The Coyotes

New Belgian series The Coyotes gets off to a slow start when troubled teen Kevin (Louka Minnella) discovers a stash of stolen diamonds while on a camping trip with a scout group. Meanwhile, he sparks a romance with the wealthy Marie (Dara Tombroff), butts heads with his best friend and the gems’ original owners are desperate to recover their property. There are a lot of pieces set in motion at this early stage that are certain to collide later down the line. However, the series does little within the opening episodes to galvanise much interest for what’s to come.

The show looks to be taking its time to establish the various players involved with the missing diamonds. From what’s been revealed thus far, both sides are implied to have enough complexity for viewers to root for each to succeed in the imminent conflict. The problem is, though, that barely anything regarding character or plot has been divulged yet. And the first two episodes spend so much time jumping between each group that viewers are not given the opportunity to get to know the people they’ll be spending their time with. Even two episodes in, the identity of most of the campers is still an unknown factor. Moreover, it hasn’t been established what kind of group it is – a behavioural support or Christian group are two vastly different but still equally believable possibilities.

Despite the lack of clarity, one thing that is clear is that Kevin is the star of the show. Minnella does a solid job in the central role, with his scenes with Tombroff being the standout highlights thus far. The pair have an instantly likeable chemistry onscreen, and their budding relationship – though materialising comedically quickly – is bound to play a key role going forward.

At this point, it’s impossible to tell where The Coyotes is going to go. The show has kept its cards close to its chest, though a major revelation at the end of the second episode suggests things are only just getting started. But thanks to an ensemble of underdeveloped characters, it’s unlikely viewers will be sticking around to see what happens next.

Andrew Murray

The Coyotes is released on Netflix on 2^nd December 2021.

Watch the trailer for The Coyotes here: