Oru Kodai Murder Mystery Series Review: Partly gripping, partly wishy-washy

There's something about hill stations and murder mysteries. The eerie silence, misty mountains, tranquil lakes, and deserted meadows are as mesmerising as they are enigmatic. Zee5's latest, Oru Kodai Murder Mystery, is the latest to join this list. The one novelty about Oru Kodai Murder Mystery is how the whodunit unfolds through the perspective of a bunch of teenagers. The novelty notwithstanding, Oru Kodai Murder Mystery emerges as a partly engaging and partly wishy-washy series offering a cornucopia of suspense and sentiment, albeit mostly relatable to Gen Z.

Director: Vishal Venkat

Cast: Abirami, Akash, Aishwarya, Raghav, John, Namritha, Abitha, Frankin, Sylven

Streaming on: Zee5

Set in a Kodaikanal school, the eight-episode series revolves around the suspicious death of a school-going teen, Thara. Vyom, her quiz partner, who also had feelings for her, is heartbroken and disturbed following her demise. While he and his BFFs cracking the case and finding the murderer forms the primary plot line, the series also touches upon mother-son relationships, dysfunctional families, teenage crises, and more.

The long-format narrative allows us to understand the characters better, and making them sensible and relatable makes the experience all the more rewarding. Kudos to the writing team of Oru Kodai Murder Mystery for writing an intelligent and sensitive teen group who have each other's backs. Vyom is a geeky quizzer who incorporates Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawkins' teachings to real-life situations. He has a rocky relationship with his mother and school principal Annalakshmi (an effective Abhirami). His only hope is his crush Thara and friends-- Anandi, who struggles with an identity crisis, Sheetal, a chirpy kid, and Franklyn and Selvan, the tech wizard twins. Even as the police procedural is underway, the series explores the teens donning their detective hats to find the murderer. From hacking and spying to role-playing, they leave no stone unturned.

While the initial few episodes predominantly resort to the establishment of setting and plot, things pick up pace after the fourth episode. A much-needed momentum shift incites intrigue and offers some seat-edge thrills. It is rather interesting to see the teens use realistic and unrealistic ideas to get to the bottom of the case. They are self-aware, understand reproductive health, the importance of therapy, and yet, don't think twice before trying out an Ouija board. It is lovely to see the series treat them as precocious teens and not adults. They do embark on a heroic journey, but not at the cost of their childlike innocence, and pure intentions.

On the investigative front, the makers use one too many red herrings, which are soon subverted to send us on a wild goose chase for nothing. That being said, the climax certainly has a suspense factor that could have been better explored by delving deeper into teen mental health concerns and the importance of support systems.

On the performance front, Abhirami gracefully gets into the shoes of Ananthalakshmi, a caring and woke mother, and a compassionate teacher. Moments between Ananthalakshmi, and her sons Vyom and Manav show how misunderstandings in a family are par for the course, but at the end of the day, it's all about loving the family. Ananthalakshmi's character is juxtaposed with Aishwarya's Meenakshi, an Ex-MLA, who doesn't show the necessary empathy or understanding of her son's choices.

With its heart in the right place, the makers have tried to discuss unconventional perspectives and normalise the "taboo" topics. Some of these ideas and subplots are rounded off in a rather shoddy and convoluted manner and don't always allow the series to rise above being just another whodunit. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that Oru Kodai Murder Mystery, a localised and rooted story, is a good step forward in the new-age teenage drama genre, which is heavily underexplored in Tamil. It is time for our own Secret Seven, Famous Fives, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. Our kids can solve cases too.