Dove Cameron's Magnetic Performance Saves Prime Video's Uneven 8-Part Thriller

Prime Video’s new erotic thriller 56 Days is an adequately addictive binge-watch, even if it isn’t the best the genre has to offer. Dove Cameron plays Ciara Wyse, who jumps headfirst into a passionate relationship with Oliver Kennedy (Avan Jogia) after they seemingly meet by chance at a grocery store. 56 days later, a corpse that has been destroyed beyond recognition is discovered in the bathtub at Oliver’s apartment, making it unclear whether the body belongs to Ciara, Oliver, or someone else entirely.

In the present day, the Prime Video thriller follows Karl Connolly (Dorian Missick) and Lee Reardon (Karl Souza), two police officers trying to figure out the identity of the corpse in the bathtub, along with who murdered the individual. As they learn more about Ciara, Oliver, and their shocking secrets, the detectives navigate their own drama and personal baggage that impacts the case.

56 Days Struggles To Balance Its Dual Narratives

©Amazon/MGM Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection

While many shows excel at balancing dual narratives, this proves to be a challenge for much of 56 Days. This is primarily because Ciara and Oliver’s relationship is far more compelling than the police procedural with Connolly and Reardon.

It quickly becomes clear that Oliver is hiding dark information about his past and that dating him is part of a larger, mysterious endgame for Ciara. The series is at its best when it sits in the tension that comes from the couple skirting around red flags and concealing their secrets, and the question of when the facade of their romantic bliss will inevitably crack.

Connolly and Reardon’s story struggles to be as intriguing and suspenseful, and while their drama plays an important role in the case’s resolution, it is difficult to feel as invested. This can partly be attributed to the timeline of the two narratives, as Ciara and Oliver’s story unfolds over the course of weeks while the police procedural mostly takes place within a single day. The best parts of the present-day storyline are the revelations that recontextualize what is happening between Ciara and Oliver in the past.

Based on Catherine Ryan Howard’s 56 Days novel, one change the adaptation makes that enhances both timelines is the decision to move away from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Video series is set in modern-day Boston instead of being in Dublin, Ireland during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

Effectively incorporating the pandemic into fictional shows is often not done well, and it ultimately isn’t necessary for this version of the central relationships or conflicts. Changing this also forces Ciara to come up with a different way to move in with Oliver very early on in their relationship, adding yet another layer of secrecy and deceit to their dynamic.

Performances From Dove Cameron & The Rest Of The Cast Elevate The Story

Avan Jogia as Oliver looking up at the ceiling and Dove Cameron as Ciara looking at him in 56 Days

There are plenty of mysteries and enticing cliffhangers to keep the audience engaged, but the story is unable to reach its full potential. Questions are posed about the injustices created by socioeconomic privilege, unresolved trauma, and the difference between genuine connection and dangerous obsession, but none of these themes are explored with enough depth to truly do them justice.

[Cameron] brings a magnetic quality that makes Ciara’s seemingly sweet interactions with Oliver just as believable as when she is coldly manipulating him behind his back.

Fortunately, the performances from Cameron and the rest of the cast elevate the material. She brings a magnetic quality that makes Ciara’s seemingly sweet interactions with Oliver just as believable as when she is coldly manipulating him behind his back. While she steals the show, Jogia is also great at making Oliver’s general discomfort and his many insecurities palpable, as does Kingston Rumi Southwick in the flashbacks as young Oliver. Missick helps Connolly be the most likable character and he and Souza nail the dynamic of longtime police partners.

By the end of the penultimate episode, which ties many of the narrative threads together, there are not many surprises left in store. More importantly, though, the finale feels earned and delivers a mostly satisfying conclusion that makes the story feel complete. As an entertaining thriller that sticks the landing and has enough twists and strong performances to keep things entertaining, 56 Days is worth binge-watching, despite some of its shortcomings.

All 56 Days episodes come to Prime Video on February 18.