Then You Run is giving Dead to Me meets Gangs of London vibes
Then You Run spoilers follow.
We all remember that feeling: summer holidays stretching out ahead of us along with the endless possibilities of what to fill your days with.
While longed-for lie-ins and cinema trips may have occupied our days, the Then You Run teens choose to fill their empty schedules with murder, booze and a "shit ton of drugs".
Tara (Normal People's Leah McNamara), Ruth (Yasmin Monet Prince), Stink (Vivian Oparah) and Nessi (Isidora Fairhurst) make up the chaotic foursome who get enveloped in deadly drama when their trip to Zante gets traded for a one-way ticket to hell in Rotterdam, where they become very acquainted with Tara's estranged, drug-dealing family.
The frenzied narrative of Then You Run strikes the right balance between utterly ludicrous and suspenseful in a way that mirrors Netflix dark comedy drama Dead to Me.
While these are two shows you wouldn't naturally toss in the same camp together, similarities start to bubble to the surface when the strangeness of their unique set of circumstances lead the teens down a precarious path, just like Judy (Linda Cardellini) and Jen (Christina Applegate).
The story unfolds in a way that allows the twists to build and build with every profoundly ridiculous, adrenaline-driven decision they make; their behaviour becoming more and more erratic with the outcome of every bad choice.
Sound familiar? We're looking at you Jen and Judy.
What most links the two shows is the unpredictability of where those questionable decisions take them and it is the tension and anticipation borne out of their foolhardiness that keeps the viewer tensely hooked.
The shows part way, however, when it comes to the overall tone.
Then You Run is steeped in so much grit and darkness it would make Dead to Me cower. This is in part down to its ruthless, bloodthirsty characters but also to the bluntness of the gore and violence.
It gets away with this style of bloody boldness, avoiding gratuitousness thanks to its Gangs of London-esque approach to the gangster thriller genre.
Then You Run garnishes this treat of a black comedy with well placed dark comedic beats that cut through the seriousness as deftly as the slasher on the train (too much? Just wait until you get to that scene, you might change your mind.)
Where it falls a little flat, however, is in the relationship between the gang of best friends.
The constant bickering coupled with the absence of any real meaningful bonding moments reveals a falsity in the forced ride-or-die dynamic between the girls. A shame really, as it's this relationship that is supposed to underpin and solidify the reason each member of the pack is willing to forsake their own safety to make dangerous concessions for one another.
Still, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in a story peppered with suspense that manages to avoid coming off a little silly at times thanks to the delivery of and commitment from the charming cast.
All episodes of Then You Run are available to watch now on Sky Max and NOW.
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