I watched all 8 episodes
Scenario
A TV adaptation of James Patterson’s novels about the complex and brilliant detective Alex Cross. In episode 2, Cross tells Sampson that he smells like “mothballs and old spice.” In real life, Isaiah Mustafa appeared in big Old Spice ads as “a man like your man might smell like.” I’ve never read Patterson’s novels. I see them in supermarkets. I think he must be popular. Anyway, I watch Prime (despite the ads) mostly for the documentaries, but a show called “Cross” came on and I thought I’d give it a try. Cross is a combination of “Luther” and “The Wire.” Serious.
Nothing really original here
Both Luther and The Wire are probably better, but Cross isn’t bad. I’m glad I stuck it out to the end. HOWEVER – there’s Aldis Hodge and for those of you who are fans of Leverage… his character is very similar but much more developed (he’s the star of Cross). I really like his physicality and he’s a blast to watch. I really enjoyed Leverage.
He’s disturbing, disturbing and scary
Ryan Eggold plays the villain and oh my god he’s… he’s an over the top villain. What a shock to see him like that after his role in “How May I Help?” in New Amsterdam? He seems to really enjoy the role. It’s a good show, if a bit dragged out (I think they could have done it in six episodes instead of eight if they had been a bit more rigorous). By the way, we know very early on (well before Cross and MPD in general).
It’s also brutal and bloody
That knowledge makes everything more tense for the viewer. It’s a serial killer show, and without giving anything away, she’s the main character who ends up in a serial killer’s den. I fast-forwarded through some scenes that I would have found disturbing. Coming at it without any context, I found Cross’ background in psychology interesting. He’s kind of a profiler, but he gets inside the heads of his suspects, and it’s quite (as I said) interesting. I think there are aspects of this show—some scenes—that will bother me for a while.
I recommend the series
So again, approach with caution. Your guide to all the new movies and shows streaming on Prime Video in the US this month.