Netflix has picked up a second season of their hit miniseries The Watcher, starring Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale. The series, created by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story) is slow-starting but wildly compelling, as it blends elements of mystery, crime, and the paranormal into a package that you just want to keep unwrapping.
The Watcher follows the Brannock family as they move into their dream house, only to get a strange series of letters and happenings around the house that trace back to a shadowy figure called "The Watcher". Suspicion passes from neighbors to other community figures to the family patriarch, but nothing is ever solved as the series reaches its end.
So what's my problem with a second season? Well, the reason that nothing is ever solved...is because in real life nothing was ever solved.
The Watcher is based on the real-life Broaddus family, who bought their dream home in the suburbs of New Jersey only to be essentially chased from their home by a mysterious force that seemed to want them gone.
While the creators of the series definitely took some liberties with the story (the "John Grass" murders did happen, but NOT in the same house, for example), much of the storyline follows exactly what happened with the Broaddus family, including the lack of help from the police and the suspicion that the father created "The Watcher" himself in order to get out of a financially unstable situation.
(spoiler) The series ends with uncertainty and a distinct possibility of "The Watcher" being several different people. And that's accurate, because in real-life that's exactly how the story ends. It's a cold case with a ton of loose ends and absolutely no closure.
So where would they go with Season 2? Are they following the next family that bought the house? Are they following the Brannock family as they continue to investigate "The Watcher"? I'm not really sure where the storyline goes because, in real life, it's gone as far as it can already.
But you better believe I'll still be watching curiously!