Remember growing up, playing games with other kids and having a great time before that one kid would do something awful causing a parent to come out and say “You just ruined it for everyone”… Way to go, Chad! Thanks for ruining it for the rest of us. Well, Joss is that kid. Except he’s a grown man and the excuses have run out. Now his actions are threatening to ruin the fun and hard work so many people put into The Nevers. I hope we don’t let it happen because the show is delightfully entertaining! A proper superhero show that takes place before they were a thing and we knew how to refer to them.
Set in the Victorian era, The Nevers revolves around a group of individuals with unusual abilities referred to as “The Touched”. They are fighting for their lives in a world that doesn’t understand them and, therefore, fears them. On top of that, the male led Aristocratic government of the time fears an uprising that will take power from them and give it to… women, because the touched are predominantly female.
The one thing that should be deterring people from watching this show is the horrid memory of experiencing “Joss-tice League” for the first time. Luckily, this show is far from that and closer to what made Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel great, without the cheesy humor that riddled all 90’s and early 2000’s content.
The Nevers is a ton of fun and it has some extremely creative sequences you’ll rewind and rewatch more than once. For my D&D peeps, keep an eye out for the water walk fight scene. You’ll know it when you see it. It is [chef’s kiss]!
The VFX are solid throughout most of the show. The only real eye sore is the giant young girl named Primrose. She stands out in the worst way and the character feels like a bad ironic joke that probably sounded better on paper than came to be on screen and I found myself, more than once, wishing they had done something else with her character. Other than her, the rest of the characters are interesting and compelling.
A mostly unknown cast may scare many away but this is one that has shown up to do their thing. I like the cast so much I currently worry they will replace one of them at some point because they keep talking about their face not being their own. I’m hoping it’s more metaphorical than literal.
Having seen four of six episodes I can say that I am really enjoying the series and hope to see more from this world. Something tells me that this story has so much potential and that six episodes are not enough to tell it all so I’d be overjoyed if they found a way to just dump Whedon moving forward and bring on a director who can continue the series in his absence. Though I am not a huge fan I can’t deny that there is something so poetic about Zack Snyder getting the opportunity to continue something Whedon had to abandon. The only issue is Snyder would make it something else completely. I would much rather see someone like Damon Lindelof or JJ Abrams hop on as show runner for the following seasons! A fan can dream, can’t he?
Listen, I get it, the things that have come up about Joss Whedon are horrible and I understand the sentiment of not wanting to bring him more success but he’s not the only one that suffers if this show does poorly. I think it’s fair to assume that he will, likely, not have a very fruitful career, if one at all, moving forward and that’s understandable, but hurting the cast and all of the filmmakers along with him is unfair and upsetting.
So, as you consider watching this series think of all the other talented folks involved and, for the love of all that is good, don’t ruin it for the rest of us! That goes to HBO and, of course, to Chad.
Watch The Nevers which begins streaming today, April 11th on HBOMax!
8/10
Born in Puerto Rico but raised in a combination of the island, Boston and upstate New York. This guy’s accent shifts depending on his mood, as does his sense of style. If you don’t understand him sometimes, don’t feel bad, neither do we.
Having studied film in Florida, with a focus on writing and directing, and having worked on many projects of all sizes and scope, Raul has a well rounded understanding of cinema. He is also a huge fan of American Football and believes Tom Brady to be the indisputable G.O.A.T.
