No One is ‘Safe’

A funeral is in progress. A man is clutching his daughter’s hands tightly and he’s in complete disbelief that his wife has left him. His other teenage daughter doesn’t want her father’s attention – she’s deeply in pain.

This makes up the few seconds of the new series ‘Safe’ starring Michael C Hall.

Hall is the man you probably know as Dexter from the series of the same name, the silent killer who fought for justice by killing those who have wronged others. It was twisted.

But now, the tables have turned – Hall takes on the role of Dr Tom Delaney, a widowed paediatric surgeon who is now sporting a British accent – something that will take some time getting used to, to be honest.

And once again, in a conspiracy of secrets, lies and murder, Hall becomes a bystander eager to uncover a deadly crime in the thrilling series. All of this is thanks to author Harlan Coben who wrote the 2016 novel ‘Home’ which the series is based on. But if you know Hollywood, you’d know that nothing ever sticks to the script when it comes to big screen adaptations.

The novel is the start of a collection of books where a family is forced to deal with the case of two boys who vanish without a trace. After 10 years, one of them is found as a teenager and he has plenty to hide about the day of his disappearance.

In the series, the focus lies on Tom and his daughters. A year after the loss of his wife, he seemingly has his life together and even starts a steamy relationship with detective sergeant Sophie Mason (played by Amanda Abbington). They live in a gated community – one you’d think is immune to crime because of its strict accessibility. And since everyone knows each other, it’s normal that they’d feel safe.

The community participates in casual barbeques where neighbours mingle over burgers while the children play games and stuff their faces with food. It all seems so perfect. But as time goes by, you start to notice the cracks in the idealistic environment.

A pending divorce. Concerned faces. And a particular interest in Delaney’s older daughter Jenny who makes us believe that she’s hiding a secret that could change everything.

After a wild party involving teens drowning themselves in alcohol and drugs takes place, the attitudes of the characters immediately shift and the source lies at Jenny’s disappearance, Tom’s worst nightmare. Like any frantic parent, he searches high and low for his daughter and in this process, stumbles upon secrets a community has been sheltering deeper than anyone could have imagined.

If you love a good case of the ‘who did it?’, this is a great show to add to your watch list. It’s always fun to pick up on clues and conversations since everyone is a suspect. And whatever the show feeds you, the trick is not bite.

‘Safe’ has a habit of putting you on edge though because of people’s tendency to keep secrets. And if you know thrillers, nothing good ever comes out of that.

The show premiered in 190 countries earlier this month and takes a good chunk of 45 minutes out of your time.