This The Madness review contains no spoilers.
Colman Domingo has portrayed some cold-blooded killers in his career. However, in the Netflix series The Madness, he is trying to avoid being framed as one. The journey that ensues to clear his name involves a range of contemporary American subgroups (conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis, extremists) that would categorize this thriller miniseries as a horror film. Imagine The Fugitive in contemporary America, if it were led by a Black man who had to escape the clutches of right-wing media and contract killers. Despite losing steam late in the game, the series makes for a thrilling television, and Colman Domingo’s performance is worth the ride.
Muncie Daniels (Colman Domingo) is a successful political pundit on CNN who is on the verge of getting his own series. His quaint Philly lifestyle changes dramatically after a trip to the Poconos. While on a routine writer’s retreat, he discovers a dismembered body in a shed near his Airbnb. Even with the right procedures he makes afterwards, including talking to local racist cops and enduring an attack by the actual killers, a big red target lands on Muncie’s back. According to everyone, the internet first and foremost, he is a murderer. And to make matters worse, the murder victim was a white supremacist who posted under the name “Brother14,” which results in Muncie’s orbit being infiltrated by right-wing nut jobs via social media and IRL.
First he’s got to make sure his family — soon-to-be ex-wife Elena (Marsha Stephanie Blake), son Demetrius (Thaddeus J. Mixson), and estranged daughter Kallie (Gabrielle Graham) — are safe. Between it all, he begins investigating matters himself, trying to connect a web of people who are out to frame him. One of the people he goes to for leads is victim Brother14’s ex-wife, Lucie Snipes (Tamsin Topolski), who has left the hate group world behind and is also being slandered for leaving him. He also gets a leg up on the investigation with assistance from his FBI friend Franco Quinones (John Ortiz).
Through Madness, showrunner Stephen Belber succeeds in depicting the pressures that internet culture carries into our everyday life. If you have even a little bit of a digital footprint, these times make it easier for you to become an outlaw. Given how quickly misinformation spreads too, anyone can become a villain. It’s enough to make someone, like Muncie, go mad. Viewers feel every ounce of his stress and fears within the first few episodes, which strongly funnels internet theorist folks seeping their way into his life, making matters worse for him. “Karen’s” and college students appearing on Muncie’s personal property make the situation more horrifying and genuinely intense long before actual contract killers are thrown into the equation.
Somewhere down into the fourth out of the eight episodes, The Madness hits a wall. It rids itself of any fundamental conversations regarding modern America and its rampant extremism to veer into many conventional mystery thriller tropes. The series pivots into action, with Muncie trying to survive major shootouts and car chases in various set pieces. He either goes one step closer or two steps back in unraveling the mystery, and the action is only there to keep your attention while discussions of actual social issues are thrown into the back burner.
What keeps The Madness from becoming forgettable Netflix fodder is Colman Domingo’s central performance. He’s simply sublime. What do you expect? He’s Colman Domingo. I’m of the belief that he’s one of the best actors working today who can make a paper thin script life as if it were Shakespeare. As Muncie, he brings much needed grounded life to what eventually becomes a one-note thriller. You feel every emotional weight in his journey due to Domingo’s subtle facial expressions, which textures every wrong or right step Muncie takes in his quest for innocence.
The same goes for some of the supporting cast, including Marsha Stephanie Blake as Muncie’s ex-wife Elena. I was captivated by the strong-willed, earthy portrayal she brought to her, making sure that even when Muncie brings danger to their home, he still steps up as a responsible and good influence on their son.
It’s a shame how heavily The Madness winds up dropping the ball towards its latter half. It starts off fairly strong as a well-written and characterized political thriller/mystery. But it loses its momentum and identity the longer it progresses, turning into another Netflix miniseries that will probably be forgotten come next week. If it weren’t for Colman Domingo and Marsha Stephanie Blake’s performances elevating it to a barely above average recommendation, The Madness would be one of 2024’s most forgettable miniseries. As it stands it’s more mild than mad.
All eight episodes of The Madness are available to stream on Netflix now.
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