Summary
Echo 3 struggles in one vital area in making it great; it lacks emotion. The series is worth checking out, but temper expectations.
We review the Apple TV+ series Echo 3 season 1, which does not contain spoilers.
While we have seen Apple TV+ dabble in all sorts of genres in the world of TV, they are diving into a military-style series with Echo 3. The story follows a husband and brother hunting in Colombia to rescue their missing sister/wife. Is the series worth checking out? I share my spoil-free review of the series.
Within the show’s first episode, we get a good idea of what is ahead with the series. First, you had our introduction to the relationship between our leading couple and had plenty of ties to the other piece of the puzzle, the wife’s brother. Next, we see Bambi and Prince (brother/brother-in-law) head on a mission for the military, which causes a big stir between the two. Finally, everything is different once everyone is back in town and settled. But the relationship between Prince and Bambi changes once Amber has been kidnapped.
One of the things I give the writers a ton of credit for was their ability to keep you guessing. There were several pivotal moments early on about a couple of our characters that you don’t see coming. I thought it was a well-structured plan of action regarding THESE particular moments. However, some of the other writing felt a bit off and even somewhat redundant. I felt connected to two of our three main characters (not revealing which), but the oddball one never seemed to fit in enough depth-wise to make me care. They failed to connect those dots.
The series was created/written by Mark Boal, who has a long history of successful writing in military films (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty). So it didn’t surprise me that this movie had incredible sequences within each element of the military shots. From the rescue missions to the shootouts to the cities in which the series was shot. Boal also did a great job with the other directors, Claudia Llosa and Pablo Trapero, in making the captures so authentic and very claustrophobic feeling. The technical aspect of the series is top-notch.
Luke Evans and Michiel Huisman did well in their respective roles of Bambi and Prince, but Jessica Ann Collins as Amber stood out to me the most. Of course, her role has a little more meat to it, being the one captured and held prisoner, causing her to have some genuinely intense sequences that she thrives in. In addition, we learn specific things about Amber that make you appreciate some scenes a little more because you understand why she is the way she is within them (vague, I know).
Overall, Echo 3 feels a little like Homeland, which isn’t a bad thing, but it doesn’t reach those heights. There are elements of the series that thrive and others that don’t. It truly comes down to the writer’s lack of making me feel things toward one specific character. Without that, this series might have been a step better than it ended up being.
What did you think of Echo 3, season 1? Comment below.
