We are deep into the stylish and gorgeously filmed locked-room murder mystery series “Death and Other Details” when two key characters team up for a cruise-ship karaoke version of “Come Sail Away,” the classic Styx power ballad written by the South Side’s own Dennis DeYoung nearly a half-century ago. As the song continues, at times giving way to an orchestral version, we catch up with a few other developments on the ship, including an absolutely insane encounter between two consenting adults that involves alcohol and a lighter. It’s a perfectly edited, memorably bizarre sequence, and while it’s not the best use ever of “Come Sail Away” (that honor goes to “Freaks and Geeks,” although some would say “South Park”), it’s near the top.
That’s the thing with this 10-part series (I was given access to the first eight episodes). There are a LOT of stylistic flourishes and attention-getting gimmicks, e.g., an extended flashback sequence in which a character follows a younger version of herself, and while it’s all impressively rendered, it can be a chore to keep up with all the time-hopping twists and turns.
