In the first episode of the moody crime drama series A Murder at the End of the World, titled "Homme Fatal," viewers, as well as our heroine, Darby (played by Emma Corrin, who took a turn playing Diana on The Crown in 2020), are transported to a remote hotel in Iceland, where a group of brilliant and eccentric individuals have been gathered for an exclusive symposium on the future of humanity.
The enigmatic host, Andy Ronson (played pitch perfectly by Clive Owen), a tech billionaire with a penchant for cryptic puzzles (think Musk but charming), has invited nine guests to his symposium, and among the guests is Darby Hart, a young and talented true crime writer.
As the group settles into their luxurious accommodations, an air of unease seems to pervade the atmosphere. The stark beauty of the Arctic landscape is juxtaposed with the unsettling feeling that something sinister lurks beneath the surface. Even if the characters don’t yet notice, at least we the viewers do. Something ominous is definitely afoot.
We’re also treated to a few flashbacks to Darby solving the crime that made her famous, even if those flashbacks often leave more questions than answers. The flashbacks serve as a useful tool to help round out Darby as a character. I would assume/hope there is more of this to come.
Oh, and let’s not forget our life-like AI assistant, Ray, played by IRL actor Edoarado Ballerini, who plays the role of a sort of Star Trek computer voice as well as a Clippy-like narrator at times.
Murder at the End of the World is co-created by Brit Marling, who also stars as Ronson’s wife, Lee. Marling might be best known to some as the star and creator of the Netflix show The OA. For fans of The OA (points finger at myself) this show will give you all the same vibes but layered on top of a murder mystery (so less flash-mob dancing and more fancy computer hacking), which I think will make her style of content creation more accessible without sacrificing any of the trippy charm.
All in all, episode one starts many plates spinning for us. The show promises to be a wild ride I expect, but as with any high-concept narratives, I worry that the eventual payoff will leave me wanting more. Nonetheless, I’ll be there for it.
