Tell Me Your Secrets Season 1, Episode 1 recap: Once I Had a Love

What are the critics saying about Tell Me Your Secrets Season 1?

Well, I wish I could give you a more concise answer to this question, but the truth is, barely any publications have reviewed the series; there’s not even enough for an accurate Rotten Tomatoes score. I’m not sure if it was such a low-profile release no one bothered, Amazon didn’t send out screeners beforehand, the embargo date doesn’t lift until tomorrow, or everyone is just hanging onto their reviews until the weekend. Regardless, no reviews can be a bad thing, or it might just mean no one’s paying attention to the show (it did sit on the shelf for years).

Canadian outlet The Gate gave it a scathing 1/5 review, calling the show a “Overwrought, overlong, and morally dubious, Tell Me Your Secrets is a forced, sleazy thriller with all the ridiculousness and depth of a daytime soap opera.”

The Detroit News also gave the series a fairly negative review, although they did say it feels like one of the shows you can’t stop watching because it’s such a trainwreck. They also claimed the show has too many plot points to follow along with because the show gets bogged down in its many differing storylines.

From the first episode alone, I don’t agree with that. All the stories told in the premiere felt interconnected and seamless. I wasn’t confused by any of the changing perspectives, but again, it’s the first episode, so we’ll have to see how the rest unfolds. I thought that Tell Me Your Secrets Season 1, Episode 1 was a compelling hour of television. Will I still feel that way by the end? Only time will tell.

What captivated me most about the first hour of this show were the female characters. As series creator and executive producer, Harriet Warner told TVLine, “These characters did sort of drive themselves, and this is a show driven by women and really revolving around women and society’s judgment of them and these feminine ideals.”

I can tell this will be an intense, dark drama with some extremely complicated, bold storytelling. Am I going to like every plot choice? Doubtful. But I am hooked and intrigued to see how this show plays out, especially with actresses like Lily Rabe and Amy Brenneman involved.

As someone who loves southern gothic horror stories, I’m compelled to dive headfirst into Tell Me Your Secrets Season 1. I liked the grim, icky feeling and sense of foreboding oozing from every scene.

What did you think about Tell Me Your Secrets Season 1, Episode 1? Will you keep watching? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

All ten episodes of Tell Me Your Secrets Season 1 are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.