1899 Viewers Don't Think The Show Quite Lives Up To The Phenomenal Dark Series
Netflix found itself sitting on top of a gold mine when "Dark" debuted in 2017. The streaming giant's first German-language series, "Dark" received critical acclaim upon its release, currently sitting at a whopping 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the average audience score resting just slightly far behind at 94%. Upon its debut, "Dark" immediately stood out as the moody counterpart to the nostalgia-heavy "Stranger Things," which was released just a year prior to the German series. /Film critic Chris Evangelista argued as much, saying that while comparisons between both shows are there, "Dark" goes in a radically different direction. "'Dark' is a much more somber, more expressionistic show," wrote Evangelista in his glowing review. "Nor is there a sense of Spielbergian adventure at play. Instead, 'Dark' is comprised of ticking clocks, shadowy rooms and long, cold stares. It gets under your skin almost immediately, bringing a chill with it."
After the success of "Dark," Netflix roped in creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese for an overall deal, commissioning another mind-bending romp (via Variety). After months of anticipation, the duo have finally unleashed their horror migration drama "1899" to the world... and the results are mostly positive. While The Guardian gave the series a 2 star review, dubbing it as "absolutely agonising," the Metacritic metascore suggests that "1899" is a worthwhile block of television thats viewers should watch as soon as possible to avoid spoilers. Fans of Odar and Friese who have already binged "1899" think the series is great, but find that it doesn't live up to the sky high expectations that "Dark" set up.
1899 is a great start but isn't as engaging as Dark according to viewers
The general audience consensus surrounding "1899" appears to be relatively positive though viewers can't deny how the series isn't as engaging as "Dark." "Episode 1 okayish, interesting though but no where near [as good as] 'Dark,'" wrote Twitter user @athencole. Replying to the user was @Expelliarmus98, who expressed boredom after having digested 2 episodes of the Netflix series. Nevertheless, the user remained optimistic that "1899" would counter its slow start with a plot twist heavy finale. @athencole would later go on to tweet his frustrations about "1899's" short episode count, imploring Netflix to release the second season sooner.
After having completed the series, user @AllThingsLilac tweeted that "1899" was "nowhere close to 'Dark' but still a really good watch!" @_ReigningSSMB agreed with this sentiment, while @BadaBadaaBoom tweeted that "1899" is unique in its own way, saying that the "best part about the show is the mystery, how well it unravels rather than the revelation itself." While discussing the show on the unofficial fan subreddit, user u/reddit-admins-suck gave "1899" an 8/10 rating, finding it slightly predictable. "It doesn't beat 'Dark' for me, at least not yet, we'll have to see where the show goes in future seasons," the user wrote, before saying it's ultimately unfair that audiences are comparing the series to "Dark." u/Tardislass found that the series wasn't as "dense" as "Dark," but remained optimistic as they expect future seasons will resolve this issue.
"1899" seems to be on a solid path, with Looper ranking it as one of Netflix's best 2022 offerings. For now, audiences should remain patient and see how the mystery of the series unravels over time before making judgements.