The ‘Netflix effect’ is already a phenomenon worth studying. There are several series titles that premiered on their original channels or that went through a platform discreetly. But it has been the case that those same series enter the streaming giant’s catalog and their popularity takes off like a rocket. As if it were King Midas, Netflix has turned series such as La cocinera de Castamar, La valla or The Blacklist into gold and now it intends to do the same with its latest suspense bet.
The platform included StartUp in its offer last May and, since then, the series has not stopped climbing positions among the most viewed. So much so that June has started in the top 10, a striking success if we consider that fiction had been available on Amazon Prime Video for a while. A similar journey had The Bold Type, which also began its journey in our country in the audiovisual subsidiary of the electronic commerce company and ended up taking off on Netflix.
Seasons and Synopsis of Start Up
For those who want to get hooked on this series, you should know that, at the moment, it consists of 3 seasons. Each of them brings together 10 episodes of about 45 minutes each. Through them, we can enter the dark universe of money laundering, delving into it from different angles. To do this, we are going to go through different plots that are presented in the first chapter and that will become intertwined.
On the one hand, we meet Phil Rask, an FBI agent who stalks Andy Talman, a businessman with dirty deals. Talman feels cornered and turns to his son, Nick, to bail him out. But even though Nick has been on the run from his father’s shenanigans all his life, he finally decides to get involved. On the other hand, Izzy Morales is the creator of GenCoin, a cryptocurrency, which she tries to sell to Nick’s company. Although the company rejects her project, Nick ends up partnering with her on her behalf to dispose of the money stolen from her father. The last plot to follow is that of Ronald Dacey, a leader of a criminal gang that traffics drugs in Miami, whose money disappears when he gives it to Andy Talman. This closes the circle that StartUp starts.
Discover the distribution of StartUp
The lynchpin of the Netflix series is Nick Talman, played by Adam Brody (The O.C., Gilmore Girls). Around him appear his father, Andy (Carl Weintraub), Izzy (Otmara Marrero, Graceland) and the drug dealer Ron (Edi Gathegi, The Blacklist). But without a doubt, the most interesting character, by the depth that Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock) infuses him, is the FBI Inspector Phil Rask. Viewers will be able to enjoy it for the first two seasons.
To supplement his departure, in the second round another of the great values of the series was introduced, Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy) in the role of Wes Chandler. It was not the only incorporation, because in the third season Mira Sorvino (Hollywood, Modern Family) completed the main cast to be Rebecca Stroud, an NSA agent in charge of investigating the case. Along with them we have seen Addison Timlin (Law and Order), Wayne Knight (Space Jam, The truth about the Harry Quebert case), Tony Plana (The Young Pope, Jane the Virgin) or Kelvin Harrison Jr. (El Godfather of Harlem, The Chicago 7 Trial), for highlighting the most popular faces.
Criticism of StartUp
As a whole, the series responds to the patterns of the genre: organized crime, collateral victims, permanent stress on the characters and a police plot that persecutes them. The original of StartUp is in the introduction of the growing business of cryptocurrencies. Let’s not forget that Crackle, the original platform that produced it, premiered its seasons between 2016 and 2018.
At times, it can be slow, but in the first season it is appreciated. The complex fringes of the wefts are presented somewhat confusingly at first . it is performances by the actors to order themselves and to gain their full meaning. From then on, the series picks up pace and increases its interest towards the end of each season, to leave us wanting more. If you are a fan of mafia, corruption and police investigations movies and series, this will undoubtedly be an entertaining choice.
