"Ballard"

I watched this because of Maggie Q.  I will watch anything with Maggie Q (the rest of the cast ain't bad, either).  It's your basic hard-boiled detective tale.  A grisly crime, a slightly depressed person with a troubled background trying to solve the unsolvable, a few fisticuffs, yada yada.  Yes, it's a bit predictable (I called every one of the twists).  But.  It's beautifully written, or, should I say, nicely reserved in the writing.  In one scene, a difficult one where a character needs to share information with a family member, hardly a word is said.  Two women take hands and look into each other's eyes.  We get it.  Words are not necessary.  It's well-produced.  Not overly slick, some violence and darkness but some light as well.  And, thanks to Amazon Prime, the first 10 episodes all dropped together (THANK YOU).  All of which makes it very bingeable.  SPOILER ALERT  There is a massive cliff-hanger at the end, so I'm thrilled there will be a season two.  I'm likely going to be able to guess the plotlines, but that's not the point.  It's a show that lets you see the layers within the characters, particularly the female protagonists.  Again, thank you.  It's about time.