Part charade, part video game, part circus, with a little bit of sitcom in there somewhere, “Missing Something” is a web series comedy that leaves you wondering if something might be missing.  Our heroine, Rachel (played by Leila Sykes), is surrounded by her roommates, love interest, and coworkers, all of which seem to cause more headaches in Rachel’s life.

www.missingsomething.tv

Co-directors Haz Al-Shaater and Yaz Al-Shaater achieve a goofy, quirky, and funny little series. The production design and direction is good. The acting is cheesy at times but that serves the purpose of the series. The editing style is something that I liked most about the series with fast paced cuts and a fast-motion stylistic choice inserted at just the right moments. These editing techniques added to the unique, eccentric style that the director’s were going for, which made the series all the more silly and playful.

“Missing Something” has a quirky, clownish feel to it. Since it was created by 3 British filmmakers (Leila Sykes, Yaz Al-Shaater, and Haz Al-Shaater), I dare to describe this series as cheeky.

Aaron played by Yaz Al-Shaater

The series is funny and will provide the viewer with a lot of laughs. The story and plot lines are wacky, as are the characters. My interest was highly retained all the way up to the 3-part season finale when the writers decided to answer a multitude of open questions, most of which I couldn’t have cared less about being answered. In doing so, the 3-part finale lost the humor that the series had going for most of the previous episodes. Ironically, the writers seem to know this was the case, ending the series with Claire (played by Ashlea Kaye) saying, “Now let’s get out of here before anyone brings up anymore plot lines.” This I will admit, cracked me up and was a great way to end given the previous 3-part finale.

Pete played by Scott Wilson-Besgrove

Season 1 starts with (SPOILER ALERT) Rachel being accosted by someone who wants to buy her hair and then her actor boyfriend (Freddie) dumps her via an uninspiring soliloquy. We then move onto Rachel being pestered and annoyed by her annoying roommate Annie (played by Francesca Binefa), her dual landlords (Lenny and Earl, played by Andrew Tyler and Amir El-Bayoumi) randomly walking in and out of her apartment, and her other down-to-earth roommate Claire trying to cheer her up after a slew of failed dates. As if this wasn’t enough for Rachel to handle, her bosses and co-workers Aaron and Pete (played by Yaz Al-Shaater and Scott Wilson-Besgrove) don’t respect her opinion at all, so she feels like she is contributing nothing to the mobile gaming startup for which she receives an annual salary of zero pounds sterling.

Rachel played by Leila Sykes

The acting is cheesy at times, but in a superb way that serves the style and tone of the series. I was especially impressed by the performance of Leila Sykes. Her character comes across very real, while still nailing the comedic timing required to achieve the goofiness and quirkiness of the jokes. I would like to see more emotional depth to Rachel’s character, and I hope that can be achieved through a second season.

The episodes are short (ranging from 3-6 minutes), and it’s the perfect material for a quick coffee break at the office or a quick watch at the beginning (or end) of your day. The creators have really found something special with the way they have created a full web experience for the viewer. In almost every episode, you can watch alternative endings, and the way the series has been released on their site gives it almost a “choose your own adventure” feel. I would love to see what the creators can do with a second season, and hopefully Rachel will find that something that is missing.

You can watch “Missing Something” online at http://www.missingsomething.tv/

Written by:  Jeff Allen