Suspicion Review: Persons of Interest / Room for Doubt (Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2)

Suspicion Season 1 Episode 1, “Persons of Interest,” and Suspicion Season 1 Episode 2, “Room for Doubt,” are a great introduction to the series. We get a sense as to who Tara, Aadesh, Natalie, and Sean are, but surprisingly, we don’t have a ton of investigative information.

It’s unexpected to have such a small focus on the evidence part of the investigation. You sort of expect that the series will be mainly focused on what the investigators are theorizing and discovering when you hit play on “Persons of Interest.”

We don’t see any crime scene analysis or what lead the investigators to our suspects. Sure Scott and another FBI agent walk around the hotel, but that’s really all we get aside from the interrogation scenes. This isn’t a bad thing at all; it makes Suspicion feel new and different from other investigative thrillers.

Also, this decision keeps us on edge because we don’t really know what’s going on. We are on the same page as our suspects, assuming they are innocent. This creates a level of tension and suspense for us, as we try to decipher whether or not these three people are innocent.

Because the focus has really been on these three suspects (and Sean, although there’s no doubt he’s not a good guy), we’ve gotten to know them a bit, and so we care about them. You don’t necessarily want them to be guilty, but you are engaged in their story and trying to figure out whether or not they are telling the truth.

We learn snippets about Special Agent Scott Anderson’s theories as to why each of them are guilty, but that’s all we get, investigative-wise.

Right now, it’s too soon to tell if the lack of focus on the investigation will be to the show’s detriment or not. For now, we know just enough to keep us guessing, but pretty soon, we will need more details about how Scott and Vanessa’s investigation is going.

This leads me to my next point. One thing that will be essential to Suspicion‘s success is pacing. So far, the show is nailing it.

The ransom, of sorts, playing at the end of Suspicion Season 1 Episode 2 helps keep the momentum going, especially when it comes to the investigation.

Scott and Vanessa’s case has fizzled out slightly as Tara, Aadesh, and Natalie are released from the police station. There’s nothing more for Scott and Vanessa to do except wait for one of them to slip up, which may never happen.

However, the video playing during the congressional meeting changes all that. It now gives Scott and Vanessa (and us) something new to focus on and analyze. Hopefully, it will be the impetus for the show to allow us to spend more time with the investigation rather than our suspects.

It would be a nice change of pace to switch gears and have the investigation front and center as opposed to the suspects.

Stray Thoughts

• I appreciate all the locational data, but as I know nothing about England, it doesn’t mean much.
• The directing choices are pretty cool.
• I love a good interrogation scene, and these are absolutely fabulous.
• This cast is absolutely insane.

What did you think of the first two episodes of Suspicion? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

New episodes of Suspicion are released on Fridays on Apple TV+.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

11 Latinx-Led TV Shows We Love