The new series by the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, which gained iconic status and are considered the peak of television creativity, has been generating buzz from the moment its first episode aired.
A second season is already guaranteed, with an ambitious vision for four seasons.
This is perhaps not surprising given such a successful creator, who turns here to a different direction. The lead actress, who stood out in Better Call Saul as a memorable character, delivers an impressive and especially precise performance.
The title of the series is taken from the Latin expression e pluribus unum, meaning out of many, one, which essentially summarizes the story in three words.
What is the role of the individual versus the many, and how will one cope with this new role.
In the first two episodes, which were written and directed by the creator, the world begins to take shape as the protagonist, a successful writer of romantic fantasy novels, finds herself in a new, threatening, and unfamiliar situation.
A striking scene shows her reading from her new book to an audience of fans and signing copies, while her agent watches in the background.
The scene moves between satire on the phenomenon of romantic and erotic science fiction and fantasy literature, a genre that is extremely popular today, and the writer’s own feelings toward her work.
The desire to write a serious book instead of what she considers literary junk illustrates her existential dissatisfaction.
This cynical outlook on life in general, and on her own life in particular, is confronted with the brave new world she suddenly enters, along with the viewers.
What exactly happened to the world.
Why do almost all people undergo a strange transformation that turns them into a kind of collective mind that only wants to help.
The answers are unclear, even though explanations are offered to the protagonist.
The series takes us on a journey with an individual and openly rebellious heroine in opposition to a world that has suddenly become strange and unfamiliar.
It describes with chilling psychological precision the way a nonconformist woman, who nevertheless submits to social conventions and hides significant secrets about her identity, suddenly copes with a reality in which everything is dictated and free will no longer exists.
The title of the first episode illustrates this principle clearly.
The we replaces the I.
In the opening episodes, there is a shift between genuinely disturbing and unsettling moments, such as shots of a quiet city at dusk that turn into scenes reminiscent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and comedic moments in which the absurdity of the new existential situation is thrown at both the protagonist and the viewers.
This is evident, for example, in the way the protagonist receives messages from her television, which she immediately turns to as a reliable source of information, only to discover that the speaker is also part of the new and threatening we.
The satirical tone is especially prominent in the second episode, in which the protagonist attempts to communicate with a small group of people in the world who were not infected by the we condition.
It can only be said that the meeting does not exactly meet her expectations.
In parallel to today’s political reality, the series asks questions about the role of the individual in changing the world.
Can a small group of people create change. Is the desire to change reality always a good thing.
Like other science fiction works, this series raises questions about the very nature of human existence.
What do people really want, and how would they respond if given a utopian version of reality.
The thin line between utopia and dystopia is strongly present here, especially in scenes that present the credo, or perhaps the we believe, of the new human condition.
The series also touches on fears of hostile takeover by foreign elements, whether they are aliens or something closer and more familiar.
It opens with a countdown appearing on the screen, with days, hours, and minutes ticking away.
It is unclear why and what will happen when the countdown ends, but the image of a ticking clock that signals an end, or perhaps a beginning, evokes a familiar apocalyptic sense of dread.
It remains to be seen how the story of a humanity in crisis will develop, and where the allegory built here with great skill will ultimately lead.