TV Review: The Nevers Brings A New Set of Heroes To HBO
Victorian period pieces will never fail to grab attention. There is a Hollywood addiction to the grim grit of 1800’s England; where rippers roamed and detectives investigated, which is why The Nevers addition of a group of super-powered women running and protecting themselves from the men aiming to crush their cosmic dons feels oddly befitting. For all the shows based on this era, women are often portrayed as damsels without any full regard that, if they are in danger, it’s usually a man who put them there. Thus, The Nevers attracts viewers by making sure these women in danger are equally dangerous.
The Nevers shines through its strong performances and scenes of cool, fighting awe. Of course, I want to see a weird spaceship-car ride through Old London and having a woman toss herself down a flight of stairs, only to land perfectly in a fight pose and her knickers, certainly, makes you go, “Huh….” Yet, that is the odd hypnotic element of The Nevers that leaves you drawn to the show while also wishing it could fast-forward just a tad. It has a magic that can get doused by excess plot-lines and characters.
When Amalia True (Laura Donnelly) and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly), the sort of Sherlock and Watson of the series, are seeking and defending The Touched, as these newly super-powered beings are known, you get vibes of other “supernatural investigative” shows such as, Supernatural and The X-Files. These “dynamic duo” leads protected the strange as much as combatted it, but The Nevers at least initially, struggles to embrace what it already is: a buddy show. At its heart, Donnelly and Skelly anchor the show in portraying their characters as powerful women whom are as lost as the people they are saving when it comes to dominating their newfound dominance. Imagine waking up one day and being able to manipulate energy, throw fireballs, or be 100 feet tall, and then also imagine a wicked doctor seeking to scalp and test your body or a deranged woman giving powered beings, like yourself, a bad rep. In essence, with great power comes enemies, of which I wish The Nevers understood it is more a CW show than an HBO one. Let me explain!
Part of why we love HBO shows is that they can rivetingly extend a group of storylines for years. Each episode links to another to provide what feels like a moving book before your eyes. The magic of a CW show is that they truly are like 40 minute movies, especially their superhero shows. The CW understands that when it comes to comicbook-fantasy shows, each episode is like a full-on comic. You get a full story with an underlying big bad that, eventually, will be faced. Like Sherlock and Watson or Dean and Sam Winchester, the point is that an issue is resolved by the end of the episode, a “damsel” is saved, and the underlying mystery gets one more puzzle piece to being solved. Yet, characters, like The Bidlow family, are charmingly unnecessary; you like them but….. what do they offer beyond a few distractions amongst cooler action sequences? In essence, the action sequences feel like breathe amidst a plot still learning about what gives oxygen to superhero shows.
Overall, I have to say The Nevers is a particular cup of tea. Similar to Netflix’s The Witcher, even fantasy, superhero lovers will be divided on whether The Nevers is a “Forevers” kind of show (see what I did there). Yet, it is undeniable that for those that choose to stay follow, this show will become a cult favorite. The chance to see a female version of X-men, or rather X-women, rocking corsets and layered dresses is a rare but intriguing one. Moreover, after seeing the first few episodes, I can say the show starts to embrace its supernatural side and becomes more n energized in action and relationships, which is to be expected. When it comes to a new series, it is never until the third or fourth episode when things really start to pick up.
