Coma - Series Review

A family man has an out-of-character confrontation with a gang of local youths and must face the consequences of his actions.

Although this series had an interesting premise, its execution and disjointed narrative made its four-episode arc unsuitable for the story it was trying to tell. Written and created by Ben Edwards, the direction seemed to fumble into nonsensical melodrama after the first episode.

Jason Walkins and Claire Skinner delivered commendable performances, as did the rest of the ensemble cast with their strong presence. However, the scripts seemed to deviate from the psychological thriller genre, venturing into Lifetime thriller territory. When the characters' actions became not just questionable but illogical, it was a turn-off for the audience.

It became increasingly difficult to sympathise with or even root for Walkin’s character, especially when his decisions made no sense or worsened the situation. It’s one thing to watch a character spiral or lose their moral compass, but I feel the screenwriter sacrificed logic over cheap thrills, which took away any genuine suspense.

Making his TV debut, Joe Barger plays the antagonistic teenager who ends up in a coma. The series struggled to find the balance between humanising and villainising this character. Again, this was another character whose actions and logic did not align. The aggression this kid goes after this man after a couple of interactions and what transpires after is ludicrous to watch. I was more shocked that this character was not only a minor but also displayed disturbing behaviours that were vaguely addressed towards the end with no real answer.

Over the four episodes, the assault is investigated by Kayla Meikle’s DS Kelly Evans. This was great casting, but the writing let her down. It may be because I was raised on police dramas, but I couldn’t help but notice the show had no idea what to do with DS Evans. We, the audience, know what happened as we saw it in the climax of the first episode, so the character, as a consequence, drifts in the background and has little to do until the final episodes. There were even moments where she could have had decisive character moments – like when DS Evans wants to question a character about the incident, who retorts they are a minor. Keep in mind that this character just walked out of a shop with a bottle of vodka. She could have easily confiscated that bottle as the character was under eighteen, both for him being rude and to remind him she enforces the law.

David Bradley as Harry White and Jonas Armstrong as Paul Franklin were the best parts of this miniseries. Bradley, best known for his roles in Harry Potter and Doctor Who, effortlessly plays the emotional complexity of his fragile and vulnerable character.

Meanwhile, Armstrong brings a sense of real threat and delivers genuine humanity to his character. Although his gangster character was a bit theatrical, he grounded the character unexpectedly and gave some of the most moving performances towards the end.

As I said earlier, the creative minds behind this show struggled to get past the initial concept of this show. This may have worked better as a movie, but definitely not a four-episode series. As the episodes continued, I found the tension and any suspense dwindle until it was nonexistent.

Curiosity kept me watching rather than anticipation. It became laughable as the drama escalated but had no real consequences. Also Michael Samuels's direction had decent moments, but the camera angles and cinematography were trying too hard to be edgy and sadly achieved the opposite effect.

Solidifying my theory, this would have worked better on Lifetime. Coma went from boring drama to a ridiculous action thriller that led nowhere. The show's climax and ultimate ending were safe and, therefore, completely forgettable.

With one-dimensional characters, a rushed storyline and a conflict that leads nowhere, Channel 5’s Coma never fully realises its premise to its full potential.

My rating of Coma (2024) - ★½.