Prime’s newest erotic thriller 56 Days features Avan Jogia (Now Apocalypse) alongside Dove Cameron (Disney’s Descendants) in a chaotic and lusty murderous race to the finish – who will get the other one first?
This cat and mouse tale seems as old as time, though there are ways 56 Days tries to make it fresh. The entire time, the viewer knows that one of them – Oliver or Ciara – ends up dead in the bathtub, while the other, assumed to be the killer, has an unknown fate. Every episode will have you guessing: which one is which? It might seem difficult because both of them are unhinged. And when we say unhinged, we mean UNHINGED.
They both have fake IDs and identity changes, stalker tendencies and a knack for sniffing out something strange going on – what a perfect match! From the beginning, the relationship is orchestrated, with both of them trying to get something from the other, eventually falling into a toxic cycle full of attraction and desire. The push and pull between them exists from the start, but they both can’t help but continue it. It escalates quickly – their relationship isn’t even 56 days. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Avan Jogia and Dove Cameron are attractive and have a kind of toxic chemistry that’ll intrigue you, as they are both so unpredictable. Anyone else in Oliver and Ciara’s lives should run and book the earliest flight out of there.
The other storyline present is the current timeline, which features detectives Lee Reardon (Karla Souza, How to Get Away with Murder) and Karl Connolly (Dorian Missick, Shirley) assigned to Oliver and Ciara’s homicide case. It’s nice to have a taste of something different, rather than just Oliver and Ciara being messy in flashbacks. The detectives provide another perspective, especially once their own secrets rise to the surface, which is more to untangle rather than just the couple’s back and forth.
The show is far from perfect. These characters are inherently unlikable; even though they are supposed to be, it can be insufferable at times. Jogia and Cameron make the best of the script – they do come off as frightening, and it’s believable enough as a viewer that their characters are compulsive liars. The erotic thriller focuses heavily on their little game, more than the mysterious aspects, which are sadly the most compelling bits. Whatever morsels of mystery we get are what drives the show forward and makes you want to know what happens – but there’s only so long that can last, when each episode centers on how secretive and wild Oliver and Ciara are and little else.
At the same time, this writer didn’t go into this assuming it’s an Emmy-winning piece of art. It’s juicy at times, and Oliver and Ciara are both kind of deranged, but if you’re okay with that (and the fact that their “Boston” is clearly filmed in Montreal), then what the hell? The series is entertaining enough for an evening with friends and some snacks. Sadly, it is dragged out, and it definitely should have just been a movie. But if the whole series feels a little surface level, that is the nature of 56 Days. It’s not deep, it’s easy viewing and it’s pretty much another romance thriller with two people who are truly out of their minds.
