Criminal Justice Season 1 – Review

The unpredictability of life cannot be connected even with the events that take place in a moment. How one move can change the entire course of one’s life is what the viewers get to watch in “Criminal Justice Season 1” As the title indicates, this episodic series is centered around justice denied to the presumed criminal of a crime. How a few people come together and make a difference with their minds at work and the challenging hard work they do is what forms the central fragment of the series.

The takeaways of “Criminal Justice Season 1”

1. Plot

The plot seems pretty direct and clear, but the director makes sure that readers may not observe and miss out on the loopholes, which later become instrumental in shaping the plot for later unexpected twists. Simultaneously, the plot shows different lives as they progress both inside the prison, prison cell, and in the open, independent world. These representations also show how circumstances shape a person’s life into becoming what they would have never thought of, even in their wildest dreams.

2. Direction

The direction seems to have begun with enthusiasm, but as the plot unfolds further, in the wake of showing prison life changes and the lives of characters as they are apart, some viewers may find themselves losing track due to the apparent slowness at one point. However, in the later episodes, the direction goes into the resilient mode and gets back on track with unpredictable plot turns which overshadows the earlier slow pace.

3. Thematic concerns

Underlying the nail-biting plot, the OTT explores a variety of themes. These include modernity bringing loneliness in the lives of urban folk, the dangers of presumptuousness, generalizations and stereotypes which makes innocent people suffer and go through psychological trauma, media and its changing role in the society, the environment of a prison, and the different world that operates there, the superficial show of wealth by the wealthy, etc.

4. Actor’s performances

Vikrant Massey fits into his character’s situations and problems effortlessly. He successfully shows the different stages his character goes through as any person in that situation would react. Pankaj Tripathi keeps it all simple, and through this simplicity, he shows the flip side of the profession his character belongs to. Among other actors, Jackie Shroff gives his share of contribution by showing the prison environment for how it is and how things work there as times change. Other characters also do justice to their roles and help in giving the plot the required strength to keep the viewers glued to their screens.

“Criminal Justice” shows the irony that truth needs to be proven and brought into light when it is more or less ignored and unexplored by most, which is in contradiction to the famous proverb, “Truth Always Triumphs.” The viewers can sense the air of unusualness by the ominous signals given from the beginning, making them alert to closely observe the action. All viewers who are interested in watching OTTs that show reality closely without any sugar-coating should watch “Criminal Justice.”

Reviewed By: Akhila Saroha, The Literature Times