“Clickbait,” the hit Netflix series that began streaming Aug. 25, is a perfect example of why you should not judge a book by its cover, or rather a limited series by its title.

When I first came across the title on Netflix’s “Coming Soon” tab, I was convinced that the show was going to be some lame story about Youtube or TikTok, as it was released just two days before TikToker Addison Rae’s “He’s All That” movie aired on Netflix.

To my surprise, however, this was far from the truth. This series captured my attention from start to finish and left me insatiable for more.

The series follows Nick Brewer and his disappearance through multiple perspectives, framed into the format of episodes with titles such as “The Son” and “The Brother.”

This organizational style kept the series interesting and invited me in for more.

When I saw “The Answer” at the end of the episodes listed, I knew little would get between me and the end of the series, which was excellent on the part of Netflix.

While the title did not unfold unto popular social media platforms like Youtube, it did play a key role in the initial conflict of the series.

In this sense, when Nick Brewer went missing, the main character of the show, his sister Pia, stumbled across a video at work that was going viral. This video happens to be of her brother, before anyone even knew he was missing.

In this video, he is held, beaten and holding signs that explain why he is being held captive. He is accused of abusing women, and later of killing a woman, and one of the signs reads that at 5 million views, Nick will die – thus explaining the relevance of the title.

Each episode proposes a new suspect and explanation for the murder of Nick Brewer, and several different characterizations of Nick.

The viewer is stuck in a toss-up of who they believe to be responsible for this kidnapping and of who Nick is at his core, as the viral video raised red flags, and everyone seems to have a different perspective of his character and his actions.

This ever-changing narrative about these circumstances keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, questioning their opinions of the kidnapper and Nick as soon as they form them.

Artistically, this makes for an intricate and complicated plot line that viewers crave.

This intricacy is furthered by complicated relationships, unexpected familial elements and unforeseen trauma.

The conclusions to the mysteries of the show did not fail to leave me in shock, and I’m certain it would shock me even after a second time through.

ALI SMITH
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