In the Dark premiere recap: 3 reasons you need to be watching The CW’s newest show
By Mads Lennon
3. Perry Mattfeld is fantastic as Murphy.
Prior to landing the leading role in In the Dark, Matfeld has had minor roles on shows like Shameless and Stitchers but Murphy is her first leading role gig on a series and she nails it.
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I instantly fell in love with Murphy and much of that is due to Matfeld’s snarky but emotionally resonant performance as she glides into character as if fitting into an old glove.
From the opening sex scene and the frequent booze to cutting lines where she admits she doesn’t care about herself at all, Murphy is a layered, complex, and sometimes unlikable female character.
Her scenes with Brooke Markham, who plays Jess, are a show highlight too. They have an easy camaraderie and banter between them with Jess often playing the motherly role to Murphy’s complete mess.
Each character feels grounded and necessary to the story being told and every actor is solid, though the standout here is Mattfeld but I have a feeling there may be a few other breakouts as the season progresses.
2. The writing is sharp, witty, and reminiscent of Veronica Mars.
Within the first ten minutes of the episode I was having flashbacks to Veronica Mars. The story doesn’t share many similarities beyond the fact both heroines are trying to solve a mystery but the writing is confident, smart, and full of caustic, snappy one-liners (typically from Murphy who is not unlike Veronica’s character).
Script aside, the show reminds me of the older days of the CW pre-DCTV block scheduling but more around the era of Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill. There is a fond kind of nostalgia in the simplicity of the story and I feel like In the Dark could be a hit for the CW inline with critical darlings such as Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.