Coblen adaptations: netflix's 'i will find you' is a kafkaesque loop of corruption
David Burroughs starts in prison, a consequence of a crime he didn’t commit, and quickly descends into a nightmarish bureaucratic trap orchestrated by unseen forces. Netflix’s adaptation of Harlan Coben’s novel, the thirteenth installment in their sprawling collection, isn’t a thriller; it’s a slow-motion descent into a disturbingly familiar pattern.
A coben collection conundrum
The sheer volume of Coben’s work Netflix has acquired – fourteen books – feels less like a strategic investment and more like a relentless, automated stamping operation. It’s a procedural nightmare, a perpetually stuck photocopier churning out variations on a theme, devoid of genuine emotional weight. The concept of the ‘Harlan Coben Collection’ – envision a breakfast cereal box promising ‘Snap, Crackle and Corrupt Cop’ – is frankly, absurd.
Tropes colliding in chaos
I Will Find You begins as a deliberate imitation of The Fugitive, then abruptly pivots into a melodramatic father-daughter cop story, punctuated by fleeting moments of soapy romance and, ultimately, a full-blown telenovela spectacle. Madeleine Stowe delivers a particularly memorable line: “Well, there it is. Now we know how you really feel about [my son]… and for the record? I never did like you.” [Spanish guitar strum.]
The plot, a convoluted game of ‘Clue’ with a distinctly unsettling premise – the identity of the perpetrator hidden within layers of red herrings – feels increasingly surreal. Little Lord Psychopath, with his unsettlingly underdeveloped characterization, wielding an insemination syringe in an IVF clinic, is a particularly jarring element. He’s little more than a pathetic, moneyed cipher.
Nepotism and procedural nightmares
Beyond the central mystery, the series revels in a disconcerting obsession with nepotism. From the ‘Fugitive Task Force’ – a thinly veiled display of familial influence – to the corrupt warden and his son, every career trajectory seems predetermined by inherited privilege. The universe of I Will Find You is one where career paths are invariably compromised, or both.
Despite the maddeningly slow pace and the reliance on tired tropes, the show possesses a perverse watchability. Coben’s skill, amplified by Netflix’s visual style, lies in his ability to seamlessly blend unexpected elements – a crucial element for maintaining audience engagement. It’s a comfortable, if ultimately unsatisfying, binge.
Ultimately, I Will Find You isn't about truth, or even about feeling. It’s about the simple, enduring satisfaction of a well-crafted escape – a takeaway burger for the soul, however limp the lettuce and pale the tomato might be. Let's just say, the credits roll, and that’s enough.