Clark is a lot<\/em>, and that goes for both the character and the series.<\/p>\n You may not have heard of Clark Olofsson, but by the end of this six-part Netflix series you will be left wondering how you hadn\u2019t \u2013 for his story is so shocking, implausible and downright ridiculous that it seems unbelievable it isn\u2019t more well-known globally.<\/p>\n Olofsson is a Swedish criminal, who over the course of his life has been convicted of attempted murder, assault, robbery, and dealing narcotics. Particularly prone to robbing banks, Olofsson gained notoriety during the Norrmalmstorg robbery, the events of which inspired the term \u2018Stockholm Syndrome\u2019 due to the attachment the hostages felt towards him and his fellow robber.<\/p>\n However, this isn\u2019t a series about Norrmalmstorg. In fact, it\u2019s not until the end of episode three that we see that particular event recreated. Instead, it\u2019s a series about everything that Olofsson did throughout his criminal past \u2013 and he sure got around.<\/p>\n With more prison breaks, love affairs and robberies than you can count, the series moves at a break-neck speed as Clark charms his way through a life in which only he matters. Everyone else is collateral damage as he embarks on a criminal career much like an actor does a film career: moving from job to job, gaining celebrity and making sure to stay in the limelight for fear of losing relevance.<\/p>\n For Clark, this isn\u2019t about the money or power, it\u2019s about his own ego. At one point he tells his fellow bank robber he shouldn\u2019t cover his face because then nobody will know it\u2019s him. He\u2019d be failing to build up his CV.<\/p>\n The series\u2019 ridiculous and crude opening sequence is a real statement of intent: we find Clark narrating as the camera enters his mother\u2019s womb and finds baby Clark inside, with Skarsgard\u2019s face superimposed on to him. He tells us that this is to be his first escape.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hugely tongue-in-cheek, much like the rest of the show, which is certainly not afraid to go weird, and go big. In fact, you feel it might be afraid to go small, with everything from the anarchic pacing, to the raucous sex scenes, to the deranged fantasy sequences all dialled up to 11. Even the episode titles are overblown \u2013 episode 1 is called \u201cBeing the Best at Being the Best Was Not My Thing, So I Decided to Be the Best at Being the Worst\u201d.<\/p>\n It\u2019s director Jonas \u00c5kerlund all over and it won\u2019t be for everyone \u2013 far from it \u2013 but if you\u2019re willing to go with this show\u2019s absurdity and grandiosity as a reflection of Clark\u2019s own exuberance and sense of self-worth, it\u2019s an incredibly fun ride.<\/p>\n Of course, to pull off what is essentially a pinball machine of a series, you need a versatile, energetic and frankly indefatigable lead. And while the supporting cast all put in great work, this show belongs to Bill Skarsg\u00e5rd.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a tour-de-force acting showcase for the Pennywise actor, who brims with charisma as the morally bankrupt yet still somehow likeable Clark. He\u2019s charming, goofy, volatile, obnoxious, arrogant, petulant, magnetic, all at once, and it\u2019s really something to behold. It\u2019s a six-hour performance that you won\u2019t be able to take your eyes off.<\/p>\n We witness Clark change and grow, yet also regress over time, as the series charts several decades. The first five episodes are close to pure fantasy while the finale starts to bring things, ever so slightly, down to Earth.<\/p>\n In the sixth episode we see an ageing Clark grapple with his life and the role he\u2019s played in the lives of others in a manner his solipsism has never allowed him to before. As his biographer attempts to unpick his destructive behaviour, the pace slows and some of the sheen comes off. Where Clark\u2019s violence and self-serving nature were once played for laughs, here they become a whole lot more frightening and real.<\/p> For some viewers, this decision to confront the myth-making and glamorisation of Clark\u2019s actions will come all too late, acting as a post-script where it should have been the whole point. For others, it will be an unwelcome interruption in a fast-paced and heightened crime saga.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no denying that it\u2019s somewhat jarring, and can feel as though its blaming the audience for enjoying what they just watched. In fact, it\u2019s in exploring beneath the surface that Clark occasionally falters throughout, with the only real rationale given for his behaviour being that he had an abusive father and was separated from his mother at a young age, something we learn very early on and yet is never wholly examined.<\/p>\n When Clark actually does confront this realisation, Skarsg\u00e5rd gives it all he\u2019s got and it\u2019s moving \u2013 it just doesn\u2019t really last. A self-reflexive version of Clark isn\u2019t the one that \u00c5kerlund\u2019s interested in, and truthfully, it might not be one that actually exists.<\/p>\n No matter the emotional drawbacks, Clark is a fully engaging and binge-worthy series. Like its central character, the show is fully committed to being utterly unhinged, meaning it may not have a whole lot of substance when it comes to analysing Clark\u2019s worldview and behaviour. But if you\u2019re up for just letting the insanity wash over you, Clark is a hell of a good time.<\/p>\n Clark will stream on\u00a0Netflix<\/a>\u00a0from 5th May 2022.\u00a0<\/strong>Check out more of our\u00a0Drama<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0to see what\u2019s on tonight.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale no<\/span><\/b>w\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0with<\/strong>\u00a0Jane Garvey.<\/b><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By James Hibbs Published: Sunday, 01 May 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating Clark is a lot, and that goes for both the character and the series. You may not have heard of Clark Olofsson, but by the end of this six-part Netflix series you will be left wondering how you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14682,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/05\/clark-review-bill-skarsgard-is-electric-in-this-anarchic-thrill-ride-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/05\/clark-review-bill-skarsgard-is-electric-in-this-anarchic-thrill-ride-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/05\/clark-review-bill-skarsgard-is-electric-in-this-anarchic-thrill-ride-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/05\/clark-review-bill-skarsgard-is-electric-in-this-anarchic-thrill-ride-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/05\/clark-review-bill-skarsgard-is-electric-in-this-anarchic-thrill-ride-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/05\/clark-review-bill-skarsgard-is-electric-in-this-anarchic-thrill-ride-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/05\/clark-review-bill-skarsgard-is-electric-in-this-anarchic-thrill-ride-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By James Hibbs Published: Sunday, 01 May 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating Clark is a lot, and that goes for both the character and the series. 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