The Never’s has reminded me of what it is I love about movies/TV, so I’m going to post about it at length.
Initially I had only planned to comment on things that I noticed as a screenwriter/filmmaker, but it became apparent pretty quickly the best way to do that was breaking down/analyzing each scene.
As someone who teaches writing I:m all about the set up of a story, because without proper set up there's no reason to care about the characters and follow them on their journey. This is a big problem with amateur/indie films, they skip the set up and jump right into the situation.
S01E01 is a master class in story telling efficiency, proper set up and showing, not telling. This is part of what grabbed my attention with the show and it only got more interesting the more I watched. There’s so much attention to detail and it all connects down the line.
The first 14 minutes, the teaser and the set up, are absolutely amazing. The opening montage, well the first montage of two, tells us a great deal. So much is conveyed without dialogue while introducing us to (almost) all of our primary characters
Amalia True- Sad/resigned. A low paid worker.
Penance Adair - Smart and bright eyed.
Lord Massen - Wealthy/Commanding.
Sarah - May be suffering from psychological issues*.
Mary Brighton- Aspiring to perform in the theatre.
Frank Mundi - There's no real prevailing character trait here...
Horatio Cousens - Doctor who has a Family.
Lavinia Bidlow - Wealthy and is disabled.
Augustus Bidlow - In service of Lavinia
What I found most impressive is that it not only shows some prevailing aspects of their personalities, but also the socio-economic disparity between the characters.