White Lines Review
Imagine receiving the news that the body of your brother, Axel, who went missing over twenty years ago had been found mummified in a desert. The last place Axel was known to have been alive was in Ibiza, so that’s where this murder mystery is set.
The detective in this story is his sister, Zoe (not professionally, but she does a far better job than the actual detectives). She gets more than she bargained for, though, when the married librarian with a teenage daughter finds herself experiencing a wild Ibiza holiday. Drugs, infidelity and getting in trouble with the police all have a part to play in this whirlwind, destructive period of Zoe’s life.
Zoe is played by Laura Haddock, who manages to portray a character that you can’t help but feel pity for, even while you may disagree with the majority of her actions. She plays Zoe in a way that helps you to understand what she’s been through, and is still going through, and what has led her to this point in her life. She absolutely carries the show, and it’s great to see a woman lead in a genre that too often relies on a man to tell the story.
Not one character in this series is perfect though, and that’s what makes it believable. Boxer (played by Nuno Lopes) is the hard-man of the show, but when he lets his guard down for a woman, his job as security guard for a club and one of the most powerful families in Ibiza, slips. His methods of dealing with difficult situations are often illegal too. But somehow, this character is another that we can at times relate to, and in a way he’s the most fascinating to watch. He’s the most consistent character, and in a show where anyone could be a murderer, that consistency gives us a breather.
Almost every character we meet could have killed Axel. We find out a much darker side to him than Zoe remembered, and it becomes obvious that most people who knew him had a motive. Having said that, it does come as a surprise when we find out who did it, which is really the most important part of a murder mystery — the mystery.
White Lines doesn’t feel like a Netflix original. In fact, it feels like a Channel 4 series more than anything. It doesn’t seem to have a big budget, it’s realistic, there’s nothing fantasy or sci-fi about it, drugs take centre stage throughout most episodes, and every character is self-destructive in their own way.
Strangely enough, the ending stays open enough for another season. There are story lines that don’t feel quite finished, we are given closure in terms of the main murder mystery, but not for many of the characters story arcs. The final episode leaves us with questions. Whether that’s because the creators want us to fill in the blanks ourselves or because they’ll be releasing season two, is yet to be announced. Although one season does feel enough, another may take it too far.
White Lines can’t be put into one box. Yes, it’s a murder mystery, but it’s also a bit gangster, as well as a bit thriller, and a bit drama, with a bit of romance sprinkled on top. It’s a hybrid that works, and it will keep you guessing until the very end.
Hannah Parker
