The Hiddens (2016)

-- please note I will be using the actors/actress' name to talk about their characters in this review for convenience --

Have you ever watched a show and at the end say, "I wish I could get my time back?" That is The Hiddens, except it's wishing for half of my time back.

Plot:

While being transported between facilities with another prisoner, Lawrence Ng is seemingly jail broke as the other prisoner's gang attempts to extract their boss. However, the extraction goes wrong and soon Lawrence is seemingly killed. He wakes up to find that he's being extorted to work for a secret government organization which tackles crime via less legal methods. Jessica Hsuan is the cold, calculating leader who gives Lawrence his orders. Lawrence's first task is assembling his team of agents, each specializing in a unique skills, again using extortion as the main route of "convincing" them to join. Meanwhile, Michael Tao - an inspector with the Hong Kong Police Force - is suspicious of the death of Lawrence. He begins investigating into the matter - no matter how much his superior Felix Lok tells him not to. As Michael's investigation dig deeper, missions become tougher, romances blossom, and deadly secrets come to surface.


Cast:

Produced by Gary Tang, this show uses 4 major leads coming from his File of Justice series. Lawrence Ng, Jessica Hsuan, Michael Tao, and William So all give strong performances with what they are given. The supporting cast also gives good performances. Personal favorite performance is Watanabe Naomi as San Zi Kin, a Japanese hacker, who steals every scene she's in. The cast of this show is not the issue.

Review:

The plot of the show is the issue. The show starts of strong, and is watch worthy until the half way point or so. Then the show tries to do too much, introducing a supernatural element and a related romantic story line with Lawrence Ng that blindsides the viewer. That's the point to stop watching because nothing really makes logical sense, nor is explained. Michael Tao and Jessica Hsuan's storyline is also frustrating because they have so much chemistry, but logically the viewer just can't justify nor understand why the characters are acting that way. The ending leaves you rolling your eyes as by that point, you barely care as nothing makes sense. I've watched a lot of TV - Asian or Western, supernatural or not - and I don't think I've ever been as frustrated with a series than this one. It just had so much potential and falls flat.

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