Episode Guide
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 – | Review Score – 3/5 There have been a lot of shows tackling the occult and supernatural spookiness. From last year’s Curon and 30 Coins through to Archive 81, which literally released last week, there seems to be a growing trend of these shows and that’s a big problem. With so many other series wrestling for the same niche slice of pie, Feria: The Darkest Light is not a bad effort but it’s nowhere near as strong as it needs to be to justify its slow pacing and early reveals. Right from the off, this Spanish mystery series bears a fair few similarities to 30 Coins. Feria is moody, unnerving and incredibly atmospheric. Say what you will about the story and its faults, when it comes to mood and tone, Feria is absolutely on the money. Unfortunately this story is left on a big cliffhanger, despite some answers given over what’s actually going on. Not only that, some of the episodes are completely redundant and add absolutely nothing to the series beyond a few drip-fed bits of exposition or a surprising revelation or two. Set in the sleepy town of Feria, Feria: The Darkest Light’s story centers on two sisters, Sofia and Eva, who find their life turned upside down. When 23 people stumble out of a mine naked and die, it’s suspected that their parents are the ringleaders and in charge of a mysterious cult responsible for this. Determined to get to the bottom of hat’s happened, new detective in town Guillén begins looking into the route cause of the deaths. Not only that, he also looks closer at the mines too, determined to find out what may lurk inside. But what he finds is way beyond his own comprehension. I won’t spoil anymore but suffice to say, the initial hook in episode 1 is enough to keep you glued to find out what happens next. By the midway point though, the show uses its hour-long chapter in episode 4 to reveal almost everything about the past and leaving very little mystery. Instead, Feria lurches into a slightly different genre, something more akin to a supernatural thriller rather than an outright mystery. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it does feel like a missed opportunity given how intriguing some of the questions were early on with this. The characters themselves are a bit of a mixed bag too and for large swathes of this show, Sofia is pretty unlikable. Given that she’s the main character, that’s not a particularly great sign. Thankfully, the supporting players around her do help to keep this one watchable, but the show is in desperate need of tighter editing to keep a larger audience from turning this off. The problem with revealing so much so early comes from the momentum of the show. With all the mysteries mostly wrapped up halfway in, and the slow pace never quite letting up from its slow rocking rhythm, the attention instead turns to the characters and the occult’s main goal, which are nowhere near as strong as the initial hook was. Feria: The Darkest Light is a show with bags of potential. If this one is renewed for a second season, there’s definitely room here for a unique occultist offering with more horror and thriller elements thrown in. As it stands though, Feria feels incomplete; an intriguing, atmospheric but tonally whiplashed offering that struggles to justify its 8 episode run-time. However, the captivating atmosphere and initial mysteries are enough to reel you in and if you’re a fan of this genre, you should find enough to like here. Just be sure to go in with a good deal of patience and prepare for a cliffhanger ending.
