Adjusting to life as a college student is never easy. From juggling academics and extracurricular activities to trying to maintain a social life and healthy lifestyle, it is important to make time for some regular R&R to ease the pressures of the busy college life. My go-to way to regroup has always been curling up in sweatpants and a cozy blanket and binge-watching TV shows. I recently stumbled upon In The Dark when searching for a new series on Netflix. It notably climbed to the top of the most watched chart when Season 3 was uploaded for streaming.
In The Dark, which originally came out in June 2019 on the CW Television Network, showcases the endeavours of a blind woman who gets involved in money laundering for a dangerous Chicago drug dealer after attempting to solve the murder of her teenage friend. Murphy Mason has been blind since the age of 14 and has lost all hope of living a purposeful and enjoyable life. The only comfort and light in her life is her friendship with 16-year-old street rat Tyson Parker, who, unbeknownst to Murphy, is involved in a dangerous drug gang. When Murphy finds Tyson dead, she reports it to the police, who find a clean crime scene and no body. With the police ignoring her concerns and report, Murphy sets out to discover what really happened to Tyson.
This show is the perfect mix of edge-of-your seat excitement and terror mixed with witty humor and heavy emotional drama. Perry Mattfeld, who plays Murphy, does an impeccable acting job as she physically and emotionally portrays Murphy’s despair, manipulative nature, and self-loathing. The show deals with heavy topics, such as overcoming a disability, drug culture, gang violence, and murder, but is also able to add elements of humor and romance in order to balance the darker aspects.
While this series is able to find humor and hope in a dark situation, I am bothered by the writers’ demonization of Murphy and emphasis on the selfish and angry side of her persona. Although Murphy clearly struggles with compassion and empathizing with others, the writers fail to acknowledge that she was forced to fight her way as the underdog in a dangerous situation, making her out to be a total bad guy. They neglect to showcase how incredible it is that, as a disabled person, she is able to solve a string of cold cases, even when no one will take her seriously. Murphy’s drive and stubborn nature results in her success at cracking cases professional detectives have been unable to solve for years. Despite my gripe with the writers’ portrayal of Murphy, In The Dark is a great series for crime and mystery lovers, and is definitely one of many hidden gems available to the world via Netflix’s wondrous platform of entertainment.