Considering what DEAD OF SUMMER set out to do -- recreate the 1980s horror movie feeling with a fun summer show that's not meant to be taken too seriously --, I have to say the second half of Season 1 managed to do that, but the first half fell completely flat.
The problem is that the show is set up such that each season focuses on one particular summer and one group of characters. However, each of the main characters gets one episode of flashbacks dedicated to them (think in terms of LOST's first season). There are about 9 such characters and only 10 episodes. You can do the math. It basically means, as soon as you get to know some of the characters, they get killed off. (Not all of them die, but I don't want to spoil too much.) So for me, the question was: Why should I care? What's the point? Why should I get invested in any of the characters (and hence, the story) when I only see their backstory but not much about how they act and make decisions NOW? The reason a show introduces a character's backstory is so we can understand how the characters tick and why they act the way they do and what lessons they learn over time -- but if you kill them off right after spending a lot of time showing their backstory, there won't be much growth. No lessons learned. Nothing memorable for the audience. Furthermore, the first season suffers from some pretty glaring logic flaws. For example, they have all these young children in this summer camp -- but when the killings begin, they just keep going as if nothing happened? What about traumatizing these kids for life? What about their parents -- they're okay with leaving their kids in a camp tainted by death and mysterious events? I'm not buying it.
The second half of the season does much better with regard to the above mentioned problems. For example, when they finally want to evacuate the kids, the evil spirits in the camp try to stop the bus. Or when some of the main characters try to run away from camp, there's some sort of force field preventing them from getting out (I think it's similar to ONCE UPON A TIME -- apparently Kitsis/Horowitz love to borrow from other shows they've been involved with). While these are, of course, supernatural things that require you to suspend your disbelief, they make it much easier to accept that the main characters and all these children are stuck in that camp and have to fight for their lives. Similarly, the pacing of the last few episodes is much better. There's more at stake; the main characters can't trust each other anymore; there's more urgency; and some of the flashbacks reveal some new twists that put everything into a new light.
So, for me, it's 5/10 stars. I watched the first season as it unfolded week after week, and there was too much time in between episodes to ignore all these flaws. If you binge-watch the whole season and don't really think about its (lack of) logic, it might leave a better impression. The last few episodes really showed what the show could have been.
The problem is that the show is set up such that each season focuses on one particular summer and one group of characters. However, each of the main characters gets one episode of flashbacks dedicated to them (think in terms of LOST's first season). There are about 9 such characters and only 10 episodes. You can do the math. It basically means, as soon as you get to know some of the characters, they get killed off. (Not all of them die, but I don't want to spoil too much.) So for me, the question was: Why should I care? What's the point? Why should I get invested in any of the characters (and hence, the story) when I only see their backstory but not much about how they act and make decisions NOW? The reason a show introduces a character's backstory is so we can understand how the characters tick and why they act the way they do and what lessons they learn over time -- but if you kill them off right after spending a lot of time showing their backstory, there won't be much growth. No lessons learned. Nothing memorable for the audience. Furthermore, the first season suffers from some pretty glaring logic flaws. For example, they have all these young children in this summer camp -- but when the killings begin, they just keep going as if nothing happened? What about traumatizing these kids for life? What about their parents -- they're okay with leaving their kids in a camp tainted by death and mysterious events? I'm not buying it.
The second half of the season does much better with regard to the above mentioned problems. For example, when they finally want to evacuate the kids, the evil spirits in the camp try to stop the bus. Or when some of the main characters try to run away from camp, there's some sort of force field preventing them from getting out (I think it's similar to ONCE UPON A TIME -- apparently Kitsis/Horowitz love to borrow from other shows they've been involved with). While these are, of course, supernatural things that require you to suspend your disbelief, they make it much easier to accept that the main characters and all these children are stuck in that camp and have to fight for their lives. Similarly, the pacing of the last few episodes is much better. There's more at stake; the main characters can't trust each other anymore; there's more urgency; and some of the flashbacks reveal some new twists that put everything into a new light.
So, for me, it's 5/10 stars. I watched the first season as it unfolded week after week, and there was too much time in between episodes to ignore all these flaws. If you binge-watch the whole season and don't really think about its (lack of) logic, it might leave a better impression. The last few episodes really showed what the show could have been.