Review of Paranormal

I gutted it through the whole series because the settings were different and the plot was somewhat interesting. I hoped it would get a grip, take off, and land well.

It did none of those things. The worst aspect, unfortunately, is the central character, Dr. Refaat Ismail. There's just nothing to like or care about to him. He is unkind, unfunny, uncaring, unlikable, unsympathetic. He constantly frowns, sags, smokes, coughs. People around him (for no discernible reason) try to help and care for him, and he responds with bitterness, sarcasm, and abuse to all of them. He's wracked with causeless self-pity and anger, and sports a single, unchanging, glum expression. He is never remotely enjoyable to watch.

Few of the people around him feel real or relatable, either. They're largely like characters poorly drawn by a talentless cartoonist. Most of them are constantly angry, yelling, mean to each other...except the poor sweet cousin Howaida, and Maggie, neither of whom ever feels like a full character with comprehensible motivation.

Sometimes you stick through a mixed series and arrive at an ultimate reward; sometimes you wish you could have all the time back.

This is the latter case.