"The Nevers" on HBO
2021-May-19, Wednesday 10:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mellowtiggerI'm still working on gardening. I still have some seedlings that need to be planted. Progress, though.
Meanwhile, I thought I'd comment on something I've watched on HBO Max recently. It's only 6 episodes in the first half of season 1, barely anything, but I suppose that's a large production schedule for so many people on set during lockdown. This summary comes mostly from that 6th episode of "The Nevers". It hardly counts as spoilers so early in a story, but this is your warning if you care about that sort of thing.
The first 5 episodes are interesting enough in their own right. They are set in 1890s London with some people getting special powers under mysterious circumstances. The established society begins to fear and oppress them. Sort of an early X-Men mutant theme, but mostly women, and they are called the Touched. Sort of like that, anyway.
And then there is episode 6. When the 6th episode started, I had to check my smartphone to be sure that I clicked on the correct show. It was set far into the future, and I recognized nobody. Eventually we learn that environmental disaster and war have ruined the Earth. One faction sides in favor with the aliens who have visited us, and another faction sides against them. As the aliens are explained, they seem to be trying to help humanity... to restore our planet and save us from ourselves. But in this future, the wrong side wins. The last remaining alien tries to escape, and it restarts their introduction to Earth earlier in time, which brings us back to Victorian England.
I'm a big fan of "The Tomorrow People" (the animated icon for this post is from that British tv series (but never watch the stupidly violent USA remake)), which had a similar theme of people with special abilities in concert with advanced tech from a space civilization, using a strong pacifist theme to help humanity. "The Nevers" is not so pacifist. Episode 6, however, makes it clear that these gifts are intended to help. The aliens came and spread spores around the world, which affected a minority of humans. A combat medic tells us that spores made people "empathically enhanced" so they could understand the alien language and technology. Here's an abbreviated conversation between two of the soldiers from our future.
And later, after being "reborn" in 1890s London, that same soldier asks around if anyone in this time was affected by spores.
The podcast about episode 6 followed the same reaction as I experienced. Confusion followed eventually by revelation. I'm intrigued. I'm looking forward to the next set of episodes for season 1.
Meanwhile, I thought I'd comment on something I've watched on HBO Max recently. It's only 6 episodes in the first half of season 1, barely anything, but I suppose that's a large production schedule for so many people on set during lockdown. This summary comes mostly from that 6th episode of "The Nevers". It hardly counts as spoilers so early in a story, but this is your warning if you care about that sort of thing.
The first 5 episodes are interesting enough in their own right. They are set in 1890s London with some people getting special powers under mysterious circumstances. The established society begins to fear and oppress them. Sort of an early X-Men mutant theme, but mostly women, and they are called the Touched. Sort of like that, anyway.
And then there is episode 6. When the 6th episode started, I had to check my smartphone to be sure that I clicked on the correct show. It was set far into the future, and I recognized nobody. Eventually we learn that environmental disaster and war have ruined the Earth. One faction sides in favor with the aliens who have visited us, and another faction sides against them. As the aliens are explained, they seem to be trying to help humanity... to restore our planet and save us from ourselves. But in this future, the wrong side wins. The last remaining alien tries to escape, and it restarts their introduction to Earth earlier in time, which brings us back to Victorian England.
I'm a big fan of "The Tomorrow People" (the animated icon for this post is from that British tv series (but never watch the stupidly violent USA remake)), which had a similar theme of people with special abilities in concert with advanced tech from a space civilization, using a strong pacifist theme to help humanity. "The Nevers" is not so pacifist. Episode 6, however, makes it clear that these gifts are intended to help. The aliens came and spread spores around the world, which affected a minority of humans. A combat medic tells us that spores made people "empathically enhanced" so they could understand the alien language and technology. Here's an abbreviated conversation between two of the soldiers from our future.
Knitter, a medic: "Can you do one thing for me? Can you just hope that we make it right?"
Stripe, a soldier: "Change is too scary, even for the people who fight for it. That's why Freelife (the faction fighting against the aliens) always win. They own history."
Knitter: "The spores didn't make me brilliant or brainwashed. They were a question. And it turns out nothing will crack this world harder than one gentle question. So, yes, I hope for a better world."
Stripe, a soldier: "Change is too scary, even for the people who fight for it. That's why Freelife (the faction fighting against the aliens) always win. They own history."
Knitter: "The spores didn't make me brilliant or brainwashed. They were a question. And it turns out nothing will crack this world harder than one gentle question. So, yes, I hope for a better world."
And later, after being "reborn" in 1890s London, that same soldier asks around if anyone in this time was affected by spores.
Knitter/Amalia: "Has anyone been better? Smart or compassionate? ... No one's spored, empathically enhanced. There's no one here to guide us, to say, 'Here's what needs to change.' "
The podcast about episode 6 followed the same reaction as I experienced. Confusion followed eventually by revelation. I'm intrigued. I'm looking forward to the next set of episodes for season 1.