This dramatic and thrilling Netflix miniseries came seemingly out of nowhere. One day it wasn’t there, and the next I see Adrian Grenier’s face with something that looks dark and twisted. Of course, when I learn that Zoe Kazan and Betty Gabriel are in it, too, it became a no-brainer to watch it! Also, with a name like Clickbait, it seems almost impossible that it won’t get watched. This 8-episode miniseries takes a unique storytelling approach with some shocking reveals along the way. Let’s dive in!
Each episode focuses on a different character while still integrating important aspects and character relative to the story. The first episode opens with Pia, the somewhat immature sister of Nick. After an argument, the two aren’t talking, but she’s willing to forget all of that when she learns her brother is missing. Now, she doesn’t learn this in a very normal way. One of her patients has a viral video up that depicts Nick holding signs with very disturbing “truths” written on them. One states that he abuses women, while the other claims that he’s killed someone. He looks battered and bruised, but the last sign says that if the video reached 5 million views that he will die by the hands of his captors. Obviously, Pia goes into panic mode and tries to work with Nick’s wife Sophie and local homicide detective, Roshan to find him before it’s too late.
I mean, this next part is sort of a spoiler, but Nick is found dead. The video reached 5 million views pretty quickly (duh) and they find his body dumped by a river pretty soon after. Most of the rest of the series is spent trying to figure out both is Nick is this awful human, as the viral video claimed, and also who killed him. Because regardless if Nick was this despicable, someone still murdered someone, so justice needs to be served. I feel most bad for Sophie and her kids. They go through a lot of emotional whiplash and endure quite the public beating thanks to the media. Speaking of whiplash, that’s exactly how I felt after each episode. There was always a new truth or reveal that changed what I previously thought to be true, and nothing could have prepared me for the final two episodes.
All in all, performances were strong here, but I give kudos to Betty Gabriel for going through a gambit of emotions with such expertise. She juggles between grief, hatred, fear, and guilt all over the course of eight hours, and we’re right along there with her. As annoying as Pia’s character could be at times, I admired her commitment to her brother and the change it caused in her. She ultimately became closer with Sophie, which in the past would have never happened. There were obviously some frustrations and some questions I had about how the real crime all played out, but this miniseries was so juicy and twisted that I really didn’t care that much in the end. So, that’s all I’ll say about this series so I don’t ruin it for you! Go watch!