Absolute Beginners

I enjoyed this series mostly, as it presents characters that are rarely seen on Netflix. As written, these aren't stock characters we've watched so many times they have lost their impact. They are complex: sometimes beautifully transcendent, other times childish and frustrating, yet always interesting. The three main characters, all young (and well acted) and around which the coming of age story revolves, are full of surprises and reversals. The parental characters are less well developed and frankly do not add much interest to the story or the plot. And that is a problem, for the show slows and falters when attention is not on the teens.

If the story had been cut back, reduced to a 2 hour film instead of an over-long series, and focused only on the teens, this would have been a really steller show. Sometimes a good story does not need to be extended into a series, and benefits from the rigor of editing out extraneous side plots. I'm looking forward to seeing these actors in other productions.