Hulu has a lot to offer in the way of dramatic content, and they’re always adding more and more new movies and series to their library. Amongst that new content is The Accident, a UK-based drama series about a Welsh community dealing with a horrible tragedy.
The Accident focuses on the aftermath of an explosion and ensuant building collapse that killed several children and many of the first responders who attempted to rescue them, leaving only one of the children alive. Now the community struggles with where to place the blame and how to find justice for their children.
Let me start by saying, if you’re looking for a fun new series to watch, this certainly isn’t it. After the synopsis, that probably seems obvious, but don’t expect a lot of smiles or laughs in this new series. There are a few moments where the characters very briefly break from their grief, but it just feels out of place and almost uncomfortable.
And speaking of uncomfortable, there are quite a few characters in this series that just seem a bit off. It’s hard to describe, but they don’t appear to react to thing how you would expect a person to and their relationships with other characters just seem to have been broken long before the events of the series. Iwan Bevan is the perfect example of this. There’s also a fair amount of just bizarre dialogue in this series that left me puzzled.
On the topic of dialogue, if there has ever been a series to be watched with subtitles, this is it. It’s not just the thick Welsh accents that will make it difficult to understand what everyone is saying, but also the low dramatic whispers followed almost immediately by intense yelling on a consistent basis.
It’s not all bad though. The Accident does actually have a very interesting story to tell and I actually really enjoy the structure of the series. There is no one true main character. There may be a bit more focus on Polly Bevan, the mother of the one surviving child, but there are plenty of other characters who share the spotlight.
I like that there is no clear cut answer regarding who should be blamed for the explosion. Harriet Paulsen, an executive with the company that was building the structure that collapsed, is immediately looked at as a villain by the families of the victims. The series gives us a look from her perspective as well though, and it’s easy to see her side of things as her company attempts to use her as a scapegoat.
There is certainly a fair amount to like about The Accident, especially if you like dark dramas that deal heavily with loss and grief. It does not stand out to me however as something I would go out of my way to watch. It would be difficult for me to recommend this new series with all the great content already on Hulu and other services like Disney+.
The Accident will begin streaming on Hulu on November 22.