Aside from its big-name hits like Stranger Things, Emily in Paris, Squid Game, Wednesday, Bridgerton, and Monster, the crime genre is clearly Netflix's bread and butter. I can't pinpoint the exact moment this obsession began, but yes, the streaming platform has cultivated such a loyal audience that it can release even the most low-budget series or films; as long as they're set in some subgenre of crime, they'll be a success. And the most obvious consequence of this phenomenon, as with all phenomena in the entertainment world, is the emergence of a formula, since it allows a factory to mass-produce a product without really investing in quality.
You have a kind of tormented detective in the protagonist's role, the most unsuspecting person in the cast is the true antagonist, there are a bunch of red herrings that prevent you from figuring out the twist too soon, and then everyone goes home happily ever after. Sure, some creators are allowed to experiment with this format, but most have to stick to the routine because producers are simply afraid to take risks.
Stars: Ekin Cheng, Jun-Shuo Lou, Patty Pei-Yu Lee
Shaun Sue's Million Follower Detective kicks off with a bang when an influencer named Meng-Yen shows up outside a police station with a gun. Meng-Yen stands there until he attracts the attention of the officers, who try to take him down. Well, Meng-Yen gets what he wanted: Officer Chia-Jen fires his gun into his chest. This altercation draws a massive crowd, and while everyone tries to figure out why such a popular influencer would make such a reckless decision, the officers discover that his gun wasn't loaded with live ammunition.
This means that Chia-Jen shot Meng-Yen for nothing. This turns the entire city against the police, leading Chang Jie, the head of criminal investigations, to order Chia-Jen to team up with Hsin-Ping, a rookie, to get to the bottom of the matter. This leads them to the discovery of another mysterious influencer, named Witch Baba, who has gone viral for her accurate predictions of catastrophic events. Since Witch Baba appears to be orchestrating events to feign precognitive abilities and is targeting other influencers, Chia-Jen believes that catching her will put an end to such crimes. However, what she doesn't know is that Witch Baba is just the tip of the iceberg.
I think Million-Follower Detective works on three levels: it's a revenge story, it's a story about police corruption, and it's about a father trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter amidst all this chaos. Yes, I know you're thinking, "But does it have anything to do with influencer culture?" Well, yes and no. Initially, it seems like a scathing critique of this phenomenon and how "content creators" who commit all sorts of irresponsible acts to make a quick buck can endanger lives, but then the entire commentary veers into the realm of "co-propaganda." Because Shaun Su wants to tell influencers that if they can use their social media reach and cooperate with the police, the world can be a better place; and that's simply the tepidest way to address this issue (calling it a "problem" is an understatement; it's an epidemic).
Shaun Su's inability to commit to the themes he attempts to address doesn't stop there. The way he sabotages the revenge arc is historic. His critique of law enforcement hell is limited to a single corrupt cop because he doesn't see it as a consequence of a corrupt system. As for the father-daughter relationship, it's far too saccharine to have any impact. What Shaun Su lacks in screenwriting, he makes up for in part with his talent as a director; the emphasis on the "more or less." Because we see so many movies and TV shows set in cities all the time, we don't realize how difficult it is to close lanes and control crowds to get a single shot.
That's why many directors set each scene indoors, or even outdoors, the actors hide behind green or blue screens. There's a third option: they recreate parts of the city and then try to integrate them with real parts using visual and special effects. However, Shaun Su, along with his team, does a great job of treating the city as a character, instantly immersing you in the story. The attention to detail—in terms of production design, art direction, costume design, hair, and makeup—is solid. The action is surprisingly cool, with one scene in particular involving a moving car with Ekin Cheng (and his stunt double) on the hood being a real showstopper. Despite the clichéd nature of the narrative, the show never really feels like a chore, which means the pacing is quite decent.
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