The Boy That Never Was

lumphammer2

This is the new RTE drama ….. have not watched it so far …… is this worth watching or is it another damp squib ?? ….. am a fan of Love/Hate and Kin ….. not a fan of those dramas RTE did in the immediate years before Covid ….. Taken Down and them Amy ones ….. what camp does this new one belong in ??? ….

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058369370/the-boy-that-never-was

First few episodes are mainly a contemplation on the affects of loss with a growing sinister/thrillerish storyline.
Definitely not the superficial/stereotyped glitzy crash bang wallop of Kin or L/H (not necessarily bad things)
Well acted and paced, mostly believable storylines too.

Enjoying it. Competent drama.

Montage of Feck

I don't know what is is about Irish dramas but unless they have a very specific Irish or historical context I just avoid them, that includes love hate and Kin.

Deeec

I tried watching it and thought it was crap. I watched two episodes and found it hard to follow. I wouldn't bother wasting time on it but maybe that's just me.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122625274#Comment_122625274

Yeh, that's justifiable tbh. It isn't fast paced but that normally wouldn't bother me as long as it was interesting, and I think it was deliberately ambiguous to set up what was to come. I was sufficiently interested in the main characters tbh particularly the dad and Simon Callow's - Cosi. As the series goes on the mother and her brother get interesting.

lumphammer2

Thanks for all the comments ….. weighing on what everyone said I will give it a try …..

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058369370/the-boy-that-never-was

Not sure if you can call it an "RTÉ" drama, not much is these days. Audience hasn't been great.

You forgot one genre of Drama from RTÉ the overly co-produced drama. Could be a good drama I don't know but its not appeared in their top programming for either of the 2 episodes so far.

The Boy That Never Was, Funding: -

IFCIC helped with production cashflow

• Finnish Impact Film Fund
• Aristo-Invest
• BAIE Capital
• Finnish Cultural Foundation
• Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation
• Kelonia
• Konstsamfundet
• Otava
• Saastamoinen Foundation
• Tesi
• Screen Ireland funding from various funds (Development, Production Continuation Fund, Publicity and Marketing Assets Production Fund, Sustainability Advisor Fund)
• Creative Europe
• Section 481 Gov of Ireland
• Morocco Shooting Support

Production Companies

• Aurora Studios
• Subotica

End screen has the usual Supported by your Licence Fee, I some how doubt that this will appear on international version of the production.

It would be interesting to know how much RTÉ actual invested in this series. Seems to have been commissioned via the Acquisitions / Co-Productions department

Daroxtar

Watched the first 3 episodes and have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. Most definitely not your typical RTE drama. Yes, it's slow paced but episode 3 has a good bit more happening than the first 2 eps. For some reason it kind of reminds me of The Affair.

apache

Really good, I'm liking it.

JP Liz V1

Well how did it end, gave up myself

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122644097#Comment_122644097

It was all wrapped up in a happy ending that was a bit much for me tbh. Lost it's credibility for reasons best known to the writer. A more realistic ambiguous ending would have been better.

Deregos.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122644714#Comment_122644714

SPOILER.

The most incredulous bit was Dylan still remembering his mum's name . . Nooo

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122644714#Comment_122644714

Wasn't that the issue everyone had with Amber.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2224645/

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649177#Comment_122649177

Maybe. Can't remember the series much less what was said about it. 😁

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649253#Comment_122649253

Girl goes missing, family try to find her, in the end they don't, producers say this is a realistic ending to the series as often many missing people never return.

https://www.rte.ie/player/series/amber/SI0000000109?epguid=AIIP000056337

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649367#Comment_122649367

Yeh, and others are found.

I don't remember how that was done or if it was credible in Amber tbh.
What this series didn't do was make the finding of the child and aftermath of what fell out of that, credible IMO.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649392#Comment_122649392

But many aren't, and the argument goes on :) goes back to 2014 to find boards amber thread :)

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649416#Comment_122649416

Sorry Ro, not sure what point is being made here.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649425#Comment_122649425

Just joking that after 10 years we can revive a thread about the story of Amber and the problems people had with the final episode.

Also the audience for this was pretty low for a Sunday night drama

ejmaztec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122644714#Comment_122644714

I don't think it was a particularly happy ending with that pair staring strangely at each other on the sofa, and as for the other pair back in Morocco, we never got to see anything about the aftermath of that trauma.

I think most of the people in the series were an unlikeable bunch, and in the end I had no sympathy for any of them. 😛

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122653472#Comment_122653472

Lolling together on the couch on what could only have been at most a few months after?
Was it a look of love or strange stare?

Dunno.
I think the series wanted us to emphatise with Harry, but I agree none of them were very likable.

*How do you do the spoiler thing now, does anyone know?

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122653502#Comment_122653502

Click on the paragraph symbol and choose Spoiler

FrancieBrady

Spoiler Warning

I may have missed it, but how did Harry find the house in Casablanca in the end?

ejmaztec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122653538#Comment_122653538

Spoiler Warning

He knew his wife was heading there and he conveniently had a tracking app on his phone.

lumphammer2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649177#Comment_122649177

I found Amber to be one of the better dramas ….. the ending was sadly all too realistic ….. and I commended the series for that ……….