Netflix’s 8-Part Sci-Fi Thriller Is Perfect From Start to Finish

Just as you thought you’d seen every rendition of a cop procedural, Netflix comes out with a show where a single murder is solved by detectives in four different time periods. Bodies delivers a crime that spans across time and breaks the boundaries between them with a dash of time-traveling, constructing a reality-bending mystery that’ll have you on tenterhooks. Existing in four distinct eras, the show is a medley of genres ranging from a familiar cop procedural atmosphere, a period drama feel, a grittier noir one, and a futuristic sci-fi air, all anchored by a mysterious corpse. It exercises strong direction and storytelling despite the disparate tones, making sure we can keep up with the evolving investigations while desperately clicking on the next episode when one is done.

What Is ‘Bodies’ About?

Bodies starts in the familiar year of 2023, where Detective Hasan (Amaka Okafor) finds a nude corpse on Longharvest Lane in London, one that has been shot through the eye but with no bullet to be found. Then, we’re taken back to the grittier streets of 1941, where Detective Whiteman (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) receives a call to retrieve a body from Longharvest Lane, and alas, it’s the same one. Further back in 1890, Detective Hillinghead (Kyle Soller) is called in to investigate the same body in the same lane, but with top hats and photographs taken on plates. The gears shift, and we’re tossed into the year 2053, where Detective Maplewood (Shira Haas) finds the same damn body, but this time, there’s a jaw-dropping twist.

Already, the show’s premise is bound to incite some interest, but what cements the show’s quality is its confident direction. As the timelines gradually mesh, thanks to time-traveling, the show remains cohesive and intentional in its storytelling, allowing viewers to keep up with the four distinct moving parts. Apart from the writing, this is partially contributed to by the individual and lived-in atmospheres of the four eras, where the present has all the bureaucratic dynamics, investigative processes and naturalistic sheen of a typical modern cop procedural; 1941 is warped by the threat of bombings and occasional black-and-white shots of your favorite hard-boiled noir; 1890 is eclipsed in sunny, grainy hues and a lilt to the characters’ accents in period drama fashion; and 2053 is the cold, clinical foray you expect from a sci-fi rendition of the future.

The disparate atmospheres not only help differentiate the time zones and interconnecting storylines, but are also their own source of delight in Bodies. Witnessing the genres interact and feed off one another is fascinating, as the clandestine back-alleys of London’s criminal world become hotspots for time-traveling, while a fanatic cult raging on about the apocalypse contrasts with the clean, white technological advancements. The different visual palettes, accents, and tones of each intertwining thread create a diverse and eclectic air to the show that’ll keep you busy as you also try to dissect the clues of the overarching investigation.

Stephen Graham Delivers a Chilling Performance in ‘Bodies’

Much of the show is anchored in 2023, which makes the reality-bending sci-fi elements easier to keep up with, especially with Okafor’s plucky performance as Detective Hasan at the center. She is resourceful and has an assurance that drives the storyline forward, even as the detective’s personal lives, which don’t overpower the narrative, are gradually twisted into the series. While Okafor has one of the more substantial roles in allowing us to navigate the milieu of clues and time-warps, it is Stephen Graham who demands our attention with his reliably chilling and pragmatic performance as a high-ranking political leader named Mannix. He clearly has a larger role in the mystery, but his character is often shrouded in elusiveness that maintains the suspense until the finale.

In Episode 2, we also see Mannix and Maplewood pair up, creating an interesting power dynamic that further wrinkles the already complex nature of this time-spanning case. Mannix clearly holds all the cards, as Graham delivers his lines with cutting undertones beneath the icy professionalism, while Maplewood is intelligent and wary enough to distrust and ally with him. Haas and Graham create some of the most tense scenes together, where each word feels just as loaded as the gun that killed the corpse that kicked everything off.

Bodies is an ambitious project that maintains its suspense and internal logic throughout all eight episodes, creating a mesmerizing web of death and power plays while defying the boundaries of time. It transfixes viewers like no other murder mystery can, not only through the host of strong performances and the twisty case, but through the ever-changing atmosphere of different, immersive eras.