This slipped under my radar, and I was only told about it
on BeeX. I was very sceptical about the show and the host. I stayed away until some other people mentioned it, then binged the first three episodes in one go as it swiftly became my TV show of the year, and totally unexpectedly.
I absolutely loved how carefully constructed each episode was, telling the stories in just the right way whilst also allowing us to get to know the players and care for them. I kept on switching from being Team Faithful to Team Traitor. The dramatic tension wouldn't have worked if the audience didn't know who was who.
Despite my doubts about Claudia, I now think she was a great choice, getting the mix of sympathy and spice just right.
The set design and b-roll of the Scottish highlands were a visual treat.
ZOMG Spoiler! Click here to view!
Kieron's backstabbing at the end was brilliant. I made the mistake of peeking at Twitter and some are complaining that he shouldn't have been allowed to do that. I completely disagree. He didn't say Wilf was the traitor, just planted sufficient seeds to make people join the dots, and besides, the game is about wielding the knife anyway. It still took the others a while to work it out, but the drama of when Hannah's flame turned red was definitely one of the "holy crap!" TV moments of the year.
I'm not sure if I was right about the flag thing, but did anyone else notice the rather scary portrait of Claudia in the breakfast room?
Back in July, I wrote about
my experiences of Mafia and how I'd long since moved on but have very fond memories of those days. If anything, this reminds me how much fun GMing it is. I wonder if the players were specifically forbidden from playing a quick round during the show?
"Next time" trailers should fuck off to the end of the credits, or just fuck off altogether however. Part of the excitement is not knowing who will be back. I had to remember to have the remote in hand to cut the picture to avoid them every episode.