Departure - TV Series Review

In Departure, we track the thrilling story of the real-life Flight 716, a passenger plane that disappears mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean. At the core of the series is Kendra Malley, effectively played by the gifted Archie Panjabi who becomes a newly widowed aviation investigator tasked to solve the mystery. Kendra, mentored by Howard Lawson, portrayed by one of Canada’s legends, Christopher Plummer, fights against time and theories ranging from terrorism to politically motivated murders to prevent future repetitions of the event analyzed in Departure. The tone is serious and filled with a suspenseful air fitting for tragedy due to high stakes. It also applies family and friendship dynamics to enhance the show and tie it with believable dramas, making it relatable.

Archie Panjabi as Kendra Malley is memorable and easily the standout of the series, giving a raw and heartfelt performance. Christopher Plummer who portrays Howard Lawson provides the kind of weight and experience that nicely balances Panjabi’s energy. As for the cast, minor characters portrayed by Kris Holden-Ried and Mark Rendall bring different sides to the case and deepen an investigation.

Director T.J. Scott also does not lose sight of the show’s distinct plots and the characters’ emotional intricacies. The rhythm of the events in the show is slow but tense; it draws the viewers into the atmosphere where danger and deceit thrive.

The music of Departure is perfect for the show due to blending well with the energy and emotions of the series. Music intervenes at all main dramatic points – raising sense of pressure and urgency at each pivotal scene.

Cinematography does justice to both expanse of seas and suffocating investigation scenarios. The visual design plays a role in telling a story by taking the audience right into the midst of the happenings.

Production design stands out in making the audience believe in the environment depicted. Every detail of the investigation rooms to the accurate depiction of aviation technology and New York skyline gives the viewers an efficient reality grounding feature about the series.

The series with minimal utilization of special effects brings a real-life tragedy of the disappearance of flight 716 to life. However, they are even stronger in terms of subtlety and believability, without which the audience would be overloaded with some spectacular scenes.

The effects contributing to the acceptable logic of Departure and film editing create a coherent storyline and unambiguous dynamic. These transitions and the pace decisions guarantee one does not lose focus on the developing mystery.

Thus, the pacing in the series is well managed such that the viewer cannot afford to lose focus. The rhythm of sections is planned with attention to the investigation, while sudden incitements give tension in progression.

Dialogue in Departure is clear and quite tense, it furthers the story line. Action is conveyed with tension and riddles, which is packed between dialogs, meaning giving and increasing the suspense without unnecessary explanations.

However, one can see that Departure has some weaknesses in its masterfully built tension, namely the predictability of certain events lessens the fascination with the Mystery part of the story. Some of the plots may remind of something seen before, it may least on the freshness.

I liked watching Departure and it was a thrilling shipment. Which effectively united with rather live and somewhat complex story, creates amazing mystery and character dramas, which reverberates deeply in the higher human feeling of the ineradicable desire for the truth.