Curon, Season 1 premiere: The Black Lake

Netflix series Curon’s season 1 premiere, “The Black Lake” is mysterious.

The season 1 premiere of Curon starts with a flashback/dream sequence where Lili (Katja Lechthaler) gets shot by someone who looks exactly like Anna Raina (Valeria Bilello). After this startling dream, we see Anna driving to the titular Italian town of Curon with her children, Daria (Margherita Morchio) and Mauro (Federico Russo). She is returning to Curon after 17 years away, apparently seeking a new start, as well as answers to her haunting dreams.

Meanwhile, Mauro flies his drone above their car but he apparently loses it in some nearby body of water. After some awkward conversations, the trio arrives at what looks like a vacant hotel. Its unwelcoming nature is obvious, complete with a demon’s head sculpture on the wall. They meet Thomas (Luca Lionello) — Anna’s father — who informs them they can’t stay there.

Staying in Curon = probably a bad idea

The family trio doesn’t instantly leave Curon, however. In the bar, a patron gossips about one of the Raina family’s grandmother’s killing themselves. We also see that the power goes out frequently, adding to the haunting atmosphere of the town. Later, Thomas shows up saying the trio can stay the night, but that they must leave the next day. That night, more weird things happen.

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Thomas says the displayed crucifixes are there to “ward off shadows,” and also that they are not to go near the bell tower, which is partially submerged underwater. Thomas also seems upset about Anna trying to evade her most recent ex, suggesting he is probably abusive.

 Bad dreams and mischievous parties

During the night, Anna gets freaked out by a classic combo of weird noises and bad dreams. She is not alone, though. Mauro also thinks he hears something upstairs. When he sets out to investigate, Thomas confronts him and says the noise is related to his pacemaker. Anna also hears wolf howls, but that is explained the next morning: Thomas is trying to domesticate a wolf.

Meanwhile, Daria and Mauro have a weird first day at school, with Daria insulting crucifixes in class. Also, after a classmate tries to steal Mauro’s hearing aid, Daria gets in a fight. Later, a boat dealer refuses to give the twin siblings a boat, calling them the scum of Curon.

Daria and Mauro did get invited to a party that night, as people respect Daria’s fighting nature. As they dance to music, Daria starts flirting with a classmate named Micki (Juju Di Domenico).

Even more nightmares

While Daria has a nightmare involving her mom and blood, Mauro leaves the party and, apparently drunk, seems to wander the woods. However, he is actually on a mission to find his missing drone, which he was annoyingly obsessed with earlier. Meanwhile, Daria and her new pals play a dangerous drinking game.

They stand on the wooden railing of the pier and continue drinking. Whoever is the last one standing wins. Daria is freaked out a bit when someone warns her: “If you hear bells from the belltower, you die.” Daria has a brief dream about a wolf. Upon waking, she kisses Micki.

Mauro steals a pedal boat to retrieve his drone from the water. He foolishly falls in, but he does successfully retrieve it. Later, back at Thomas’s strange place, Mauro actually finds a woman in chains. He thinks it’s his mom at first, then she knocks him out and escapes. “Grandpa” Thomas shows up later, assuring him it’s only a bad dream. He also gets a shotgun, which one normally wouldn’t need to cope with a dream.

Interpretations

Curon so far is not that complicated, although it is mysterious. We know the Raina family is dysfunctional and apparently has a troubled history in the town. What is haunting them? It’s not entirely clear, but it’s definitely not all a peaceful, tranquil little story.

What are your thoughts on Curon? Let us know in the comments!