The trailer and synopsis ofechoes foreshadowed a gripping and well-crafted thriller. While Netflix’s new series doesn’t entirely deliver on those promises, it does provide heartfelt, if unmemorable, entertainment nonetheless.
Twins Leni and Gina have always shared everything… even their identities. Their cunning has been carefully refined over the years, so much so that they manage to fool everyone around them, even their respective spouses. But this perfectly maintained balance comes to rock when one of the two sisters suddenly disappears in nebulous circumstances.
Worn concept
The premise ofechoes soon caught our attention. Admittedly, the vein of the twins with troubled identities has already been revisited many times, especially in the very disappointing television adaptation of I Know What You Did Last Summer. Nevertheless, actress Michelle Monaghan seemed the designated candidate to restore her acclaim.
Does she succeed? The short answer: yes. But there are a few downsides.
Because if the plot is gripping and its many twists, its mystery, it winnows rather quickly. Worse still, the on-screen management of the shared identities between the two sisters ultimately becomes laborious and confusing, viewers struggling at times to discern Leni from Gina in many important scenes.
Fortunately, the nuanced and perfectly invested game of Michelle Monaghan comes to save the day in these situations. Same goes for his co-stars Karen Robinson and Matt Bomer who helped keep our interest going over the seven episodes of Echoes, engulfed in a single evening.
► The series echoes is available on Netflix.