- Content: “A Murder Mystery with a Sisterly Twist”
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What You Need To Know:
The first two episodes of THE SUNSHINE MURDERS provide entertainment. The episodes are teeming with decent camerawork and two charismatic lead actors. The heroines learn to work together, think outside the box, develop a strong sisterly bond, and fight for justice. The character arc for both sisters provides lots of fantastic fun. However, when the first two episodes shift gears away from them to the supporting cast, they lose some spark. Also, the first two episodes of THE SUNSHINE MURDERS feature some violence, four light profanities and lying. The two half-siders also mention the goddesses of Greek mythology in one scene. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.
Content:
Strong moral worldview where two middle-aged sisters work together to solve mysteries, one of the half-sisters is a divorced police detective who tries to make up with her daughter (the father has custody of the daughter), the other half-sister foregoes her New Zealand farm life to reconnect with her long-lost family, the heroines vow to uphold the “rule of law” and arrest any wrongdoers, the lead characters learn to accept each other as “equal” crime fighters, and the heroines briefly mention the goddesses of Greek mythology;
The characters exclaim, “OMG,” four times in the first two episodes;
Light and moderate violence throughout, a thug threatens to use his knife against a detective, a detective and a thief engage in hand-to-hand combat, a woman smacks her walking cane against an intruder, two people point their pistols at one another at a hotel, and a woman pulls out a giant blade to scare off a gangster;
No sex, but there is romantic tension between a detective and her forensics scientist, and (SPOILER) adultery is the killer’s motive;
No nudity;
No alcohol use;
No smoking or drug use, but (SPOILER) a person releases a large dosage of a lethal substance into a hotel pool to poison the victim;
A woman barges into a gangster’s hangout by wielding a giant knife, the heroines lie to a police captain as to not get themselves fired, and a witness knowingly lies to a detective.
More Detail:
In the two-part story, Helen Moustakas (Dora Chrysikou), a no-nonsense detective, looks into an archaeologist who died from a sudden heart failure. At the crime scene, Helen bumps into Shirley Rangi (Emily Corcoran), a tomboyish New Zealander farmer with a crude sense of humor. Shirley left her life behind in order to find her missing birth father. Shirley introduces herself as Helen’s half-sister. Helen is skeptical at first, but she finds out it’s true. With Shirley’s unorthodox approach to problem solving, the sisters unravel clues behind the victim’s death.
However, Shirley’s silly antics during the investigation elevates Helen’s risk of getting fired from the police force. Meanwhile, thugs begin to attack the two sisters. Will they be able to solve the murder and survive?
THE SUNSHINE MURDERS shines the brightest in the technical realm. The series is well-shot, has decent color grading, and makes extensive use of real-life landscapes in Greece. It’s not as ambitious as the typical Netflix production, but it conveys the beauty and decay of urban Athens. The greatest strength of SUNSHINE MURDERS is the “good cop-bad cop” sister dynamic. Helen’s “matter of fact” demeanor is a great contrast to Shirley’s chaotic personality. Both actresses bring out effective comedic dialogue and are able to carry the more dramatic scenes. Shirley’s charisma is able to elevate some of the morally grey elements.
Where does THE SUNSHINE MURDERS fall on the morality spectrum? The first two episodes extol a positive moral worldview with humanist elements. The two heroines learn to practice teamwork and active listening while pursuing justice. Helen is a divorced wife but dedicates her time serving Athens and supporting her teenage daughter, who’s in her ex-husband’s custody. Helen learns to accept Shirley as an equal teammate. That said, their investigation isn’t a clear-cut one.
The first two episodes of THE SUNSHINE MURDERS have moderate violence, four light exclamatory profanities, and some lying by the two lead characters. Without getting into spoilers, there are action scenes of characters throwing physical punches, using blunt knives, and almost firing pistols. There is no blood, but a man’s bloodied corpse is seen. Lastly, the heroines briefly mention the goddesses of Ancient Athens in some dialogue but don’t explicitly refer to God or Jesus at all.
The biggest drawback to the first two episodes of THE SUNSHINE MURDERS is the writing outside of the lead characters. The “enemies to being allies” arc for both sisters is fantastic. However, when the show shifts gears away from them to the supporting cast, the cracks begin to show. Helen’s circle of friends (whether it’s her daughter or her police colleagues) are flat and one-dimensional. Also, without spoiling it, the motivation behind the central murder seems weak and ends in an anticlimactic fashion.
