Last Seen Review: A Missing Girl Girl Story Cannot Overcome Poor Pacing

For decades, the “missing girl” trope has driven crime television. Twin Peaks, Broadchurch, and True Detective barely scratch the surface, yet nearly everyone who likes TV knows at least one series that fits the bill. Last Seen falls into many of these issues, leading to a series that is somewhat predictable in its execution. At the same time, strong performances open the door for a potentially compelling project. Last Seen hopes to catch on with American audiences, and with Apple TV backing it, the series might get its wish.

What is Last Seen about?

Former police detective Ian Ridley (Patrick Brammall) has seen his life fall apart. His daughter went missing over a decade ago, slowly deteriorating his marriage and eventually his performance at work. He still wishes to help people but now serves as an emergency phone line operator, where he can still assist the community. Because of his role and the community’s sympathy for him, when a young girl’s body is found in the woods, he’s immediately alerted that his daughter’s remains might have been discovered.

However, Ian soon discovers the truth is far more complicated. The DNA results prove that his perception of what happened is still very different from reality. Another girl has been found in the woods, opening the possibility for a far more dangerous prospect in the community. Things only get stranger when he receives an emergency call from someone very unexpected.

The mystery is effective, but the slow burn feels drawn out.

The real draw of Last Seen stems from the performances. This starts with Brammall, whose irritated and erratic behavior actually matches the fear of being a parent. His conspiracy-driven brain only kicks in when it has something to do with his daughter, and allows audiences to see two sides of a person who was probably a great cop in a past life. However, the trauma has certainly done a number on his psyche, leading to extreme behavior that varies from being completely in control to manic lashing out.

Brammall plays it all with grace. Ian is likable for most of his time on screen, and his physical communication of anger is something to behold. It’s most apparent when he’s struggling with addiction, which really shows off his talents as an internal performer. Brammall is the reason to be a fan of Last Seen, even if it’s an imperfect show.

The imperfection comes from the adherence to the missing girl tropes. Very early on, there are big reveals that open the door to make this an atypical version of this story. However, in the process, Last Seen also becomes incredibly predictable from scene to scene. While there are moments when it breaks free of that issue, many other moments feel overly melodramatic.

Perhaps most deal-breaking is the way in which other characters treat Brammall. He’s certainly an important person in their town, but the way he runs roughshod over it is wild. The criminal side of the story is even stranger, because on one hand we’re supposed to believe that this is “small-town Australia,” where everyone looks out for and knows each other, but the antagonistic force has no idea how close they are to exposure. It seems unbelievable, even though similar stories have existed in the real world.

Perhaps most atrocious is the pacing. While we’d love to say that the story zips along, the long, dragged-out scenes do little to help Last Seen. Without spoiling too many of the big reveals, there are characters that feel strangely anti-human. Isolation can do things to people that leave them incapable of normal socialization, but Last Seen is inconsistent with how it chooses to apply these ideas. This leads to inauthentic characters and questionable moments from most of the supporting cast.

Is Last Seen worth watching?

No, unfortunately, the series does little to push us into the positive camp. It’s too basic in its storytelling, too predictable, and not clever enough to pull off its twists. Last Seen is both too boring and too long, a dangerous combination. This is particularly rough, as it only clocks in at six episodes. Unfortunately, there’s not enough meat on the bones of Last Seen for this one to work.

Last Seen is available on Apple TV. All episodes were provided for this review.