- Title: – Chapter 1: Homme Fatal
- IMDb: link
The opening episode of A Murder at the End of the World offers not one but two hooks to garner interest in the series. The first comes in a book reading by author and amateur detective Darby Hart (Emma Corrin) about her experiences tracking down a serial killer. The thread is almost entirely dropped for a second hook, Darby’s invitation to an ultra-exclusive gathering thrown by a reclusive billionaire (Clive Owen) whose wife just so happens to be Darby’s personal hero (Brit Marling, who also directed and wrote the episode). From there we see Darby meet other guests and make the journey to a remote private hotel in Iceland where the two threads converge and the former boyfriend (Harris Dickinson) seen in the flashbacks of her book reading is revealed to be another guest at the party.
The episode ends in obvious murder, which apparently will be up for debate by the “genius” guests as over the remainder of the series Darby will need to prove murder did occur and find the killer before they strike again. “Chapter 1: Homme Fatal” is a solid opening to the series, even if the choice to drop the most interesting aspect of the show almost immediately feels like a bizarre choice. What we have going forward is a mystery to solve in a remote location with limited suspects and motives, and for Darby a personal connection to the victim which will no doubt spur her to uncovering the truth.
