Reunion - Season 1
Overview: Recently released prisoner Daniel Brennan embodies the struggle of a man caught between two worlds, unable to fully integrate into the hearing world and shunned by his closest friends and the wider deaf community following his heinous crime. Amidst this isolation, Brennan's only meaningful relationship is with his estranged daughter Carly, who he has not had any contact with since his arrest over a decade ago.
Comment
"Reunion", is essentially social commentary, dressed in the trappings, of a series. There is a focus on the niche idea of a deaf man, released from jail for a serious crime, who finds the world around him has changed. What this series fails to do, is build anything like an interesting back story, with characterisations you can invest in, to enlarge upon, this core concept. As a result, this series, ends up feeling like an art house proposition. There are lots of pauses, deep silent exchanges and arty cameo visuals but well, that's about it. That is to say, it expounds the idea of meaningful entertainment, built around a message about the inequities the disabled face but then fails to take the next step, by engaging with the audience, let alone, entertain. In summary, having ideas with a social commentary is nice, I guess but constructing a meaningful, engaging story, around them, is infinitely better. This series fails conspicuously, in the latter half of that equation and that's why I can't recommend it.