The first episode of "I Will Find You" Sam Worthington's maiden foray into the long-form streaming space is replete with constant activity. The show, it goes without saying, is tailor-made for an age where many have the attention span of a fly, brought on by excessive consumption of seconds-long

The first episode of "I Will Find You" Sam Worthington's maiden foray into the long-form streaming space is replete with constant activity. The show, it goes without saying, is tailor-made for an age where many have the attention span of a fly, brought on by excessive consumption of seconds-long

The first episode of "I Will Find You" Sam Worthington's maiden foray into the long-form streaming space is replete with constant activity. The show, it goes without saying, is tailor-made for an age where many have the attention span of a fly, brought on by excessive consumption of seconds-long

The first episode of "I Will Find You" — Sam Worthington's maiden foray into the long-form streaming space — is replete with constant activity. The show, it goes without saying, is tailor-made for an age where many have the attention span of a fly, brought on by excessive consumption of seconds-long reels. I've not read the Harlan Coben book on which it is based, but I'm guessing some events were shuffled here and there to make the pilot episode move at the pace that it does. No spoilers here — we get a murder attempt, jailbreak, a car chase, and a surprising revelation all in a span of about 40 minutes. Perfect airport novel material.

This could make a nice companion piece to two Harlan Coben adaptations: the 2006 French thriller "Tell No One" and 2021's "The Innocent", the Spanish-language series (also on Netflix, and far superior). All three feature a male protagonist forced into circumstances beyond his control. A lot of ground (literally and figuratively) is covered in the first five episodes of "I Will Find You" alone. There are several moments where you think you've figured out exactly what is happening, or have predicted some of what is about to happen, but then whatever happens later makes you realise how wrong you were. Even if you've managed correctly to guess the whodunit part of it, the whydunit part wouldn't be that easy. And we get enough distractions to keep us guessing until we are led to the actual truth.

"I Will Find You" isn't a series you watch for its... depth. It's as straightforward and economical as it can get when it comes to the overall craft. It knows that experimentation is risky. It knows that the primary objective is to keep viewers invested enough to make them reach for the next episode — as a reader would the next chapter in a book — as quickly as possible. Don't expect any cinematic ingenuity when it comes to the camera work, lighting or composition. There are no shots that place this show in the same league as, say, "Citizen Kane" or "The Godfather". It's simply interested in telling a fast-paced story, and it helps that the cast members have enough skill to sell us the conflict in a very short amount of time. Perhaps, that's an even bigger challenge than acting in a movie that allows every performer the necessary space and time to evoke the right emotions. In a show like this, though, it's important that every actor, every piece of the puzzle, and every story beat has to successfully mobilise in the first episode alone, which "I Will Find You" achieves.

Worthington, who is often criticised for his 'limited' acting chops, recently proved that he is not really a terrible actor. (Kevin Costner's two-part "Horizon" is a perfect showcase for Worthington's abilities). "I Will Find You" is yet another example of what Worthington can do. His character, David Burroughs, has to, after all, convince us to keep watching because, ultimately, the entire show swirls around fathers and children. I mention the plural because this lean show gets more interesting after the fifth episode, proving that it's more than just shootouts and chases. It throws in interesting parallels, especially when the smart FBI investigator Max Williams (Chi McBride) and his partner Sarah Greer (Logan Browning), who also happens to be his daughter, get involved.  The duo also serves to occasionally echo the audience's thoughts, like when Williams says, "You gotta be sh***** me!" or "Are you serious?" after an unexpected development.

The show, which is populated by a bunch of mean-looking bad guys, is not above spoon-feeding, which could be off-putting to someone who prefers the pleasures of something like, say, Apple TV's "Widow's Bay" (great show!) over this. At times, it tells the audience exactly what they've figured out from the clear visual in front of them. Or maybe the makers knew such choices were unnecessary but went ahead with them anyway because, as I said at the beginning, some viewers have the terrible habit of playing on their phones while watching a show. It's not the greatest series out there, but it gets the job done if you're looking for something that doesn't require too much mental investment.

Series: I Will Find You
Creator: Robert Hull
Cast: Sam Worthington, Britt Lower, Erin Richards, Chi McBride, Logan Browning, Jonathan Tucker, Milo Ventimiglia, Madeleine Stowe, Clancy Brown
Rating: 3.5/5

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