“Bodkin” is a slow-burn mystery about a dead whistleblower, a missing person case, and a small Irish town that doesn’t want anyone digging. Created by British writer Jez Scharf, the Netflix series follows American podcaster Gilbert Power as he travels to the coastal town of Bodkin to investigate a decades-old disappearance tied to a Samhain celebration. Alongside him are Dubheasa “Dove” Maloney, an investigative journalist from London, and Emmy Sizergh, an aspiring journalist working as Gilbert’s researcher. The result is a series that knows its tone and mostly sticks to it, even when the plot slows down.
Trailer, via Netflix.
The Cast Carries the Weight
Will Forte plays Gilbert Power as a man who is both confident and deeply curious, a combination that keeps the audience engaged even when the story stalls. Siobhán Cullen delivers a grounded performance as Dove, a journalist whose assignment arrives after the death of a government whistleblower she had been protecting. Robyn Cara rounds out the trio as Emmy, the researcher who is more than just a sidekick. David Wilmot plays Seamus Gallagher, and Chris Walley plays Seán O’Shea, both locals who know more about the town’s secrets than they let on.
The supporting cast is deep. Pat Shortt appears as Darragh, and Pauline McLynn appears as Brónagh McArdle. Ahna O’Reilly plays Amber Power, Gilbert’s wife, adding a layer of personal stakes to the investigation. Each actor brings their own energy to the small screen, but the series leans heavily on their chemistry to carry scenes that otherwise feel thin.
“Bodkin” is a black comedy thriller television series, consisting of seven episodes, created by British writer Jez Scharf.
The Town Hides Its Secrets
Bodkin is a place with charm on the surface and dread underneath. The Samhain celebration that ties into the disappearance case gives the town a seasonal anchor, but the series spends more time on the investigation than on the festival itself. The town’s residents are suspicious, guarded, and often uncooperative, which creates a steady tension throughout the series.
The mystery at the center of the story is the disappearance of three people decades earlier. Gilbert and Dove arrive to uncover what happened, but the answers they find are scattered across interviews, documents, and the memories of people who have lived there for years. The pacing is deliberate, and some viewers may find the middle episodes slow, but the final stretch pays off the patience required.
Seven Episodes, One Tone
“Bodkin” is a black comedy thriller, and that label fits. The humor comes from the contrast between Gilbert’s American optimism and the town’s grim reality. There are moments of genuine wit, particularly in Gilbert’s interactions with Dove, but the series is more interested in dread than in laughs. The tone shifts from comic to ominous without warning, and that unpredictability keeps the viewer alert.
The series runs for seven episodes, each roughly the same length, giving it a compact structure that works in its favor. It doesn’t drag out its runtime, and the ending resolves the central mystery while leaving enough room for the characters to move forward.
What Works, What Doesn’t
The strengths of “Bodkin” are its performances and its sense of place. The actors sell the town’s secrets without needing exposition, and the writing trusts them to do the work. The weaknesses are structural: the middle episodes can feel like filler, and the pacing drags in stretches where the plot needs to catch up to the characters. Some viewers may find the resolution too neat after a build-up that felt unresolved.
“Bodkin” is a solid, if uneven, entry in the true-crime drama genre. It has a strong premise, a committed lead performance, and a town that feels lived-in. It falls short of greatness because the middle chapters don’t match the sharpness of the beginning and the end. The score reflects that balance: 5.9 out of 10.
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