Since the grand end of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel have shifted gears significantly when it comes to continuing the stories of their biggest characters and franchises. Feature-length releases continue to keep trucking along, but we now have a growing range of episodic tales spun around some of the characters that Marvel had otherwise yet to explore. The latest in this recent trend is Loki, an action-mystery blend that finally gives the fan-favourite anti-hero his own shot in the spotlight. The result is, for the most part, a great genre mashup led by a solid leading cast. It may not always justify the protracted, 6 episode runtime and it does ask for more than a few leaps of logic, but Loki is ultimately an entertaining ride that, for the most part, does justice to Marvel’s infamous trickster.
The story kicks off from the last time we saw Loki (Tom Hiddleston); escaping custody during the chaotic events of Avengers: Endgame. It is an incredibly short-lived freedom for the God of Mischief as he is quickly apprehended by a mysterious group known as the Time Variance Authority and charged with offences against their ‘Sacred Timeline’. The TVA plan to put a rather permanent fix on the problem until Loki is spared from execution by Judge Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and drafted by TVA agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) to help track down an even bigger threat to the timeline and TVA. Things begin to spiral pretty quickly after Sophia Di Martino’s mysterious character Sylvie enters the fray, bringing with her a few trademark Marvel action scenes and, in keeping with the the theme of the titular character: twists. It’s just unfortunate that the plot struggles maintain the pace all the way through to the climax, with the last episodes grinding things to a halt and dealing out more questions than answers.
Marvel Studios, 2021
It’s clear from the outset that Loki isn’t your average Marvel adventure, nor does it tread familiar ground with its plot or ideas. So much of its complex background lore and concepts are introduced in the opening episode that you’re almost as overwhelmed and confused as Loki himself. The plot also requires you to quickly get on board with the complex concepts of time travel and alternate universes, which start to create holes in the wider MCU if you poke too much. Despite this, you will be rewarded for sticking with Loki through its more complicated and lengthier scenes. Early episodes build on the groundwork laid previously in great fashion, slowly building tension and allowing for a more complex examination of Loki as a character than we have previously seen.
Amongst the action and the drama, these character arcs are really where Loki tends to shine. By essentially limiting its core cast to four key players, the series has room to build personalities and establish complex relationships. Loki is obviously the star of the show, as Hiddleston continues to deliver all of the charisma and charm that has made his character so popular over the years. This time around the story is less about Loki’s powers and abilities, but rather his complicated personality, goals and how he interacts with those around him. Key to this development is Mobius, who seems to see potential and a possible ally in Loki where others don’t. Owen Wilson may not be the first name that comes to mind when picturing a time travelling investigator from a shadowy organisation, but he slips into the role perfectly, wasting no time winning over both Loki and the audience with his dry sense of humour and endearing nature. You might even find yourself more engrossed in his great character arc than you are in Loki’s at time thanks to Wilson’s charm.
Marvel Studios, 2021
Just as key to the plot are Mbatha-Raw and Martino’s characters, who both easily go toe-to-toe with their male counterparts. Judge Renslayer is a formidable presence as the head of the TVA that commands respect from her underlings, but a soft spot for Mobius suggests that there is more to her than meets the eye, a storyline that the show doesn’t quite conclude but does unpack to a degree. Sylvie is arguable a more important character than Loki himself and Martino fully commits to bringing her to life, never crumbling under the pressure. To explore either of these two further here would spoil key moments and twists along the way, and Loki certainly doesn’t shy away from pulling the rug out from under you with varied results. It is safe to say that, in the first few episodes at least, there is a solid amount of action and a number of stunning set pieces on offer that deliver that MCU thrill, albeit on a smaller budget and scale, against vibrant backgrounds of imploding planets and meteor showers.
The final result is a clever, long-overdue exploration of one of Marvel’s most charismatic characters. Hiddleston proves that Loki is able to take the lead without sharing the spotlight with Thor or the Avengers – making it even more surprising that a number of supporting characters are able to carve out their own memorable niches by his side. While Loki does hit the right notes when it gets running, the complex plot is a lot to swallow and the last episodes unfortunately fail to capture the magic or capitalise on the events that came before. It’s been almost ten years since his debut on the big screen, and if he can manage to properly find his footing in the adventures ahead, Loki might just find his glorious purpose.
Marvel Studios, 2021
Loki stars Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant – streaming on Disney+ now.
Standing out is hard to do in the superhero genre, leading the ever-churning Marvel machine to try increasingly experimental ways of delivering their patented brand of superhero shenanigans to audiences post Endgame. The first attempt at that new normal comes in the form of the first Marvel television show to hit Disney+: WandaVision. Doing what most other Marvel projects don’t proves to be the series’ greatest strength here, placing the focus on character rather than action in its exploration of two of the lesser developed Avengers; Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany’s robotic Vision. That development goes a long way to increasing the viability of this behemoth of a franchise without franchise stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans but it isn’t without its flaws, namely a lack of spectacle in its eventual action, a poorly fleshed out villain and enough filler to give the Netflix Marvel shows a run for their money.
Of all the Avengers not in the core cast of heroes, Wanda may just be the most interesting, as well as the most powerful. Her story is one of the most tragic in all of the MCU and her previous appearances have all been as part of a larger story, with key moments central to her character serving as lynchpins for bigger stories, never zeroing in on her own experiences. This is a character who has survived a bombing as a child, been turned into a mystical being with a magic wand, helped a killer robot lift her home country out of the sky and drop it like a meteor, accidentally killed thousands mismanaging a bomb and watched her robotic boyfriend die at the hands of an alien being. That takes a toll on anyone and yet we know next to nothing about Wanda. WandaVision’s biggest strength is the fleshing out of her character, something Elizabeth Olsen is clearly relishing exploring as she imbues the character with a fun, witty charm that belies the dark effects of the mental trauma brought about by Vision’s death in Infinity War. It’s her best work to date as the Sokovian native, clearly priming her for a bigger role going forward and proving that she has the chops required to bear that weight.
Marvel Studios, 2021
We find the magical Avenger inexplicably living in some sort of a sitcom reality, with earlier episodes shot in black and white and costumed to perfection to emulate the styles and humour of shows such as The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bewitched. With Vison somehow by her side, all seems well for Wanda living out her days in suburbia with the occasional unannounced drop-in from nosy neighbour Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) to spice up an episode. These first two episodes of the show are by far the most impressive visually, with sets borne out of the look and feel of sitcom houses of the past, evolving and changing to suit the era of television being parodied whilst always feeling like an evolution of the one house. Similarly, that black and white look requires a great deal of technical wizardry, covering everything from the lighting to the colour of paint Bettany was covered in as Vision to best bring his elaborate costume into the golden age of television. It all combines to showcase a deep reverence for television that goes beyond a cheap gag in Marvel’s first foray into the small screen.
As the story goes on, the style of the show begins to evolve into a more modern television setting, and as Wanda starts to notice strange occurrences in her idyllic home of Westview the action begins to shift to a team of operatives and scientists attempting to gain access to this “world” Wanda has created, seemingly unbeknownst to her. This team consists of previous MCU side-characters; FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) from Ant-Man and the Wasp, theoretical physicist Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) from the first two Thor films and the adult version of Monica Rambeau (Teyonnah Parris) from Captain Marvel on a mission to prevent Tyler Hayward (Josh Stamberg) – director of SHIELD replacement organisation SWORD – from launching an all out attack on the out-of-control Avenger, imploring him to appeal to her better nature rather than seek violence. For fans of the more traditional MCU plot threads, this storyline will be more to your liking, even if it is light on meaningful characterisation or impact in the grander scheme of things. These characters are like comfort food, taken from the more lighthearted MCU instalments and constantly cracking jokes as they explore the world of Wanda’s self-imposed television show.
Marvel Studios, 2021
You see, the way we perceive Wanda’s world as an old-school television show, so too do those living outside of her field of influence, with Darcy and Jimmy quite literally watching the same “episodes” of her show as us on high-tech computers. When we move to a new era of television, more cracks begin to show in both Wanda’s world and the story of WandaVision itself. Twists, in the form of cliffhanger endings, plague the middle run of episodes, constantly introducing new storylines and characters to the point where there simply aren’t enough remaining episodes to address it all. One cliffhanger in particular introduces a character with potentially enormous ramifications for the greater MCU (no spoilers here), which hangs over multiple episodes as we believe this person is being controlled by Wanda and thus not their true self. The reality of this person’s presence is far less interesting than what could have been, with the rushed conclusion to their storyline coming across as cheap and manipulative of the die-hard Marvel fanbase rather than witty and clever as likely intended; retreading the divisive twist of Iron Man 3 to poor effect once again. Seriously Marvel, stop doing that.
Once the ultimate villain of the piece reveals themselves, we’re treated to an admittedly delightful piece of music taking us through this person’s manipulations that raises more questions than it answers; the “big reveal” fooling absolutely no one and making what had come before feel like filler rather than a slow burn given there was something off about the villainous character from day one. Despite their visual proficiency, the first two episodes can really be skipped in their entirety, adding nothing to the overall story other than setting the scene, something which can be gleaned from a quick “previously on…” segment without losing anything of the experience of WandaVision. There is a sense that the creators of the show may have foreseen a response like this, retroactively detailing all the villains nefarious machinations throughout these episodes to middling effect, as we know from watching that nothing of consequence came from these episodes. All that remains is a hollow villain – the hallmark of far too many Marvel projects – whose paper-thin motivations never go beyond attaining inexplicable power and destroying Wanda. It’s a tired, rote tradition that goes against the very ethos of WandaVision’s originality, causing the rushed final episode to lose a lot of the momentum and goodwill it had built up with a generic shoot-a-thon of a final conflict. Even the television spoofing tradition of earlier episodes is turned into a hollow gimmick after a few episodes, with a later attempt to give the show a Modern Family-esque mockumentary style falling short as it clashes against the more traditional Marvel movie feel.
Marvel Studios, 2021
Despite all that, the characterisation of Wanda and Vision shines through – with Olsen and Bettany’s chemistry holding it all together. The reborn Vision may exist largely as a physical manifestation of Wanda’s grief rather than his own fully fledged character, but Bettany still comes to play, spouting some truly profound and emotional one-liners that cut the confused Wanda to her core, prompting some desperate soul-searching that will be compounded in future films. In a somewhat minor spoiler (consider this your warning), the show introduces Tommy (Jett Klyne) and Billy Maximoff (Julian Hilliard), Wanda and Vision’s twin sons borne from her magic. Their presence adds yet another emotional layer to Olsen’s performance, with the role of motherhood now thrust on the already mentally unravelling Avenger amidst a sea of other troubles. Olsen takes all these new aspects of her character introduced throughout the season and folds them into Wanda with ease; paranoid and uneasy as life as she knows it begins to crumble around her. The twins’ appearance also sets up some intriguing storyline’s for Wanda going forward, with that deep maternal connection providing a replacement for the deceased Vision that feels like a natural evolution of the character.
WandaVision is a fascinating gamble from Marvel; one that alternates between feeling wholly original and frustratingly familiar. The decision for Marvel’s introduction to television to play with the concept and history of the medium is a stroke of genius that sets it apart from what has come before in more ways than the size of the screen. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany prove to have the best chemistry in the franchise since Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, selling the absurdity of an android and witch living in suburbia with ease and leaving you with an uneasy sadness in the back of your mind at the thought of Vision’s temporary revival ending. The uniqueness of its television spoofing format does feel like a gimmick at times – one which leaves many questions unanswered and storylines half-baked – and the villain fails to live up to the standard of a Loki or Thanos but at the end of the day WandaVision is about its namesake characters and Wanda and Vision have never felt as fully formed and interesting as they do now. If this is what the future of Marvel looks like, then bring it on.
Marvel Studios, 2021
WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings, Randall Park, Josh Stamberg, Julian Hilliard, Jett Klyne & Evan Peters – Streaming on Disney+ now.
Amazon struck gold with the breakout success of The Boys; turning the superhero genre on its head with a unique blend of balls-to-the-wall violence, extremely crude humour and stark social commentary. If you thought it would be impossible for Amazon to improve on their winning formula then I’m happy to report that you’re dead wrong. The sophomore season of the superhero satire proves it has not lost any of its edge or shock factor; moving from strength to strength as exciting new characters are revealed, the extensive, twisted history of the villainous Vought corporation is laid bare and the relationships between that core band of loveable misfits are tested and strengthened time and time again. The writing continues to be razor sharp as the show dives into a myriad of timely political and social issues, offsetting it all with some truly insane set pieces and jokes that push the boundaries of what a television budget can produce.
Picking up right where Season 1 left off we find Hughie (Jack Quaid) and the rest of the Boys laying low after their climactic confrontation with A-Train (Jesse T. Usher); directionless without Butcher (Karl Urban) to lead them and fearing their imminent death at the hands of the Vought corporation. Once Butcher returns from his solo mission the crew set out to expose the recently discovered “Compound V” – the serum secretly used to create all superheroes – encountering obstacle after obstacle on their way to deliver the truth and disband the superhero system once and for all. Meanwhile we find Homelander (Antony Starr) struggling to maintain his place as leader of the Seven after the death of his former handler, Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue). The unannounced arrival of new hero Stormfront (Aya Cash) not only shakes up Homelander’s world, but the larger American community; with her outspoken, unfiltered speeches radicalising a large portion of the community (remind you of anyone) and tipping the country towards the implementation of a full scale super-powered military force commanded by Vought. Stormfront’s presence only further complicates things for the Boys, and the violence once again gets dialled to eleven as they attempt to infiltrate Vought and bring the organisation down once and for all, leaving a mountain of bodies in their wake.
Amazon Studios, 2020
Let’s get one thing straight. The Boys had a great first season, with excellent character development and some solid world-building that really ingratiated you into this universe of corrupt superheroes being held accountable by a bunch of scoundrels. This season, however, vaults it into the conversation for best show currently airing, worthy of Game of Thrones level hype (hopefully they can stick the landing better). Everything comes together here in a much more compelling package, with a tighter narrative focus that expands and twists and turns towards an unexpected, yet on-brand finale that not only gets the ball in the goal, but blows the whole goal up. Sure no show is perfect, and there is room for improvement with some fat to trim. The Deep’s (Chace Crawford) storyline never really gets going and fails to hit that payoff it constantly seems to be building towards, with the late inclusion of A-Train into his arc suggesting that the show-runners don’t really know what to do with Jesse T. Usher’s disgraced speedster. Yet when a show juggles as many characters as this one does, it is hard to begrudge them a few flaws.
The highlight of the season is undoubtedly Aya Cash’s star-making turn as Stormfront. She is absolutely phenomenal in the role, crafting a chilling portrayal of someone so tapped into the cultural zeitgeist and able to play off the country’s fears to such a convincing degree that she ultimately surpasses Homelander in popularity and threaten’s to overthrow his leadership of the Seven. Her interplay and scenes with the Superman stand-in are equal parts hilarious and terrifying with her wise-cracks and crude social media references disguising a level of cunning so advanced and calculated that she is playing in another mental league to the child-like Homelander. Subtle things like the glint of fear in her eyes when she has sensed she has pushed the big man too far do so much to flesh out the performance and when things get truly unhinged towards the finale Cash goes all-out, rivalling the supervillain hissy-fits of the likes of Loki and Lex Luthor.
Amazon Studios, 2020
That’s not to say that the original cast are outshone, all delivering stellar performances that further their respective arcs with moments that give the audience an insight into their personal lives and what makes them tick. The fleshing out of Frenchie’s (Tomer Capon) backstory is a particular highlight, transforming him from slightly unhinged, weapons obsessed maniac to a tortured soul who buries himself in his work to disguise the terrible guilt he feels over past mistakes. The bond Frenchie develops with Karen Fukuhara’s mute, face-smashing Kimiko is one of the more endearing relationships I have seen in the superhero medium in a long time, with each episode deepening their connection as the two uncover each other’s past and share intimate details, often without any dialogue at all. Kimiko presents the guilt-ridden Frenchie with a path of redemption, by helping someone recover from a terrible tragedy, whilst Frenchie represents a new start for Kimiko, free from her past mistakes and away from her life of violence. It’s these powerful and quiet moments and connections which completely contrast the insanity of the violence and jokes that make you feel like you’re watching something with a voice, a message that goes beyond the sometimes shallowness of other superhero projects.
As with the first season that message is loud and clear this time, with a particular focus on the current commander-in-chief and his recent associations with certain white supremacists. Whilst this might induce a certain weariness from some audience members (Alec Baldwin and his SNL pay checks not withstanding), The Boys presents it in a way that is both fun and easily digestible. You know exactly what the show is alluding to and they all but use the man’s name in pointing out his stupidity, but it never feels heavy-handed and the humour of the situation always lands, even when it is simply a roll of Homelander’s eyes at some absolute rubbish Stormfront is spewing. The social commentary isn’t isolated to Trump roasting though, with side story-lines touching on everything from Scientology-like religious institutions for disgraced super-heroes (AKA #MeToo aggressors) to get their careers back on track to equal rights for the LGBTQ community. It’s all dealt with with a steady stream of curse-word and very NFSW jokes, with a hell of a lot of blood and gore when the action hits to boot. A scene involving a speedboat and a whale is a particular favourite, just make sure you have a strong stomach.
Amazon Studios, 2020
The second season of The Boys not only surpasses the first, but really anything that Amazon has put onto their streaming service. This is an absolute must-watch show and something that absolutely warrants you picking up a subscription ASAP. From the jokes and violence to the social commentary to the powerhouse performances from the entire cast, this is a superhero show that feels so utterly and completely fresh; uncompromising in its commitment to over-the-top, unrelenting entertainment where other big studio superhero shows and films can seem hamstrung by their commitment to bringing in the biggest possible box-office return. What other superhero show have you seen that features heads popping like candy, 20 foot super-powered penises and speedboats punching wholes through aquatic mammals?
Amazon Studios, 2020
The Boys – Season 2 stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Aya Cash, Chace Crawford, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Jessie T. Usher & Giancarlo Esposito – Streaming on Amazon Prime now.
Picture the most crude, irreverent, balls-to-the-wall insane versions of your favourite superheroes and multiply that by a thousand and you’re still not likely to come close to the absolute craziness that is Amazon’s original series The Boys. A riff on the stereotypes of modern superhero movies – which seem to be releasing in a steady torrent these days – The Boys is a breath of fresh air within the genre; poking fun at the character archetypes and superhero mythology that we have become accustomed to in brilliantly inventive, funny and dark ways, whilst maintaining a captivating storyline in a world where superheroes are worshipped as celebrities and the job of fighting crime has been privatised to wring every possible cent out of civilians. With a standout cast of deeply developed characters who are a joy to watch and constantly subvert your expectations The Boys is an absolute win for Amazon and a must-watch for anyone who likes their superheroes with some serious attitude.
In a world where fame is everything (not unlike our own), superheroes are at the top of the pecking order; none more-so than “The Seven” – a Justice League-like group complete with movie deals, merchandising endorsements and reality television shows which capture their heroic deeds and everyday lives. Yes, they’re the super-powered Kardashians. The heroes that make up the Seven are all delightfully over-the-top riffs on established classic heroes including leader of the group, Homelander (Antony Starr) (essentially Superman complete with flight, strength and laser eyes), super-fast A-Train (Jesse T. Usher), Aquaman-lite “The Deep” (Chase Crawford) and newcomer Starlight (Erin Moriarty) – a wide-eyed new recruit who comes to learn the dark price that this level of fame can cost and the moral bankruptcy that it has entranced her fellow heroes. The fame has gone to the Sevens’ heads so completely that they barely blink when A-Train plows through the girlfriend of ordinary citizen Hughie (Jack Quaid) at super-speed, obliterating her in his hands. This minor inconvenience to the Seven and life-altering catastrophe to Hughie sends him on a dark path of revenge and when he is approached by superhero hunter Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), the pair gradually begin to uncover the darker side to this world of superheroes – think enhanced drug rings and covered-up allegations of sexual assault – steadily building their team of misfits as they head towards a showdown with the Seven.
Amazon Studios, 2019
What makes The Boys so special is just how deftly it weaves timely social commentary and hilarious jokes together within the superhero genre without ever coming across as pandering or a cheap spoof. This is a show that clearly owes a lot to the superhero genre as a whole, being based off the comic series written by Garth Ennis, and has a lot of love for those characters and stories, and infuses these classic tropes and characters with overemphasised and extreme traits to make a compelling statement about just how much absolute power can corrupt an individual and warp their originally good intentions. Homelander’s arc in this way is one of the most interesting explorations of the character of Superman without him actually being called that. The man is essentially a God and the constant panhandling and press that he must carry out in order to make the executives of the Vought Company (the Seven’s managing organisation) happy has twisted and corrupted his desire to be seen as a hero so badly that he engages in some truly awful activities to achieve this goal. Similarly, Hughie is plucked from obscurity and forced to learn some hard truths about the world in order to really stand up for himself and make a difference in the superhero-dominated society. Some of the most hilarious (and gruesome) moments in the whole season come from just how completely out of his depth Hughie is in the company of Butcher and his friends and his struggle to adopt the violent methods of the team. Seriously, this show is not for the weak stomached.
The Boys constantly has its finger on the pulse when it comes to these social issues, whether it be its exploration of addiction and the dependency it can cause or the recent #MeToo movement. None of these storylines are ever preachy or purely there for shock value but rather serve to further character’s motivations and story arcs. They’re also subtle when they have to be. There is an initial inciting incident that sparks the #MeToo sub-plot and it is very obvious what has occurred, but the show takes its time bringing up the ways this encounter has wreaked havoc on that character’s mental state and overall self-confidence. When push comes to shove and the season’s conflicts come to a head, the responses of this character feel justified and not shoehorned in; a constant struggle rather than a “remember this scene from episode 1” moment. This kind of background storytelling is constant in The Boys with a number of blink and you’ll miss it references and details that add to the overall storyline of these characters. Despite the Wonder Woman-esque character of Maeve (Dominique McElligott) having a minimal amount of screen-time, I understood her character and her precarious place within the Seven perfectly well based on the subtle cues to her performance and little side comments that other characters make. These are just small little touches but they really go a long way to elevating the show beyond regular, generic superhero fare and making this feel like a lived in world.
Amazon Studios, 2019
Something that can’t be overstated but that will somehow be overlooked by a lot of people is the way that The Boys is presented. The aspect ratio and overall colour grading of the film are far more cinematic than most television shows (superhero or not); so much so that it could stand toe-to-toe against top-tier Marvel and DC films in the overall quality and presentation. It goes that extra step further towards making the whole experience more immersive and imitating that feel of a big-budget blockbuster through camera techniques is an excellent way of hiding the fact that you may not have the budget to match those films. What isn’t going unnoticed in The Boys however, is the performances. The show is full of great ones, with almost no weak links apart from Jesse T Usher’s somewhat varied performance. It’s hard to pick his motivations sometimes and Usher doesn’t always nail the nuance needed to portray A-Train’s fragile mental state. The highlights (hard to pick just a few) here are the always phenomenal Karl Urban as Billy Butcher – a man whose fairly one-note motivation of hatred for superheroes is explored as you spend more time with him and the emotional walls are broken down to reveal a tortured, devastating past – and Antony Starr as Homelander – a man as equally, if not more tortured than Butcher, but who has chosen to see only the negative from his position of power and look past the plights of the people he is meant to be saving. Jack Quaid, the son of veteran actor Dennis Quaid, also gives a phenomenal performance as the new kid on the block Hughie, and the humour he lends to the role keeps it from dipping into the stereotypical “new guy” area that first season storyline’s so often slip into.
The Boys is one of the best, most downright enjoyable shows of recent memory and an absolute triumph for Amazon Studios. An excellent subversion of superhero genre tropes combined with insightful social commentary without ever losing that sense of fun and excitement, the series absolutely sings when it is at its gory best and makes you think during those quieter moments, with thoughtful, well rounded performances from the entire cast which will have you begging for that second season to come sooner. This is one of the rare examples where one show is absolutely worth subscribing to a streaming service (Fleabag is also great if you’re on the fence) but it is hard to imagine the team losing any of the series’ momentum and fun in the second season and if you haven’t seen it, now is the perfect time to go back and experience The Boys for the first time.
Amazon Studios, 2019
The Boys– Season 1 stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Karen Fukuyama, Tomer Capon, Dominique McElligott, Chace Crawford, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg & Elisabeth Shue – Streaming on Amazon Prime and available to purchase on iTunes now.
Space Force is the latest offering from television comedy mastermind Greg Daniels, superstar creator of shows that frequently enter the discussion for best series of all time including Parks and Recreation, animated classic King of the Hill and the US version of The Office. With such a prestigious back catalogue, the hype that surrounded his latest military-centric workplace comedy was more than warranted. If that wasn’t enough, Space Force assembled an amazing array of comedic talent as development went on including series lead Steve Carell (who co-wrote the show with Daniels), Lisa Kudrow, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Fred Willard and the incomparable John Malkovich. All these excellent pieces make it all the more disappointing when the final product is as bad as Space Force is. When you can count the number of genuinely funny or even mildly chuckle-worthy moments on one hand you know that your comedy isn’t doing its job and it seems that the writing is to blame here, with Carell and Daniels unable to really decide on what Space Force is supposed to be. Is it a kooky workplace comedy like The Office? Is it a political satire, as the series’ Trump-inspired title and premise suggests? The answer is somehow both at times but mostly neither, with the resulting product a hellishly unfunny slog to get through. Strap me to a chair and force me to watch all of Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill on repeat for 10 hours and I’d have a better time than one episode of Space Force.
Right off the bat the show seems like a misfire in its intent. Cracking a joke about Donald Trump definitely isn’t a new concept and many shows and movies have been doing it since his election in 2016 – to admittedly mixed results – because while the man is a ridiculously easy target, jokes need to still hit the right notes with some finesse to stand out. Space Force lives and dies on the idea that Trump’s admittedly silly idea to create a new branch of the military dedicated to conquering space is the funniest and most ridiculous thing anybody has ever said, enough that they felt the need to make an entire show to prove to the man just how ridiculous he is (as if he’s not constantly watching replays of himself on The Apprentice). Carell and Daniels have seemingly been so swept up in the absolute hilarity of this practical joke that they forgot to give any thought to whether Space Force actually works as a show. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. It’s not clear if the assembly of its fantastic comedic cast is simply to double down on the joke (let’s get one of the best working actors in John Malkovich to do something in this Trump roast) or whether they were all very interested in the idea. Either way, they’re all completely wasted. But I digress; let’s get to the plot.
Netflix, 2020
Space Force revolves around Mark Naird (Carell), a recently promoted 4 star General who has been tasked with heading up the newest eponymous branch of the military. To the other branch heads (Jane Lynch, Patrick Warburton, Noah Emmerich & Diedrich Bader), Space Force is a joke, a mockery of the military that will surely be the downfall of Naird, but the man himself is determined to turn the ragtag group into a legitimate military force on par with the Navy and Army. Surrounding himself with a cast of colourful characters including Chief Scientist Dr Adrian Mallory (Malkovich), Mallory’s assistant Dr Chan Kaifang (Jimmy O. Wang), Head of Social Media F. Tony Scarapiducci (Ben Schwartz) and his trusty assistant Brad (Don Lake), Naird deals with the day to day problems of not only getting to and establishing a base on the moon and but dealing with constant advancements by rival countries China and India. Add to that the added stress of being a single father to teenage daughter Erin (Diana Silvers) since Naird’s wife Maggie (Lisa Kudrow) is in prison for an undisclosed reason and you have yourself a tightly wound man (and remember this is supposedly a comedy) who is in desperate need of shenanigans.
Unfortunately for Naird, those shenanigans are awful. It’s plain to just about everyone with a set of eyes and ears that Donald Trump is something of a deviant, but a 3 episode story arc about the President incentivising Mark to catch a spy within his Force by inexplicably denying him a conjugal visit with his wife is just overkill. There’s no subtlety to it at all and that applies to just about every joke. There’s a joke about all Asian people liking K-Pop; a joke about Trump’s dislike for the African-American community and a joke about people from the South having learning disabilities; and believe me, I use the term “joke” loosely. More often than not, the show just forces these jokes down your throat without a punchline or any comedic value at all: a man from Alabama speaks in a stereotypical drawl and says some stupid things, implying people from the South (AKA Trump supporters to the writers) are stupid. It’s offensive and crass and perhaps worst of all: not funny. It’s simply ridiculous that the man who co-wrote and starred in The 40 Year-Old Virgin has written jokes this unfunny. Hell, the conjugal visit storyline is almost a cut-copy of that film, with Naird being separated from his wife for 6 months. Give me old good jokes rather than terrible ones. Daniels also struggles to produce anything special too, with the man responsible for some of the greatest comedies of all time unable to crack a smile let alone draw genuine laughs here. Sure, the first seasons of both The Office and Parks and Recreation weren’t spectacular, but they at least showed potential, whereas I will (thankfully) never allow myself to view this atrocity again.
Netflix, 2020
It’s clear that everyone involved can and have done good things, and that’s not to say that anyone involved here isn’t trying. It’s simply that the show’s premise is such a huge misfire and everyone was so smitten with the idea that they forgot to write decent characters or jokes. Malkovich and Ben Schwartz are really the only standouts to be found. Malkovich simply can’t do anything wrong and brings a dry sarcastic wit to the Chief Scientist, with his exhaustion at Naird’s incompetence almost a surrogate for the audiences complete disinterest in the show itself. Nevertheless there are a few moments that attempt to flesh out Mallory’s character and Malkovich pulls them off with ease, making you feel ever so slightly for him as he is constantly shouted down and generally mistreated. Schwartz, who is now the voice of the highest grossing video-game film icon Sonic the Hedgehog, is clearly drawing on his other Daniels’ created character from Parks and Recreation: Jean-Ralphio Saperstein. The man simply oozes energy and charisma and no amount of terrible jokes can stop him from giving his all in the delivery, creating a few laughs simply from his actions and general body language, rather than the words themselves. He is a huge boon to the series and is criminally underused in the first season, however I would much rather see him lead his own series than return for the (unfortunately) inevitable second season.
From the preceding words you may have come to the conclusion that I hate Space Force and I’d have to say you’re pretty close. It’s hard to pinpoint another comedy series with this much potential and hype which has misfired so totally, so completely, that I’d rather scratch my eyes out than watch another frame. Steve Carell has graced us with easily his worst performance here, right alongside the abysmal Dinner for Schmucks and Daniels has unfortunately broken that winning television streak he has spent years cultivating. If there is a lesson to take from Space Force, however, it is surely that your central idea needs to come from a place of genuine love for comedy and a desire to make people laugh; not to aggressively and badly roast a political figure in a way that only serves to turn people off your work, rather than a man who half the known world already despises.
Netflix, 2020
Space Force stars Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy O. Wang, Don Lake, Patrick Warburton, Jane Lynch, Noah Emmerich & Ben Schwartz – Streaming now on Netflix.
In today’s television landscape it seems like there is a new streaming service almost every other week. The rise of streaming titan Netflix has seen the emergence of several competitors, some more successful than others, including Amazon Prime, Disney+ and most recently, Apple TV+. The latter has been treading water for a few months now and with its initial lineup offering little hype for the service, consumers have been left wondering just when we’d see some more genuinely exciting, must-watch content. Well that wait is over with the release of Defending Jacob, Apple’s latest crime-drama limited series starring none other than Chris ‘Captain America’ Evans in a role far removed from his super-hero alter-ego. Whilst it may not be the must-see series that turns people onto the service, Defending Jabob is nevertheless an engaging, if familiar at times, legal procedural/murder mystery which is raised above other similar series by stellar performances from Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell and J.K Simmons.
Defending Jacob begins as former District Attorney Andy Barber (Chris Evans) takes the stand to be questioned at a trial. The circumstances of the trial are not clear to us but the series of questions asked of Barber serve as the impetus for flashbacks retelling the main series of events. The book on which Defending Jacob is based, written by William Landay, utilises legal transcripts as a framing device to take the reader back to this trial. It’s an inventive concept in the medium of a book but in terms of a crime-procedural television series, it unfortunately doesn’t come across this way and feels clichéd given this device’s prevalence in the genre. Within these flashbacks we focus on the murder of a young boy named Ben Rifkin (Liam Kilbreth), a classmate of Andy’s teenage son Jacob (Jaeden Martell). Initially in charge of investigating the case, Andy is unceremoniously removed when Jacob is accused of the murder and taken into custody. From here on out we follow the Barber family, including matriarch Laurie (Michelle Dockery), as they prepare for a trial to prove Jacob’s innocence, uncovering a web of secrets and lies that haunt the Barber name and which threaten to destroy the peaceful Massachusetts community of Newton and the show’s well meaning, seemingly ordinary family.
Apple TV+, 2020
Whilst the framing device of the trial might not be the most original, what differentiates Defending Jacob within the genre is the decision to focus not on the murder itself per se, but on the psychological aspect of committing a murder. How does one commit such a despicable act and do Andy and Laurie really believe that their son is capable of such a thing? It’s a fascinating route to go down and creator Mark Bomback and series director Morten Tyldum play with viewers’ expectations in giving you almost all the details of the case and the factors that are at play from the outset. The series doesn’t rely on cheap twists (for the most part) and instead presents a deep dive into each of the three members of the Barber family, making you question whether you really know any of them at all at one point or another. Evans and Dockery are fantastic (we’ll get to them later) but the central cog in the wheel here is Jacob himself, Jaeden Martell. He’s so perfect in the role as what some might consider the typical annoying teenager but he takes it a step further, switching gears constantly to make you feel for the terrified boy thrown in the deep end and facing life in prison but who also seems to be harbouring a darker side – just off-kilter and dark enough to give you serious doubts about his innocence. It’s a difficult juggling act to keep you so invested without making you feel he is completely innocent, completely guilty or so unlikeable that you don’t care anymore and the young actor pulls it off with a finesse that many veteran actors would be unable to achieve.
The series’ decision to let the story breathe and just sit with these characters for so much of the show might just be audiences’ biggest problem with it. While it allows for rich development of the characters, the series often introduces plot lines, seemingly to fill some of the air time, often leaving them unfinished and potentially leaving some viewers feeling cheated. The series doesn’t necessarily abandon these plot lines however, so much as it leaves them open-ended for interpretation. Take the characters of Ben’s parents for example: they have just lost their only son and are obviously struggling under the ridiculous weight of such a traumatic event. Tyldum and Bomback revisit these characters periodically throughout the show as an examination of how people cope with these situations and to illustrate the impact of the murder on the wider community outside of the Barber family. Other, less psychologically reflective storylines which are left unanswered can confuse and frustrate the audience, just as the characters in the series are confused and frustrated. This feels more like an intentional choice which works wonders to invest you and put you in the shoes of the characters, rather than to fill run time with unfinished storylines.
Apple TV+, 2020
Despite its weekly episodic role-out, Defending Jacob is very much suited to the binge-watching streaming era, and this is the way I would recommend you watch it. Continuous immersion in the story and characters only deepens your investment and for a show that wants to make you think and potentially reflect on your own life, the longer it can keep you thinking that way the more successful and impactful it is. Whilst the ending may be polarising to some (no spoilers) it is very much in line with what has come before and your satisfaction with it will likely be elevated if you have continuously lived with these characters and their struggles.
The other key element which elevates Defending Jacob from a mundane crime drama is the phenomenal cast, led by Evans, Dockery and Martell. Evans is amazing here, given the chance to do something wholly different to Captain America: a suburban father with a dark past who has buried feelings of guilt and anger deep within himself and finds himself flung into the spotlight, forced to reflect on his life; bringing long buried emotions to the surface. It’s a quiet measured role, with Evans taking the full span of the series to unfurl Andy’s motivations and worsening emotions as the screws tighten around the family. Whilst his chemistry with Dockery isn’t anything particularly special, he is clearly in command of his own character and through his facial expressions and carefully considered dialogue we feel for the Barber patriarch, who is either undergoing a particularly bad spell of luck or is receiving his just desserts, depending on which way you look at it.
Apple TV+, 2020
Dockery, similarly, is great; given more of a chance to show her character’s emotions outwardly, her response to certain secrets and revelations is truly heartbreaking and you feel that this is a woman in the terrible situation of having to confront the fact that she may not know who her son is; that he may be far more evil than she ever could have imagined given their seemingly enviable suburban life. Last but certainly not least is the great J.K. Simmons, who plays the small but integral role of Billy Barber, Andy’s incarcerated father whose involvement in the case is seemingly limited at first but comes to have more significance than expected. Simmons is outstanding as the slightly unhinged estranged grandfather to Jacob who has been absent his whole life. There is a sadness behind his eyes as his attempts to reconcile with Andy are batted away and Simmons displays an extraordinary ability to switch between that sadness and a blinding fury in the blink of an eye.
While it may not be enough on its own to entice you to subscribe to Apple TV+, Defending Jacob is nonetheless an outstanding slice of courtroom drama/crime procedural television which is given significant weight and purpose through outstanding performances from the entire cast, led by Chris Evans, and the director and creator’s willingness to deviate from the norm and explore an aspect of these stories that is often underdeveloped or forgotten about entirely. Despite some clichéd story beats which have become a staple of the genre and a lack of chemistry between Dockery and Evans, Defending Jacob is still an engrossing watch that will introduce you to a new side of Chris Evans, and if this is any indication of things to come, then the former star-spangled Avenger’s future looks bright.
Apple TV+, 2020
Defending Jacob stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel & J.K. Simmons – Streaming on Apple TV+ now.
Alex Garland’s new limited series Devs asks some big questions. What is life? Do we really have free will? Do our choices in any way alter our destiny? It’s heavy stuff and as with his other work – 2015’s Ex-Machina and 2018’s Annihilation – Garland approaches it in a realistic, grounded way; choosing to ask these questions and analyse the results through strong, well rounded characters and a central story which slowly weaves its central mystery with high concept science-fiction until something truly special has taken shape. The format of television allows Garland to really flex his storytelling talents – building tension and creating a slow burn mystery that nails the payoff (in my opinion) – as well as showcasing all the usual hallmarks of his work on a grander scale: phenomenal sound design, an epic, haunting score from Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury and a unique visual aesthetic that looks more akin to a feature film than a television series. Combine that with outstanding performances from the entire cast including relative newcomer Sonoya Mizuno and a transformative Nick Offerman, who leaves his Parks and Recreation character of Ron Swanson in the rearview mirror, and you have a wholly unique 8 hours of television that feels completely unlike anything else around.
We begin our trip down the rabbit hole following Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno), an expert coder who, along with boyfriend Sergei (Karl Glusman), works for major tech company Amaya under the command of the enigmatic and mysterious Forest (Nick Offerman) – a dishevelled, bearded hippy version of Steve Jobs. When Sergei is selected to join the Devs team – working on a secret project with ramifications that could change the world – he gets a chance to meet and interact with the team closest to Forest, including the methodical and cunning second-in-command Katie (Alison Pill) and friendlier yet no less conceited developers Lyndon (Cailee Spaeny) and Stewart (Stephen McKinley Henderson). After Sergei mysteriously disappears, Lily launches an investigation of her own, determined to uncover what Sergei was working on before he disappeared, roping in ex-boyfriend Jamie (Jin Ha) for help. Her journey leads her down a twisting, ever changing path involving ex-FBI hitmen, corporate espionage and more secrets than she knows what to do with as Lily narrows in on the Devs program and their work, destroying her perceptions about herself and the world around her as she knew them along the way.
FX Productions, 2020
The choice to present the show as what amounts to an 8 hour film rather than a traditional 2 hour feature does wonders for the story here, allowing Garland to really flesh out his characters and dig deep into what makes them tick. This is most evident in the character of Forest, whose slow demystification throughout the series reveals a beaten down shell of a man who has experienced terrible tragedy and whose mental state in running a company, and more specifically the Devs project, should be called into question. Offerman takes Forest from this cold, unlikeable billionaire who seems completely removed from reality due to his high status and makes the audience really feel for him, to the point that he often steals the spotlight from Sonoya Minuzo, despite her great work. It’s a far more layered, nuanced role than his career defining Ron Swanson and a welcome change of pace, allowing Offerman to really showcase his range, from calm and withdrawn to fully unhinged, and its the kind of role I wish we saw more of from him. Right up there with Offerman is Alison Pill, who completely commands the screen in her own right as Katie. What begins as a stereotypical gruff second-in-command who sucks up to the boss quickly defies expectations as Katie develops into one of the shows most interesting and complex characters, constantly battling between her love for Forest as this god-like figure and her belief and adherence to the laws of nature and science that he is breaking. Its Pill’s best role to date and her scenes with Offerman are electric and, at times, heartbreaking, as she struggles with her feelings for this man who has given her so much.
That’s all not to say that the rest of the cast isn’t phenomenal, with Sonoya Minuzo approaching the character of Lily with a quiet calm that slowly unravels as she finds her understanding of the world around her lessening and the reality of the situation hits her. Minuzo plays the character as very introverted, skirting the line of the stereotypical quiet “computer person” and while some may find this a boring choice and struggle to latch onto her character, I found that Lily actually felt like a real person, with real human responses to the unfolding insanity. Similarly, Jin Ha plays the character of Jamie, Lily’s ex-boyfriend, in much the same calm way, albeit with more internal conflict between his desire to help Lily and his fear of being rejected again. The pair have a great chemistry that slowly builds as the boundaries between them crumble and they make a compelling on-screen pair thanks to their down-to-earth, calculated approach to the overwhelming odds facing them.
FX Productions, 2020
All of Garland’s work so far has mixed very high-concept science fiction with relatable human emotions and stories. Just look at Ex-Machina: an exploration of AI and the potential for it to overtake and subsume the human race combined with a somewhat familiar story of a man falling for a woman in a relationship with another man; albeit a deeply unhealthy relationship between creator and creation. Working within the medium of a standard feature film, Garland is forced to condense his ideas and subsequent exploration of them into the standard two hours, and he does this incredibly well; crafting a tense, deeply engrossing story that you should see if you haven’t already. Devs gives him the chance to really go wild and explore his interests here as far as this high concept sci-fi goes. In the broadest strokes Devs examines human will and free choice or the illusion of it; the possibility that each moment in all of our histories are pre-determined and cannot be changed. It’s lofty stuff that, in all honesty, I’m not sure I’ve quite fully grasped and will probably require a second viewing to really understand. Yet I’m totally fine with doing so as the human story at play is so engrossing and the mystery so enticing; an old fashioned corporate espionage narrative that understands its characters and never relies on tropes of the genre to get by. Your satisfaction with how it all wraps up may vary, I for one was satisfied but could have done with just a bit more to give things some finality, but it’s the journey, not the destination that matters and in that regard Devs absolutely delivers.
It’s also an astounding show from a technical perspective. I can’t remember the last time I was so enamoured with the sound of a show before, with the booming synths and gargled electronic sounds of the score cutting through the sterile almost computer generated silence of scenes, as if the sound is a glitch tied to Lily’s discoveries and the threat posed to Amaya. This almost computer-generated quality extends to the visuals, which look spectacular, the closest a show has come to resembling a theatrical film since Game of Thrones. The basic sets and locations are all incredibly aesthetically pleasing and well kept; from Lily’s perfectly manicured apartment to the Google-like grandeur of the Amaya campus. It’s the Devs building, though, that really impresses: a building from well into the future that inspires both awe and a feeling of foreboding; coloured completely bright, vivid gold with the central building suspended by electromagnets, it is a glimpse at the power that Amaya commands and the resources they have at their disposal – an immovable force that Lily finds herself up against.
FX Productions, 2020
Devs might just be Alex Garland’s best work to date. Drawing from all the strengths of his earlier projects, Garland has crafted a near-perfect slow burn show that allows him to explore the science fiction concepts he so clearly loves on a larger scale, combining it with an addictive human narrative and fully fleshed out characters that I couldn’t wait to check in with each week. Whilst the ending may be dissatisfying to some, the journey towards it is anything but boring, reeling you in and exposing you to concepts and ideas that make you think beyond the story of the show. With terrific performances across the board, particularly Nick Offerman, who delivers his best, most layered work yet, there really isn’t an excuse for you not to check out Devs as soon as you can.
FX Productions, 2020
Devsstars Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, Alison Pill, Jin Ha, Karl Glusman, Cailee Spaeny & Stephen McKinley Henderson – available to stream now on Foxtel in Australia and on Hulu in America.
Television’s pop culture icon Stranger Things has just launched its third chapter into the world – to understandably high expectations – following the brilliant sci-fi adventures of season one and season two. We’ve followed our favourite characters through all the drama that’s come their way, and so we were all eagerly awaiting what the next instalment would bring to the table. Stranger Things Season Three succeeds in giving us all that we’ve come to love and expect from the series: brilliant interactions between its many characters, flashy 80’s nostalgia, horrifying demons and unapologetic nerdiness. Despite this however, the latest season doesn’t quite meet the impossibly high mark set by its predecessors, due mainly to some broad narrative decisions and a complicated plot that results in quite possibly the strangest season yet.
Note: While we don’t delve too deep into the finer plot details, we will be discussing key characters and high-level developments. If you’re looking to go into the season completely unaware, make sure you watch it first before reading on.
First things first, season three is intense. With a much darker and horror-focused run of episodes than ever before, this season doesn’t hold back when it comes to violence and gore. While the series has a history of some pretty hostile encounters (such as the finale of season one or the Demodogs of Hawkins’ Lab in season two), expect to see much more blood, beatings and death throughout this one. Horror has always been a key aspect of Stranger Things – the previous seasons were filled with slow-burn, high tension scares – but this time around the horror is far more in-your-face. In keeping with the 80’s charm of films like Nightmare on Elm Street and The Terminator, you’ll find the scares delivered through some nasty looking monsters and relentless chase scenes that aim to keep you on the edge of your seat. This is a refreshing direction for the series as a whole to take, proving that the show is evolving and maturing along with its characters and time period. Our leads are no longer kids playing board games in the basement and we’ve watched as they’ve all grown despite the dangers of the Upside-Down, so it only makes sense that the villains have grown bigger and more sinister as a result.
Netflix, 2019
Speaking of growth, Stranger Things‘ fantastic young cast have come a long way since we last saw them. Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Will (Noah Schnapp), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Max (Sadie Sink) are all firmly in their teens now, and this brings with it a number of changes to the group’s dynamic. Mike and Eleven are continuing where they left off at the close of season two, with their relationship and its effect on those around them being a constant theme throughout the season. Both young actors turn in another set of great performances this time around, with Millie Bobby Brown again delivering another stand-out performance as the complex Eleven. Like Dustin and Steve (Joe Keery) last season, we get a great new pairing between Max and Eleven as the two girls form a strong duo in what was originally an all-boys club.
With even Dustin managing to (apparently) find love while away on summer camp, this all leaves Will feeling isolated and separated from the core group – even more than usual. Schnapp’s character has less of a central role here compared to prior seasons, however he still does great work in showing the audience just how far the group has come while simultaneously longing to gain back the time he’s lost to the Upside-Down. Season three goes hard on the aspect of growing up and moving on, so it makes sense that each of the kids begin forging their own paths – ultimately weakening the tight-knit brotherhood we’ve come to know and love in the process.
Our other Hawkins favourites have also been busy during the break, with some faring better than others. Joyce (Winona Ryder) continues to mourn her loss from the most recent Hawkins’ disaster, managing to keep her mind occupied by looking into some strange occurrences around town during the summer. Ryder is an absolute gem here as always, and is able to deliver some powerful scenes which really highlight her growth over the course of the show. While she does play the curious, conspiracy-theorising single mother well, her character spends a large portion of the season following some highly questionable breadcrumbs and jumping to conclusions that seem far-fetched, even by her standards. While this has been done to keep the plot moving and give her something to do, it’s hard not to notice that Joyce has very little stakes in the game this time around. Without any real motive or genuine urgency, her story arc can almost feel a bit watered-down at times.
Police Chief Hopper (David Harbour) is again along for Joyce’s ride, if only as an excuse to spend more time with his not-so-secret crush. Harbour reprises his role as the iron fist of Hawkins, playing him harder and more aggravated than usual this season, and he spends most of his time taking the law into his own hands and knocking some heads together. Even though he plays something of a brute for majority of the show, Hop does get a chance to show some raw emotion in the scenes he shares with Joyce and his adoptive daughter Eleven. It’s a good thing that both Harbour and Ryder continue to have such great chemistry, as their charm is what carries us through some of the more far-reaching sections of the plot.
Netflix, 2019
While his mother is off with Hopper, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) begins interning at the town’s local newspaper – the Hawkins Post – alongside his now-official girlfriend Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer). Dyer’s character struggles to make a good impression in the male dominated workplace, and this drives an interesting arc for her and Jonathan as they aim to break a big story that will put her critics in their place. It’s all well and good until their plot-line is completely tossed aside when something bigger comes along, and is never spoken of again.
Similarly, Nancy’s mother Karen (Cara Buono) is given much more to do at the start of the season than ever before, looking set to lift her character into a more prominent role alongside the other leading names. However her storyline is also left by the wayside before too long, and her very minimal appearances later in the season have her revert to the oblivious housewife she played in season one. While these characters are still fantastic and a joy to watch throughout, their individual story arcs highlight the general plot issues with this season. While the show has previously managed to organically link the narrative threads of its characters neatly in time for the finale, season three appears happy to cut ties with loose ends in order to hit certain story beats for the central and, quite frankly, farfetched plot-line.
Without spoiling too much, Stranger Things Season Three plays heavily on the 80’s hysteria of the threat of Russian invasion. The show attempts to shake things up by moving away from the usual US government conspiracies, however in doing so it loses much of its plausibility and logic. Whilst a fictional sci-fi adventure riddled with psychic powers, alternate dimensions and nightmarish monsters doesn’t exactly scream believability, Stranger Things has always been grounded when it came to actually delivering these stories. However the Russian angle is never really explained at all, and what the audience is expected to believe has been done by the foreigners in the space of a year is pretty outrageous.
Thankfully the majority of scenes on this side of the plot are carried by the brilliant ongoing pairing of Dustin and Steve, along with a couple of new companions. Steve has recently started working in an ice-cream store in Hawkins’ new Starcourt Mall, alongside former classmate Robin (Maya Hawke). Hawke is a great new addition to the cast, and she plays another strong, smart and layered character that has great chemistry with Keery and Matarazzo. Rounding out this group in season three is the left-field addition of Erica (Priah Ferguson), Lucas’ wildly outspoken younger sister who briefly appeared in previous seasons to spit fire on her brother and his friends. The young Ferguson is great in her role as the no-nonsense character who knows exactly what she wants, and the group of four are more than enough to keep each episode afloat – even when they’re dealing with what may just be the most bumbling and useless military unit we’ve ever seen.
Netflix, 2019
Rounding out the cast of season three is Dacre Montgomery, who returns as Max’s step-brother Billy Hargrove, easily receiving the most development of any of the show’s characters this year. Having relatively minimal screen-time, yet an important role in season two, he becomes centre to many of this season’s events and a person of interest for most of the cast. Montgomery does excellent work in bringing the conflicted Billy to life once again – especially when he’s conveying the fluctuating emotions and actions that his role demands. We’re shown quite a bit more of the troubled character’s motives through some haunting interactions with Eleven, as well as through his relationship with step-sister Max, which has been greatly expanded following season two.
It’s also around Billy that we see much of the show’s phenomenal special effects work and monster designs, with the growing budget and resources being put to good use here. The creatures on show look like modern day adaptations of the ugliest monstrosities from 1982’s The Thing, and the grand finale is just as flashy and explosive as we’ve all come to expect. In ending the season with such a bang – as well as with some reflective and touching closing moments – season three does come some way in redeeming its fairly average central plot, and it helps to remind us that Stranger Things is first and foremost about its brilliant characters, their complex relationships and the bonds that tie them all together.
The third instalment of Stranger Things is ultimately another wild ride with our favourite Hawkins characters, weaving a compelling sci-fi tale while revelling in 80’s nostalgia and monster movie madness. While areas of the plot certainly require some grand leaps of imagination and logic, the darker tone and ongoing relationships between the talented cast have made the Duffer Brother’s latest outing a success. It’s almost certain that we’ll see a fourth chapter in the Stranger Things story, and at this point all we can do is wait and see where the next one will take us. With an ensemble of characters larger than ever before and a willingness to take the series to dark new places, Stranger Things Season Three has proven that it’s not afraid to challenge our expectations – and that it’s still the toughest kid on the block.
Netflix, 2019
Stranger Things Season Threestars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Dacre Montgomery, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton – streaming now on Netflix.
The second season of Stranger Things had some high expectations leading up to its release. Following the runaway success of the first season was always going to be a challenge, but the young cast and the Duffer Brothers managed to pull off another home run on their second outing. In reaching the seemingly impossible heights set by its predecessor, Stranger Things Season Two provides another chapter of one of the finest and well written sci-fi offerings on TV. So with the hotly anticipated third season releasing in time for this weekend, there’s never been a better time to make sure you’re all caught up on everything that’s gone down in Hawkins.
Series two begins a year after the conclusion of the last, with everyone adjusting to normal life again after their chaotic search for Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). The four leading lads have returned to school, however it’s quickly obvious that things aren’t quite the same. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is still struggling to move on after losing his psychic companion Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who hasn’t been seen since the closing battle of Season One. The friction this creates between him and the other characters is an underlying theme for most episodes of this season, especially as it seems his friends were able to move on much quicker than he has been able to. His combative nature and defeated attitude does tend to wear a bit over time, however Mike isn’t as central this time as he was in the opening season – allowing the fantastic supporting cast a chance to shine as well. For instance, Will picks up a much larger amount of screentime this time around, given he played a lost victim for just about all of the show’s first outing. His transition back into normal life is certainly the hardest, as he tries to slip back into a community that pronounced him dead not too long ago. Will also suffers from intense flashbacks and dark visions of the Upside-Down – a consequence of his time lost on the other side. Noah Schnapp’s character certainly gets put through the ringer this season, however his great performance and full range of believable emotion is just another example of the top-level talent within Stranger Things’ young cast.
Netflix, 2017
That’s not to say that the more experienced actors are lacking here though. Winona Ryder reprises her role as Will’s mother Joyce Byers, somehow hitting a new level of protective parenting after the events of season one. While her actions can come off as pretty overbearing at times, you can’t help but feel as if it’s warranted after all she went through to get her son back a year prior. To this end, Joyce and Will continue to make visits to the Hawkins’ Lab in order to monitor his condition – and to keep the lab central to the overall plot running through this second season. Balancing Joyce’s stress out slightly is her old classmate and new lover – the ever-pleasant Bob (Sean Astin). Astin’s character is almost an antithesis to the entire show, shying away from scares and Hawkins’ rough nature to instead be the calm and placid rock Joyce desperately needs. It makes sense then that Joyce continues to rely on the gritty and no-nonsense police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) to help her and her son for much of the season. Harbour puts on another stellar performance as he did in the show’s first outing, given some great scenes to flex his acting and emotional chops. Season two places Eleven in Hopper’s care, with Jim quickly becoming a surrogate parent to the wayward teen – seeing in her the daughter he’d lost years ago. Hopper attempts to give Eleven a normal childhood whilst being acutely aware the danger she in at all times while Eleven, for her part, is trying her best to slip into everyday life which, naturally for a teenager, includes some pushback against the authority figure. It’s this kind of innately human everyday situation, spiced with a healthy dose of government conspiracy and mental powers that makes the dynamic between the two so fantastic and infinitely watchable, and the duo represents just one of the second season’s unlikely – yet hugely successful – character pairings.
It’s impossible to talk about this season’s teamups without mentioning the dynamic duo that is Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve (Joe Keery). Having next to nothing to do with each other in the previous year, the two certainly aren’t the first characters that audiences were expecting to see pairing up this season – but the two just work. There’s some sort of younger/older brother vibe that the duo tap into, with Keery’s character acting as a mentor to the younger Dustin – when the two aren’t trading insults and banter at every other opportunity. When he’s not parading around Hawkins with his charismatic offsider, Steve acts as one third of the ongoing love triangle between himself, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). Dyer and Heaton offer up another great turn as their respective characters, torn between their feelings for each other, the plights of their younger siblings and Nancy’s mission to avenge the death of a friend lost during season one. A strength of this season is certainly the increased screentime it allows for these characters, shifting focus from the core young cast to create a number of intertwining and interesting stories that stand strong in their own right.
Netflix, 2017
This broader approach also opened the doors for some new characters to shake things up this season – namely red-headed skater Max (Sadie Sink) and her older step-brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery). The two enter the scene after moving with their newly married parents from California, and both have big impacts on the characters and events across the season. Max quickly catches the interest of Dustin and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) with her high arcade scores and fierce attitude, creating some competition between the two boys as they do their best to catch her attention. Her attempt to slide into the core group creates tension between the existing members, which in turn provides for some dramatic confrontations and fractures within the team alongside their bigger problems. Max’s initial stand-offish nature comes back to her tenuous relationship with new step-brother Billy Hargrove. Billy is a few years older than Max, and quickly begins a move to knock Steve off of his perch as alpha at Hawkins’ High. Australian actor Dacre Montgomery does fantastic work as this complex character, capturing all the worst archetypes of young guys in the 80’s as his womanising, racist and narcissistic personality clashes with just about everyone he meets. A character that you’ll just love to hate, Billy’s behavior is explored a little during the later episodes of the season – not long before a standout scene between him and Mrs. Wheeler (Cara Buono) in the final episode.
It’s strength to strength for the most part on the road to the terrific finale, however there is one episode that is particularly divisive. During the second half of season two, an entire episode is devoted to Eleven and her past – with mixed results. While an interesting look at her powers, family and mysterious history, the way that the show presents these isn’t done particularly well. Introducing a number of new characters solely for the episode, it feels like a big mix of ideas that don’t quite gel together or produce anything noteworthy. We’re presented with a group of generic punks, each feeling like they were pulled from an afternoon cartoon show, led by a slightly unhinged girl that has powers similar to Eleven. A connection between the two is clumsily put together through flashbacks, despite there being no other reason for the new girl and her group to exist at all. While the episode is somewhat necessary for Eleven to grow as a character and develop her powers, it feels as though it could have been done in multiple better ways that wouldn’t have felt so out of place. Luckily the episode comes and goes before the main plot ramps up into the finale, however it still creates a bit of a speedbump for an otherwise fantastic run of episodes.
Netflix, 2017
Outside of this, the road to the finale follows a similar path as the first season – reuniting our favourite characters for some great battles and emotional scenes. There’s a sense of urgency that runs beneath each episode, hooking you into every interaction as just about every scene plays a part in the grander scheme of things. This is achieved once again through two of the Duffer Brother’s biggest strengths – strong writing and smart characters. No matter how difficult the puzzle or complex the solution, characters always connect the dots as quickly and as logically as we would expect them to. There are never moments where someone inexplicably sits on key information just to stretch out the runtime, with the cast often developing a plan or solution that we as viewers had yet to even consider. This approach means that we’re constantly surprised and excited for the next moment, a design that’s perfect for the show’s bingeable Netflix design.
Stranger Things Season Two manages to raise the standards raised by the first, and in doing so it manages to create new, interesting characters and engrossing plotlines that flesh out Hawkins as its own little world. An outstanding cast and top-quality direction from behind the scenes come together to deliver several hours of gripping sci-fi drama, cementing the series as one of the greatest on modern TV. We don’t have long to wait until season three arrives to pull us through the Upside Down once more, and who knows what they’ll spring on us this time. New monsters? More characters? Joyce’s third attempt at some offbeat interior decorating? We don’t know yet, but if the past adventures in Hawkins are anything to go by – we’re in for something good.
Netflix, 2017
Stranger Things Season Two stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and David Harbour – streaming now on Netflix.
Few could have imagined the worldwide pop-culture phenomenon Netflix’s original series Stranger Things turned out to be. The Duffer Brother’s unassuming Spielberg-like series set in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana struck a chord with viewers due to its endearing everyday characters, intriguing central mystery and retro 80’s setting and was one of the streaming giant’s first smash hits – a certifiable television event. Featuring an ensemble cast led by a career resurrecting performance from Winona Ryder, the show made household names of David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown who have both gone on to feature in some of the biggest blockbusters in recent memory. So with the third season of the hit series set to arrive on Netflix soon, it’s time to return to the Upside-Down and talk about just what makes this series so great.
The series centres around four school friends living in Hawkins: Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Will (Noah Schnapp) – typical nerds, for the time, who spend their time in an AV club and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Hawkins is a town with a lot of history and connections, so when Will suddenly disappears the town is left reeling, none more so than Will’s mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) and brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), who team up with police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) to solve the case and get Will back. The ensuing search for Will creates more for the boys to contend with as they stumble upon Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a mysterious girl with a shaved head and a unique set of abilities, who unwittingly involves them in a dangerous game with a shadowy government organisation who may or may not have something to do with Will’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Mike’s sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is dealing with a similar situation with the sudden disappearance of her friend Barb (Shannon Purser), compounded by the stress of a new relationship with the most 80’s named school jock ever, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). All these character’s paths eventually converge on a collision course to the Upside-Down, a shadowy realm hidden within ours; a kind of parallel universe where Will finds himself being stalked by an evil creature, dubbed by his friends as the Demogorgon. With the government hot on their tails, the kids and their families must band together with the help of Eleven to rescue Will and save Hawkins from being opened up to the creatures of the Upside-Down.
Netflix, 2016
What makes Stranger Things so addictive and enjoyable to watch is the way every character and storyline is balanced. Each main storyline is so fleshed out that it’s almost impossible to not find something to like about a particular arc. Whether that be the intriguing Goonies-type interplay between the kids, the descent into madness that Joyce embarks on as she gets more and more desperate to find her son, or just some good old fashioned high-school drama with the Nancy/Steve/Jonathan love triangle. Whilst it may not seem like high school dating drama would have anything to do with the overarching plot of Will’s disappearance and Eleven’s powers, the show is developed so that every detail factors into this central mystery. Every character gets their moment to shine meaning audiences can invest in whoever they most relate to or find entertaining – they’ll surely be pleased by the payoff of that characters big moment. This broad appeal definitely helped the show become such a cross-cultural hit; despite its rating (the show isn’t technically for kids but we all know they watch), it manages to appeal to almost every major demographic.
Another, and perhaps the most recognisable, part of the charm of Stranger Things is the nostalgia. From the clothes and hairstyles to the classic rock soundtrack and synth-heavy score, the show oozes with early 80’s charm, another layer to the story that puts it in something of a bubble: a modern sci-fi horror story told through an old school lens. It comes as no surprise then, that in a show filled to the brim with retro film, music and pop culture references that the creators, the Duffer Bros have paid tribute to perhaps the greatest filmmaker of the decade: Steven Spielberg. The show pays homage to a number of the iconic filmmaker’s movies and combines them in a manner that feels familiar without beating you over the head with it. The connection Mike and to a lesser extent, his friends, develop towards Eleven is akin to Elliot and his siblings connection to the friendly alien in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Where ET was able to make bicycles fly, Eleven is capable of launching vans over bicycles as they ride by and murdering a room full of soldiers with her thoughts. Similarly, the lights hung by Joyce which act as an improvised ouija board to contact Will is a play on the musical tones used by the aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind to communicate with mankind. Where those tones signalled the aliens’ peaceful intentions however, the lights are used to a more sinister effect, a warning about the impending horrors to be unleashed on Hawkins. It’s these familiar beats that draw us in as viewers and the dark, killer twists on them that sink their hooks into us and capture our attention.
Netflix, 2016
Hooking the viewer in with nostalgia alone is not enough to make a cohesive show and the Duffer Bros have wisely recognised this on a narrative level as well as on the technical side of things. The series is shot wonderfully, the intimate moments captured up close and personal, with longer takes where necessary to give us the full effect of the actors performance. One shot in particular comes to mind of Joyce clutching the bundle of christmas lights which Will has contacted her through for the first time. The camera slowly pulls back from Ryder’s face buried in the lights as we see her sob silently and more of the house is revealed. It’s a subtle device that makes the audience feel like the scene is still moving whilst we are transfixed on Joyce; it’s not that we’re expecting some big event to happen and in fact nothing monumental to the story is happening at all, but it’s an important moment for the character of Joyce, one that really makes the audience empathetic and puts us on her side for the rest of the series. On the flip side, the action heavy scenes are handled in their own unique way; often relying on flickering lights or scenes shot at night to hide some of the pretty terrible visual effects on the Demogorgon. It’s a smart choice that, when combined with the eery synth laden music really adds to the atmosphere of the scene; tying in with the Upside-Down’s distinct visual style: a nightmarish mirror image of Hawkins in perpetual night, where frost and slime reminiscent of the Alien films covers everything.
The true strength of Stranger Things is in its cast and without this group of actors there is no doubt that the series would have been a different beast altogether. Everyone is pitch perfect, each playing something of an 80’s archetype with a twist; there’s the alcoholic police chief with a troubled past, the school jock suffering from an identity crisis, and the young girl with telekinetic powers who has spent her life locked up in a government facility forced to kill mice with her mind – ok maybe that last one isn’t your conventional 80’s character. Winona Ryder is the standout of the ensemble and the emotional heart of the show. Her drive to find her son and unshakeable belief that he is still alive provides some truly heart-wrenching scenes as her desperation increases. Ryder perfectly encapsulates the heartache and panic of a mother separated from her son; the scene in which she communicates with Will through a set of Christmas lights allows her to show a remarkable range as she cycles through desperation, overwhelming joy and sheer terror all within a few minutes. David Harbour shines as Chief Hopper, something of a slow burn of a character, who the audience unravels more and more each episode. Whilst he starts the series as an aggressive, somewhat jaded man who clearly has experienced some trauma, his connection to Joyce’s struggle begins to tear away at this hard exterior and allows for Harbour to deliver a very nuanced performance building towards an emotional breakdown in the final episode; in which Hopper’s backstory is revealed and the reason for his personal interest in Joyce’s situation is uncovered.
Netflix, 2016
Not to be outdone, the younger portion of the cast delivers stellar performances across the board. The trio of Mike, Dustin and Caleb in particular have a difficult task in that they represent the audiences introduction to this wider world of monsters and powers and are the only characters that really have a complete picture of everything going on. Wolfhard leads the charge here, given the most to work with in the sense of the overarching plot, his relationship with Eleven becomes key to empathising with both characters. The somewhat imbalanced parallel of Mike learning to talk to a girl whilst Eleven learns about life outside the government facility is played for laughs at times, but each is significant for the individual and the series perfectly captures the feeling of discovery and frustration children experience when change forces them to grow up. Matarazzo plays the somewhat stereotypical “funny kid”, given free reign over majority of the comedy and he absolutely excels, with a charm and comedic sensibility not often seen in child actors. Whilst not a major part of the plot, he has some quality moments and offers the respite of a laugh when the story around him gets a little too dark. Without a doubt the breakout star of the series is Millie Bobby Brown, following her terrific turn as Eleven. In what would be a difficult role for even the most competent adult actor, Brown is exceptional as the damaged young girl who must recover from her traumatic past and adapt to the world around her and learn what it means to really be a child. The slow progression of her character is fascinating to watch, with Brown often conveying complex emotions and discoveries with facial expressions alone.
Stranger Things is one of those series that comes along and leaves an indelible mark on television history; a true pop-culture phenomenon and a litmus test for just how high a Neftlix property can soar. The Duffer Bros have crafted a truly compelling mystery wrapped up in 80’s nostalgia filled with excellent characters and performances all working together to form something truly special that audiences around the world have swarmed to. With such critical and audience fanfare, we’re likely to see many more seasons of the hit show beyond the impending season 3, and I for one am willing to spend as much time in the Upside-Down as I can get.
Netflix, 2016
Stranger Things Season One stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and David Harbour – streaming now on Netflix.
