TV Review: The Capture Will Hypnotize Conspiracy Theorists
The Capture arrives at a perfect time in America; when the loyalty of its government and current administration towards its soldiers is in question. It is not the first series to challenge whether a nation is loyal to soldiers or if it takes for granted the courage a man gives for his country by then withdrawing its care for him. For God’s Sake! Netflix’s The Punisher was all about that, and I am still reeling from its cancellation. Premiering on Peacock, on July 15, The Capture arrives to fill the gap this show left, and with an even more intriguing notion that will jolt those who love conspiracy theories: the idea of altering videos to make people appear guilty of fake crimes. DUN-DUN-DUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a very real notion that happens today; dubbing, editing, and altering videos to make people appear guilty of things they did not say or do. Just today the Disney World ad for its re-opening, amidst a pandemic, was massively dubbed and altered to dystopian hilarity. Yet, that is banal compared to The Capture’s riveting insinuation; what if your government altered videos of you, not for comedy, but for crimes? In a world of cancelling people, the idea of the “gotcha” vid can feel invigorating, especially because some people deserve to get canceled. Yet,The Capture thrills by focusing on what will be, inevitably, the next step of the digital world’s capacity; the ability to realistically create footage of a person appearing, doing, and saying things in a place and time where, perhaps, they have never been. This is the case for Callum Turner’s Shaun Emery, whom is being framed for murdering his love interest/ lawyer, Hannah ( Laura Haddock), who had just helped him avert another injustice caused by a “fake vid.”
The Capture | Official Trailer | Peacock
Yes, someone is AFTER Shaun, and powerful enough to keep on making as many videos as possible to make him look like a walking criminal. Callum Turner is perfect as a soldier with wounds from the war, but desperate to show that “hurt people” don’t necessarily hurt people. He may not be canonized a saint, especially after his tours in Afghanistan, but he has not returned to civil society to become Jack The Ripper. Turner’s balance of frustration, boyish brashness, fear, anger, hidden softness, and savvy pulls viewers further into a tale that terrifies everyone with its “Black Mirror” reality. After all, human beings run on their senses. If I see and hear it, then it is real, which is why our growing, digital ability to alter reality, without evident notice, is so scary. What if your enemies can make you look like a demon or rather your government? AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! Moreover, the show hones in how much our privacy is gone, and how, in being watched more, we open ourselves to unknown juries ready to turn convictions.
The Capture | Trailer – BBC
Holliday Grainger plays Rachel Carey and, basically, all of us. Like her, we are perplexed by who is doing this? Why? And is this how bad 2021 is going to be like because I am really over how bad 2020 is? In a world of mistrust, she is absolutely dumbfounded because, again, it is not that Shaun is a saint. This plays to internet culture’s Apocalyptic tendency to be judge and jury on people’s lives because no one is perfect and all you need is one sin to line you up for hell. Shaun has his darker shades, but is he deadly? One thing you should notice is that I am using a lot of questions in my writing because The Capture is, ultimately, a thriller that aptly and hypnotically leaves you intrigued. It uses against our very real, current fears to of being ended by someone powerful and having our digital world destroy our real one. The Capture premieres July 12 on The Peacock App.
