Mr. Inbetween (series): Great start so far!

I normally stay away from Australian series regardless of how profound the reviews are and this is a personal thing. I have a difficult time understanding the accent. Sorry for being American I guess.

This one I think I spent time on it despite having some difficulty with certain parts not fully understanding that is being said because of two reasons: There is nothing else to watch right now in my world and also, the episodes are a mere 25 minutes long.

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This show has been around for a while, 2018 to be precise, but I am late to the party probably initially because it is an Australian production and I, as I mentioned before, tend to avoid those.

This series starts out with a bang though, and I appreciate the way they streamline whatever it is that they need to get across thanks to the 25 minute runtime of each episode.

I know, I know... we should be able to pay attention for a full hour now because someone, somewhere decided that this is how long series episodes need to be now. For me personally, I feel like this new quota on episode length has lead to a ton of filler and bullshit conversation that exists in the stories merely to eat up time, not to add to the stories.

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While some out there might not think this is a terribly novel approach to telling a story, I enjoy the character Ray (played by Scott Ryan) and how he is a hitman/enforcer for hire, but he also has other aspects of his life that he must approach in a completely different way such as looking after his daughter and terminally-ill brother.

He cherishes normal-life things such as having an ice cream with his daughter, making her laugh and ensuring she has a quality and safe life, taking care of his dog, and enjoying normal things like having a girlfriend and normal outings with pals.

This isn't an easy double life to lead though and as time goes by, even in the mere first couple of episodes that I have seen, he really struggles to keep the two aspects of his life separate.

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There is a scene really early on when he is walking with his daughter and a couple of punk kids knock her ice cream out of her hands, swear at him, and threaten him in front of her. He has to keep his cool in order to give a parental life lesson to his kid, but at the same time we know that vengeance is definitely coming for those street punks. It is very rewarding when that time comes.

Ray also has an unusual method of intimidation and getting things done because he is more of a cerebral assassin than a tough guy - although he is a tough guy as well.

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Although certainly not to the level that a hitman must go through this, I think that most parents have to lead somewhat of a double life, concealing what they are really like to their children in order to help them to not have a messed up childhood and to admire the person that you want them to think you are, rather than what you really are....and Ray has to be very careful with how he handles this.

I can see how this can lead to a ton of situations that are kind of similar to what Walter White had to go through with his family and friends in Breaking Bad.

I haven't seen very many episodes of this yet, but I am already convinced that I am going to watch many more of them. This doesn't have the makings of something truly Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad epic, but I believe that it could serve its purpose, especially since each episode is really short.

Should I watch it?

I think that if you enjoy a nice mix of crime, drama, and a touch of comedy thrown in there, that you ought to at least give this one a shot. It is low-commitment viewing after all since each episode was designed to be aired initially on FX, which is a network with commercials, in just half hour.

If you aren't hooked like I am after 2 episodes it likely isn't going to happen. I see no harm in giving this one a shot.

By the way I didn't make a mistake "Inbetween" is supposed to be one word :P

_{Oddly, this very adult-show (language, violence, nudity) is primarily available legally on Disney+. It is also included in the Amazon Prime library. Seasons can also be purchased on various streaming platforms such as Google Play and YouTube TV}