One of the two creators of “Clickbait” is Christian White, and therein lies a clue, for White is a devilishly clever crime fiction author. Nothing is as it seems in Clickbait, an eight-part series which has the first seven episodes told (mostly) from the viewpoint of seven among the swirling cast of characters, with the final instalment titled “The Answer” and delivering an almighty twist. The basic storyline is … well, it is almost clickbait: an ideal family man is kidnapped and snapped for online social media with a sign saying he’s an abuser and will be killed after five million hits. Nothing in the trailer or the story summary suggests a compelling thriller but from the opening scene, Clickbait is tense, intelligent, and involving. The acting is adequate, with four actors making the series pop: Zoe Kazan is utterly believable as the family man’s sister; Phoenix Rael compels as the dogged policeman; and the two sons are brilliantly portrayed by Camaron Engels and (especially) Jaylin Fletcher. All up, Clickbait provided eight nights of gripping entertainment, and is recommended.
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