While relatively new to the streaming scene, Apple TV+ is slowly building up a reputation as a purveyor of high-quality content. The most recent addition to the platform, The Crowded Room, is based on the nonfiction book The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes and was developed for television by Akiva Goldsman.
Featuring an all-star cast and a puzzling storyline, the first three episodes of the miniseries set up the scene for what’s promising to be a captivating season.
Where can you watch The Crowded Room in the UAE?
The Crowded Room is now streaming on Apple TV Plus in the UAE. There is no free trial currently available for Apple TV in the UAE, but if you buy an Apple device such as an Apple TV or an iPhone, you also get free access to the platform for a limited time.
Platonic review
- Great acting from the two leads
- Intriguing storyline
- Too much ambiguity
- Overly-complicated
What is The Crowded Room about?
Set in 1979, the series starts with a young man’s arrest following a shooting incident in a busy New York City area in broad daylight. While in police custody, Danny (played by Spiderman’s Tom Holland) claims he had no intention of hurting anyone. Detectives seem to think the shy and mild-mannered young man is some serial killer, so they bring in an expert interrogator named Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) to question him.
Inside the interview room, Danny starts recounting to Rya the past few years of his life. Raised by a single mom (Emmy Rossum), the teen had a strained relationship with his abusive stepfather, Marlin (Will Chase). After his two best friends talk him into drug dealing, Danny gets into a violent altercation with his bullies and gets in trouble with the school principal. Making matters worse, his crush, Annabelle (Emma Laird), has just rejected him.
When Danny’s new and mysterious neighbour, Yitzak (Lior Raz), saves him from a group of thugs, he ends up lodging in the man’s house. There he befriends his other tenant, the beautiful and enigmatic Ariana (Sasha Lane). According to Danny, she was the brains behind the street shooting incident. But, of course, she’s nowhere to be found, and neither is Yitzak. The police seem to think Danny was involved in their disappearances. But as they found no remains, it’s up to Rya to try and get the truth out.
Too vague and hard to follow
The show puts a lot of effort into staying as ambiguous as possible. Judging from the first few episodes, the writers want us on Danny’s side. Knowing the book this is based on involves a certain highly controversial mental health condition, it’s obvious Danny is hiding something knowingly or unknowingly. How much of his version of reality actually happened also comes into question.
As puzzle pieces slowly start falling into place, the narrative can get a bit hard to follow. The show adamantly keeps important plot points as vague as possible, which can be frustrating. Seyfried’s character asks questions that make no sense to the viewer, the serial killer theory seems silly in the first episode, and Danny’s timeline of events doesn’t add up. There’s too much build-up for not enough reveal. But simultaneously, the series did leave me curious enough to ensure I’ll tune in every week.
Tom Holland is great in the role of a young man who looks and acts like an innocent teen while having something dark to hide. And Seyfried is convincing as the compassionate interrogator who is willing to go to any lengths for the truth, even if it means risking her safety. The two have great chemistry and bounce off each other well during their scenes.
Despite some downsides, this is still a worthwhile production. As long as you’re willing to suspend your disbelief, you’ll find a fun psychological thriller with solid acting and a gripping storyline.
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