Episode 1 of Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue feels a little like Lost. Albeit, a very scaled down version of the hit mystery/thriller. This is a two engine airplane flying over a jungle and it is nowhere near a beach. Also, all the characters who live are not neatly dressed or pretty much spotless.
While there was that sort of small deja vu feeling about Lost, at the very end of the episode it dove right into Korean Horror. It seems to borrow a plot device used in the 2004 film R-Point.
*And oddly enough, it feels a little like Gilligan’s Island with an airplane.*
It is interesting and pretty darned watchable. Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue is, afterall, created by Anthony Horowitz. The same guy who brought us, amongst other things, Alex Rider.
For a show that has an opening credit sequence that rivals AHS with its weirdly entertaining visuals, it looks pretty good so far.
We just have to suspend our disbelief long enough to get into the show.
The story
A disparate group of nine people are on a short airplane journey. A Mexican wrestler, a “former” doctor, an insurance adjuster, a MAGA couple who own a hotel chain, a young honeymooning couple, and a “mystery” passenger. A total of eight people who, with the very small cabin crew, equals 10 folks.
GPS failure and a lack of fuel interrupts the flight. As the plane needs fuel to fly, the pilot has to crash land the vehicle. The stewardess buys it in the crash and the pilot is not far behind.
Flashforward and there is an Army base under observation by a man and a woman. The base gets nine bodies delivered to be interred in the morgue. They discover a discrepancy with the numbers on hand.
The Cast
Peter Gadiot is Carlos. He is a Mexican Wrestler.
Eric McCormack is Kevin, the former doctor.
Ángel López-Silva is Capitan Gabriel Vega.
Sebastián Capitán Viveros is Subteniente Ignacio López.
Jan Le is Amy Maclean.
Adam Long is Dan Maclean.
Siobhán McSweeney is Lisa Davies.
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is Travis Davies.
David Ajala is Zack Ellis.
Lydia Wilson is Sonja.
behind the camera
Viviane Andereggen and Brian O’Malley share director credit. Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue is created by Horowitz and written by him. The location works quite well, a tiny landing area in a dense jungle. James Mather makes the most of both locations in the show.
The score by Chris Roe gives us a splendid mix of cultural music and eerie “sound effects” for a great little bit of musical storytelling.
The VFX and special FX are on point here. We are taken into the story and the action here with little need for imagination. The teams lead us into the tale easily.
It works
Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue works well despite its unintentional connections to other shows and films. I already have favorites and the show does feel more Lost than anything else. *After all, Gilligan’s Island did not have a shadowy figure murdering the survivors of the shipwreck and R-Point is foreign horror film.* Requiring that disbelief suspension I referenced above.
The verdict
Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue earns a solid 3.5 stars here. There is enough mystery here in this interesting little thriller to help it earn a few more. It is streaming on MGM and MGM+.
The Trailer
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