MIA review the creator of Ozark's new drama is as subtle as being mauled by a 12ft alligator

"Miami, Florida is the US at its extreme. Ostentatious wealth is everywhere, some legal, some very illegal, most of it in a grey area between the two. All of it is propped up by the hard work and cherished dreams of immigrants, people whose fight for a better life is getting harder those few who make it to the top having to decide if, now they are no longer being exploited, they are willing to exploit others. All that provides the serious subtext for MIA, a new drama created by Bill Dubuque (Ozark)."

"But any thoughtful treatment of the immigrant experience it might have to offer is overwhelmed by the sheer silliness of the main story, a revenge thriller starring Shannon Gisela as Etta Tiger Jonze, a woman in her early 20s whose entire family is slaughtered by a drug cartel. Raging with grief and with nothing to lose, Etta restarts from zero, lying low in Miami's Haitian community while plotting to kill precisely 12 gangsters: the bad guys she witnessed murdering her loved ones."

"Like Ozark, MIA spends the whole first episode on backstory, namely the Jonzes' annihilation. But the opener here is much less entertaining than Ozark's was, since it's full of the awkward dialogue and convenient plotting that dogs the rest of the series (there's a piece of foreshadowing that's as subtle as being mauled by a 12ft alligator), as it forlornly asks us to invest in characters who are doomed."

"by then, Etta has been taken in by smart, forthright Haitian immigrant Lovely (Brittany Adebumola). Etta and Lovely join the bottom layer of Miami society, scoring jobs as cleaners and maids. They quickly discover that they have no rights or recourse if something goes wrong, a problem made worse by Etta's refusal to remain passive in the face of injustice this trait being what helped to get her family killed."

Miami’s visible wealth is supported by immigrant labor and dreams, with much of it operating in legal and illegal grey areas. A new drama centers on Etta Tiger Jonze, whose family is slaughtered by a drug cartel. She restarts in Miami’s Haitian community, living among immigrants while planning to kill exactly twelve gangsters responsible for her loved ones’ deaths. The early episodes focus heavily on backstory and rely on awkward dialogue and convenient plotting, making character investment difficult. Etta is taken in by Lovely, and both work as cleaners and maids. They learn that without rights or recourse, harm and injustice can go unchallenged, though Etta’s refusal to stay passive creates further danger.

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