…and lest I forget, the Nevers. One of the things I set out to do while on vacation was watch through the first (and only, as of yet) six episodes. I knew that, between my laptop and an HDMI cable and the various amenities at various hotels, I would be able to do the deed. And the deed was done.
First off, regarding my feelings and perspectives going into the show: I will state here on the Artist and the Engineer and any other record that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the best television show I have ever seen. Fight me. I am also a huge fan of Firefly, Dollhouse and Joss Whedon’s comic book work. I tend to separate the art from the artist, but that is admittedly because I have been privileged enough to be able to do so in my life, and it is something I try not to take for granted. But it’s still something I feel, here and (sometimes) elsewhere.
With that out of the way, the Nevers. If I were to somehow list out all the settings and tropes and story-telling archetypes I love, “Victorian England” and “young misfits with superpowers” would both appear in the Top Ten. They are even a pair I’m playing with in some of my own writing (though thankfully nothing like this). So when I heard that one of my favorite showrunners was doing an HBO series combining two of my favorite creative playgrounds, I was understandably excited. When the reviews started to bleed around my spoiler-free wall… I decided that I was going to like it anyway, even if it was bad.
And to be honest, I didn’t think it was that bad. Complaints I’d heard about violence—and violence against women in particular—now strike me as having been written by people who never watched Game of Thrones or True Blood. Not that I condone such things per se, but the Nevers certainly didn’t break any ground there. The language was comparatively tame as well. In fact, the entire “adult” side of the show felt oddly restrained at all times, as if it wanted to show that it could be Game of Thrones without actually jumping the dragon.
The show was good, I thought. Great acting, a great story (assuming the remarkable revelations of Episode 6 were there from the very start, something I’ll have to rewatch the series to find out), and a surprisingly unique feel for a show. I never felt as though I was watching anything other than something new. But good is not great. Through the entirety of the six episodes, I felt as though something was… missing. And now, more than ever, I feel this is the case. This was undoubtably a Joss Whedon show, an HBO original series, a Victorian super hero tale, a panorama of under-the-radar acting of award-winning quality… but even with all of that, there’s something that just doesn’t gel it all together.
I have a feeling that a stable showrunner and lessons learned going into the second set of episodes will make for a stronger show. So I am highly optimistic for Episode 7. As for now… all I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed the Nevers and found it entertaining and even inspiring, but that is also the fanboy in me talking. Normal fans of Victorian super hero shows should probably wait until the series returns to make up their own minds.
8.0 / 10.0
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The Final Page
At last, we turn the final page
And put the book away,
To open in another age
And read another day.
This grand adventure for so long
Has kept fatigue at bay,
But now we’re back where we belong
(Much to our calm dismay).
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Written while listening to Camel Trip (2020) and Sativa Temple (2020), posted by dubabylon on YouTube.
The Artist and the Engineer 