by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
Look, few premises are as easy to hook me with as a compelling murder mystery, and Hulu’s A Murder at the End of the World had a lot that made it compelling.
The limited series follows Darby Hart (Emma Corrin), a Gen Z amateur sleuth who’s recently released a book about her successful cracking of a serial killer case years earlier with Bill (Harris Dickinson), now a world-famous artist. Hart is again pushed into detective mode when she’s invited to an Icelandic retreat along with members of the world’s elite, including Bill, at the behest of a reclusive tech billionaire (Clive Owen), and a murder occurs. A murder mystery in the isolationism of a secluded, invite-only shindig held in the middle of a secluded space in Iceland’s frozen tundra? I’m in. it’s a premise that promised to be a mix of And Then There Were None and Glass Onion, and largely delivered on that — minus the more comedic elements of the latter.
Another point of intrigue for me was the star of the show — Emma Corrin. Few stars are burning hotter than they are at the moment. They burst on the scene with the role of Princess Diana in The Crown and have roles upcoming in Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu and Deadpool 3. While the former is a show that would seem to be up my alley, I never really got into it — nor have I seen any of their other recent film roles, like My Policemanor Lady Chatterley’s Lover. As an introduction to their work, A Murder at the End of the World is quite impressive. They’re asked to do a lot of heavy lifting in this show, and pull it off beautifully. Whether the gears are turning in their mind, or they’re trying to sell an emotional gut punch, Corrin does so believably. It’s a powerhouse performance that I’d put up among the best of the year.
My only qualm with the character of Darby was a mere by product of the expectations set by the marketing. The character is labeled as a “Gen Z Sherlock Holmes,” which, as a Holmes aficionado, is a bit unfair. It sets an expectation that not only isn’t met, but I’m not sure was even the goal. Yes, Darby’s a detective and, yes, she’s good at it, but it’s not to the superhuman level that comparison would imply. And that’s fine; it was fun to watch her work without being worried about making unnecessary comparisons.
The show does a great job when it comes to the keep the intrigue of murder mystery alive. I was engaged in trying to figure out what was going on. It kept me guessing without making me confused or making me feel lost. Still, I never really had a great grasp on who might be the killer, and when the reveal finally hits, it left me gobsmacked like a proper reveal should. That’s a balance that’s not easy to pull off. It’s even more impressive given the fact that there’s the added difficulty of trying to weave together the past and present in dual storylines. While events play out at the retreat, flashbacks concerning Darby and Bill’s efforts to unmask a serial killer in the past are interwoven. Dual story framing can be a slippery slope, but it works here in a way that illustrates why the move can be a beneficial tool in a writer’s arsenal. It allows the past to inform the present and ties things together thematically by the end.
Darby (and Bill, thanks to their previous history), may be the true heart of the story the show is trying to tell, but, like all good murder mysteries, it also leans heavily on its supporting cast. There aren’t a ton of huge names, but there are some familiar faces. The other relationship we get a deep dive into is that of Owen’s Andy and Brit Marling’s Lee. Our hosts for the event are often an enigma, even as we’re constantly getting new information, which helps drive the intrigue of the mystery. The only other name I recognized in the cast was Alice Braga, but whether it’s the rest of the retreat’s invitees, the A.I. there to lend a hand (Edoardo Ballerini), or the hotel’s staff, everybody knows what’s required of them and they all do their job excellently.
What’s really commendable is the show’s technical flair. Everything is well shot, and, importantly, shot on location. Generally, I think visual effects can get a bit of a bad rap in the current discourse. They’re necessary, and a lot of the truly great effects are so seamless, they go unnoticed. However, particularly when it comes to settings, the use of effects for shots has become more ever present and, more importantly, noticeable. I was initially blown away by the Volume during season one of The Mandalorian, but since that time, it (and stages like it) can too often become a crutch that takes away from the visual experience. That’s not the case here, and it’s a breath of fresh, frigid air. There’s location shooting and you can tell. It looks like are cast of characters are in a frozen tundra because they are.
Created by the partnership of Marling and Zal Batmanglij (who also co-created The OA), they split the directing responsibilities, and serve as the main writers for the show. Everything from the writing to the technical eye is top notch. It’s an impressive limited series that makes me want to go back and revisit their previous creative partnership, which, though lauded at the time, I never watched.
An FX/Hulu joint production, A Murder at the End of the World one of the best shows I’ve seen all year, and has me wondering if we’re underrating this creative production partnership. If you look at some of the best projects in 2023, it’s one that pops up a lot — and one that already has one of my most anticipated shows of the coming year, too.
As for this show specifically, I’m torn about its possible future. On one hand, Darby’s a character that I’ve come to love and enjoy. In a vacuum, it’s one I’d love to spend more time with, from a creative team that’s earned my trust should they want to investigate more mysteries with her. However, the story at the heart of A Murder at the End of the World is also undeniably one that’s elevated by how personal it is to Darby and the emotion in pulls from her — something it would be highly unlikely a subsequent season could duplicate. So from that point of view, I’m more than fine if this remains a standalone and the creators turn their eyes in a different direction.
For now, what’s undeniable is we have quite the achievement that stands out in quite the crowded genre of late. If you’re looking for a murder mystery you can bundle up beneath a blanket and binge this holiday season, look no further than this chilling mystery.
Rating: Loved It
A Murder at the End of the World is currently streaming on Hulu
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Twitter and Letterboxd