If I had to describe The Missing in one word, it would be novelistic. The story is something very much like a novel, each episode puts you one chapter deeper into the mystery. Just like a novel you cannot put down, this show is the ultimate binge watch.
Overview
The first season of The Missing follows a British couple whose son is kidnapped in a small town in France. Season 2 takes the same detective (and only connection from one season to the other) to Germany where a teen girl suddenly reappears after being kidnapped 11 years earlier.
Along with the riveting plots and twists of this show, here are some other reasons you should check it out:
Multiple time lines
Why keep it simple when we can jump forwards and backwards in time? The Missing is a big fan of telling the story out of order, which only allows for more guessing, more cliffhangers, and more opportunity to throw us off its track.
As complicated and heart wrenching missing persons cases are, to only tell the story during one stretch of time would minimize it. Season 1 is able to jump between timelines showing how the kidnapping of their son tore a couple apart and became the obsession for the husband.
Season 2 takes it a step further and jumps between a handful of timelines, and countries. The novelistic feel this show presents shines through these multiple timelines by not giving us clues immediately, but rather slowly unraveling it all.
Diversity in countries and languages
Yes, there are subtitles for non-French/German/any language other than English, but The Missing mixes it in well enough where it isn’t too often. It’s refreshing to see a mystery unravel over a variety of countries and cities. It complicates the story just enough where guessing the perpetrator isn’t too easy.
It’s visually enticing
Creators (and brothers) Harry and Jack Williams wrote both seasons, and chose to keep the same director for all episodes of each season. This ties the story together visually. Season 2 primarily takes place in Germany, in the middle of winter, while also taking a side trip to Iraq. Although two completely different countries visually, the juxtaposition of the two blends perfectly. From Iraq where it is a fast pace danger of being in a war zone, to a quiet but painful Germany.