong in his calculations, he is always trying to correct himself.

As a detective story, this series also works. Of course, we almost immediately understand how the story ends. But the way the authors come to the end will make you watch it to the end. There are many funny and atypical situations, and some of the villains cause a genuine smile with their actions, adding humor to the story.

Even a standard gangster series in the NTV style opens here from the other side. The dynamics only become greater with each new episode, and this also includes vigorous chases with shootouts. And this colors the anticipation already known before the finale.

Bottom line: watch or skip

“The Theory of Big Money” (how I would like to call it otherwise) is a good series with a slight dose of irony.

This is not about people, their personal help and transformation. It’s about cool (and not so cool) guys, funny showdowns and just a good mood.

I cannot recommend watching the series. Yes, and I won’t. But even calling it a bad word doesn’t change my language. It has its pros and cons. Everyone will find something of their own in it – something to watch this project for.

In general, you can skip it, but if you really want to watch it, you won’t waste your time. Personally, I didn’t even notice how I watched all the episodes in a couple of days.