Review: Brave New World Ep. 1: Pilot
Brave New World is an adaptation of the 1932 novel by Aldous Huxley, rather than a straight adaption this version seems to be a modern retelling which keeps Huxley’s vision at heart. The addition of an artificial intelligence system named Indra that connects people via a wireless network is the best example of this. As the show opens the premiss is set out for us with this society achieving peace and stability through the prohibition of monogamy, privacy, money, family, and history itself.
This world socially ranks people, and soon we meet B+ Lenina Crowne (played by Jessica Brown Findlay), a technician who works at the Hatchery. Lenina is told by A+ Bernard Marx (played by Harry Lloyd ) that her sexual relationship with another A+ Henry Foster (Sen Mitsuji) is beginning to appear anti-social for its seeming exclusivity. She is advised to ensure her monogamy ends before jealously sets in.
Later, Marx visits a group of Epsilons (E’s) and finds out that one of them has committed suicide, something he can’t quite comprehend. This leads him to think that the “soma” pills people take to feel happy might not work on every feeling of pain.
The introduction of The Savage Lands (basically North America!) via a holiday park commercial is a nice touch and our peek behind the curtain of it later with the introduction of John the Savage (Alden Ehrenreich) helps set out what is to come from this series, especially when John receives a single bullet from a woman named Madysun (Lara Peake), and is told that he’s “being given a chance.”
The contrast of New London and The Savage Lands is more than just a metaphor of society. Like Huxley’s initial vision it is what hides under the obvious that is more ominous and I feel it is this that we will experience as the series unfolds.
Verdict: 7/10. A solid opening that I hope steers clear of the tropes shows like Westworld hide behind to cover up their even thinning plot. I think Huxley would approve of this modernisation at this point. Where it leads is the big question though, in more ways than one.
Following on from the shocking events of Episode 2, we return immediately to The Savage Lands where John (Alden Ehrenreich) Read more
The second episode of Brave New World, Want and Consequence, begins with Bernard (Harry Lloyd) being sent away for a Read more
Adapted from Aldous Huxley's book of the same name, Brave New World is a 2020 American science-fiction dystopian drama series set to premiere on the Read more
Syfy are currently adapting Aldous Huxley's Brave New World for television and have turned to Grant Morrison and Brian Taylor to scribe Read more
From Darren Lynn Bousman (Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Devil’s Carnival, Saw II-IV) comes the mysterious and intriguing Death of Read more
Student Ambassador: The Missing Dragon is the latest release from Iron Circus Comics and oh what fun it is. There Read more
Tongue-in-cheek time travel tomfoolery is a plenty in William J. Stribling's The Speed of Time. Furious fast lazer shootouts open Read more
The appeal escape rooms is lost on me; my feelings on them probably are best summed up by The Gang Read more
The opening of Julius Berg's The Owners shows us the stark contrast of the lush, peaceful, countryside and the polluted, Read more
It was written in the future that the music of Wyld Stallyns would unite the world and bring peace to Read more
Brett Summers
Founded Cult Faction in 2014; previously crawled out of the Black Lodge in 1976, only to find himself in the Village.