RG9400

3/10

Bait received extremely positive critical reviews, so I was really excited to watch it. Honestly, I don't get it. At all. The concept and high level arc is compelling. Riz Ahmed's character is auditioning for the role of James Bond, and he has to struggle to figure out how to become the person needed to land the role as he navigates the impact of this audition on his friends and family. The problem is that outside of the high level plot, the episodes often feel very lacking in execution. There are jokes sprinkled throughout, but I wouldn't really say the show is particularly funny. I barely laughed out loud, and I think it often veers into the weird and surreal instead of really building up punchlines or situational comedy. The best parts where when it utilized the Pakistani and Muslim cultural context for comedic relief. The tension in the story often feels forced, and I was not really sure what I was watching for most of the runtime. It's filmed as if there is all this suspense, yet the story doesn't really have any. The characters outside of Riz Ahmed feel very superficial, and their relationship with him, a key foundational element for the show to land its themes, are not particularly compelling. The show has a lot of prestige trappings in terms of cinematography, and I will admit that some sequences look great. Unfortunately, the story does not support that prestige production, and instead it often feels more like a vanity project for Riz Ahmed. I think there are much better shows that tackle these types of characters and topics. Skip this show.