Not Always As Innocent As They Seem

Not Always As Innocent As They Seem

Netflix Original series American Vandal is a parody of a documentary style film. The film starts with the vandalization of 27 cars. The cars belonged to the teachers of Hanover High, and were vandalized with a spray painted penis on each. The school system immediately pointed fingers toward troubled teen, Dylan Maxwell. The series continues with the introduction of another student named Peter Maldonado. Peter works for the High School news station, and took it upon himself to prove the innocence of Dylan Maxwell. The camera of the show then transfers to that of Peter’s camera, and starts the main story. The series from here on is shot like a documentary. The show is taken very seriously, with underlying jokes and a hilarious story to begin with. The main plot of the show has many ups and downs. The plot has a few unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The biggest aspect of American Vandal that really stuck with me after I finished the show, was the ending. The entire show leads you to believe a certain scenario, all of the signs point towards a specific outcome for the ending of the series. Fortunately, the ending came completely out of left field and would make heaviest hearts drop. In my opinion, one of the biggest characteristics that determines how much I enjoy the show, is the shock of the ending. The shock of the ending really forces the show to stick in your mind for a few days, it forces you to tell all of your friends.

A problem that I had with the series, was the repetitiveness of the rise and fall action. Nearly every episode, Peter would find information that would support Dylan’s case, only for it to fall through by the end of the episode. The constant rise and fall caused a sense of boredom. The reason it caused boredom, was because of the predictability. When Peter would find more evidence, I just expected him to find another to disprove it. In my opinion, a show that has a longer and more suspenseful rising action, to a big reveal, poses more of a positive reaction.

Another issue that I had with the series American Vandal, was the introduction of more than 15 characters. The premise of the show did need a few characters, but it is hard to keep up when introduced to this number of people. Nearly every person that is introduced, has some sort of relevance to the story. This means that the viewer must pay much closer attention, and remember small details about each individual. I found myself constantly pausing the episode, to remember what character was linked to what evidence. To me, there is too much going on, to get the full effect of the series.

Through and through, I really enjoyed the Netflix Original series American Vandal. Following the wild ride from Peter Maldonado’s eyes, in his pursuit of serving justice to the Hanover High school system. The show had its ups and downs, but overall, finished leaving your jaw wide open. If I were asked, “Would you recommend this show to a friend?” You bet I would.