SNOWPIERCER Rides Again

Article first published as TV Review: SNOWPIERCER on Seat42F.

This weekend, TNT premieres SNOWPIERCER, a series set on a train that continuously circles the Earth after an apocalyptic event has left the surface so cold that it’s uninhabitable. If the title sounds familiar, it’s because there is already a film and several graphic novels by the same name. However, this a brand-new story that, while taking elements from both page and screen, introduces all-new characters and an all-new train. The books establish there are multiple trains, so this could possibly be a separate one from the films and graphic novels, which were themselves separate, set in the same world. But it isn’t clear if that is so in this version helmed by Graeme Manson (Orphan Black).

I think it’s a good idea to not connect the series too closely to what’s come before it. Doing so would really pin the writers down within the established canon and limit what could be done with it. A television series will run longer and cover much more story than a film or a few books, so it needs freedom. Based on the design alone, which borrows elements from both predecessors, this is clearly a new train. And that gives the production department the ability to really re-think everything, keeping what works, and adding some pleasing new elements, like the Night Car and a seemingly completely fresh take on the engine.

Of course, any story needs strong characters, and SNOWPIERCER is no exception. Viewers are essentially given two individuals to follow. Though, there are plenty of strong supporting cast members, too, including Mike O’Malley (The Good Place), Alison Wright (The Americans), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sheila Vand (24: Legacy), Susan Park (Fargo), and Mickey Sumner (Frances Ha), among others.

At the tail of the train is Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs, Hamilton, Blindspotting). The only homicide detective onboard, he is pulled out of the back to investigate two murders, which happened several years apart. This throws a wrench in what some of his compatriots would like to do to fight back. But for Andre, this is gold because it gives him plenty of opportunity for reconnaissance, as he believes they need more intelligence in order to properly establish a rebellion. Unsurprisingly, Andre is a text-book hero with noble intentions and few serious faults.

Thankfully, SNOWPIERCER is not a murder mystery. That element is there, but it’s far from front-and-center. We’ve got enough other shows that do such a thing, and here it’s only being used as a tool to explore the different classes and examine how the system works. That’s a fine use of the device without letting it take over.

Speaking of the system, the face of Mr. Wilford this time around is the Head of Hospitality, Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind). She keeps everything running smoothly, which is a very complicated job. While those that run the SNOWPIERCER in other adaptations have rarely been fully evil, Melanie is probably the furthest from that portrayed so far. She is genuinely concerned with keeping everyone from dying, and the pressure that puts on her are well-illustrated. The fact that this makes her blind to the plights of the tail humanizes her more than Andre, by giving her legitimate flaws that are understandable, though deeply regrettable, in the circumstances.

SNOWPIERCER is at its best, in any format, when it’s shining a light on our present-day circumstances. The television show does plenty of that, and in a way, it succeeds. Where it falters is the pacing is a little slow. But there’s still enough social commentary and sci-fi to please most would-be viewers, alongside the occasional impressive special effect.

SNOWPIERCER, already renewed for a second season, premieres this Sunday at 9PM ET, and airs weekly on TNT.

Not So SOLAR OPPOSITES From Ricky & Morty

Article first published as TV Review: SOLAR OPPOSITES on Seat42F.

Hulu recently released the first eight episodes of SOLAR OPPOSITES, a new cartoon comedy from Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan. It follows a family of aliens whose home world was destroyed, and who have now crash landed on Earth and settled into suburbia. What remains to be seen is if the aliens decide that their new home is great or terrible, and if their neighbors will ever accept them.

You may not have heard of Mike McMahan’s work, though he did create the upcoming Star Trek: Lower Decks animated series. But it would be hard to miss Justin Roiland, who co-created the very popular Adult Swim series Rick and Morty. What is blatantly obvious from the first frame is that SOLAR OPPOSITES is very Rick and Morty-like, and could very easily exist in the same universe, on the same planet even, were not the two television series owned by different companies.

Primarily among the similarities, besides the animation style and genre, is Roiland voicing the leads. Roiland is both Rick and Morty, and in SOLAR OPPOSITES, he’s the head of the four-member clan, Korvo. Korvo sounds very much like Rick, just a little more cultured and a little less-burpy. Korvo’s best friend, Terry (Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley), bears a striking auditory resemblance to Morty, as well, though is a little less whiny.

The differences are a little scanter, though important. Rick and Morty are always escaping Earth to go on crazy adventures, while Korvo, Terry, the two extraterrestrial children, Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone, The Goldbergs) and Jesse (Mary Mack, Golan the Insatiable), and their possibly sentient pet, The Pupa (Sagan McMahan), stay at home. This makes SOLAR OPPOSITES a little closer to 3rd Rock From the Sun, with a similarly vague explanation as to how these four or five individuals are related to one another.

The humor and tone is nearly identical to Rick and Morty. For my taste, there’s far too much ‘gross’ stuff, with plenty of puking and slime. Unlike Rick and Morty, however, the story doesn’t immediately distract you from just how disgusting it can be. With a weaker and less compelling plot, at least in the first couple of episodes, it’s harder to get past that. If you don’t mind the grossness, the complaint here comes down to that pedestrian stories aren’t as interesting as awe-inspiring wonder.

In short, this feels like an unnecessary spin-off of Rick and Morty. Despite that not being officially what it is, not a paragraph in the above goes by without bringing up that other show. By making the two so strikingly alike, it’s impossible to talk about one without the other. And that is definitely to SOLAR OPPOSITES’ detriment.

The one thing SOLAR OPPOSITES might have going for it is that it seems more serial than its still-running predecessor. There’s a mission the crew is on Earth to accomplish, though it remains to be seen if they’ll actually make any progress towards doing that. There’s also a running story about Yumyulack and Jesse’s human ant farm that seems finite and begs for consequences. If these things come to a head, that could elevate the storytelling above the weekly plots, which aren’t all that original on their own, and the weird jokes seem less novel after Rick and Morty already told so many in that style.

Given that Hulu released eight episodes at once, they’re likely hoping viewers will push on to see what happens with those. Although I only watched the first two before writing this review, I am sufficiently intrigued to push on. But I’m not enthusiastic about it. An already-ordered second season leaves me concerned that the first batch will be open-ended and not go far enough towards advancing these threads. Though, there’s only one way to find out for the moment.

The first season of SOLAR OPPOSITES is available now on Hulu.

UPLOAD This Into Your Brain

Article first published as TV Review: UPLOAD on Seat42F.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers from the first three episodes.

Greg Daniels, co-creater of The Office and Parks and Recreation, is back on television with the new Amazon Prime half-hour dramedy, UPLOAD. Set just over a decade in the future, it tells the story of a world in which the dying can upload their consciousness into the digital realm – for a fee. And like the apps of today, it’s connected very closely with anyone you want to interact with (even back in the real world), and has plenty of in-game purchases available. But there a dark underbelly to the satiristic story.

Robbie Amell (The Flash) stars as Nathan Brown, the protagonist who is killed in a malfunctioning self-driving car. He ends up in the app thanks to his rich girlfriend, Ingrid Kannerman (Allegra Edwards, Briarpatch), who wanted to marry him, but whom Nathan was trying to work up the nerve to dump. Once there, Nathan tries to accept his new status while feeling more and more isolated in the real world. Complicating this are missing memories and unanswered questions surrounding his demise.

Nathan is aided by Nora Antony (Andy Allo, Chicago Fire), the customer service representative that serves as his ‘angel’ in the afterlife. Nora is frustrated with her job and lousy corporate culture, but is drawn to Nathan, despite his unavailability, and finds personal motivation in building a relationship with him. (Jim Halpern, anyone?) Nora notices strangeness in Nathan’s case before he does, but is she really in a position to do anything about it?

UPLOAD is funny. One might even add a very to that statement. There are many visually humorous aspects to the situation present, and there’re some biting observations about modern society, especially concerning tech and corporate culture. This is a meaner, more raw version of what Daniels was saying in The Office, and it’s easy to appreciate the thought process that went into the making of this show.

However, sometimes believability is sacrificed for a laugh. Take, for instance, the scene in the pilot in which Nathan is shockingly uploaded. It’s hard to believe a hospital would have a window and allow family to witness such a thing, or that those who did witness were not prepared for the sight. We also are expected to believe that Nora suffers no direct repercussions for some of the acting out she does on the call center floor? And Ingrid unfortunately only becomes more cartoonish as the series unfolds.

One such thing that struck me very odd on the first viewing was Nathan’s behavior just before upload, but this has been explained away by further plot developments.

I like this show quite a bit, and it’s easy to devour in twenty-five minute chunks. (The pilot is double-length). The actors are universally charming, and the mystery adds a compelling through-line to a very interesting take on a man-made afterlife. Elizabeth Bowen (Resident Alien) may just out-Melissa-McCarthy Melissa McCarthy as amateur investigator Fran Booth. Owen Daniels (Space Force) is soooo creepy as the A.I. servant. There are also lots of answered questions that beg to be explored. A lack of aging and development in the app, for one.

But I do wonder just how amazing it could be with a few of the wrinkles ironed out. With just a bit more development time to really figure out those weak spots, I think this might even rise to the level of The Good Place, created by fellow Office and Parks alum Mike Schur (though of course the content is vastly different, despite both being about the afterlife). It is so close to being one of those shows you tell all your friends about. But it falls just slightly short, which doesn’t make it unwatchable, but definitely sparks a bit of longing for what might have been.

UPLOAD’s first season is available now to stream on Amazon Prime.