What I Have Been Watching: The Chosen Few (Pt1)

What I Have Been Watching is the admitted state of me spending too much time in front of the TV, especially during 2020 the Extended Version. But this time, I don't even barely attempt to tell you EVERYTHING I have been watching or we would be here all day.

The Nevers S1, HBO -- download

Why do our heroes have to fall? Or more likely, why do our heroes have to be human, and once more, with more precision, why do typical humans have to be such utter shites. Joss Whedon was a guy to be respected, in ages past, when he created shows that not only established a whole generation of pith, but also highlighted & empowered young women. Too bad he decided that he was owed something from those women, given the number of stories that have come out in the Post Buffy Years, about him being quite the prick. At first, I was an apologist: it was just the era, there was some sour grapes involved, at least he is not as bad as the rest. But really, that was my own hangups. The thing is, no matter what place in the power structure you have, you shouldn't be abusing it.

But does shitty artists means shitty art? Sometimes. At the very least, it should make it so that they have to work even harder to regain back that trust and respect. Alas, I don't think he is going to get there, as I suspect he doesn't really feel like a Bad Guy. I think he feels more like someone who got caught. And yet, I was still looking forward to The Nevers, his new HBO series about women with powers in Victorian England. And committing to being conflicted, I was also somewhat glad when he departed it, claiming "exhaustion". If you are tired of being called out for being a shitty person, too fucking bad.

Whedon aside, the show was rather enjoyable, if not revolutionary. And a cut above the vast number of supernatural Victorian era shows out there.

For a reason unbeknownst to the people of London, there is a spontaneous emergence of "powers" among the disenfranchised of the city, mostly women, but not all. Amalia True leads a small cadre of these women, having gathered them in a sort of orphanage, one sponsored by a wealthy widow and her meek brother. Meanwhile, to add to the misery, one of the Touched has proven to be a psychopath, which further taints the city's already lacking trust of them. People already distrust the different but if they are women or foreigners...

The season explores how they got their powers, a conspiracy in the shadows that is kidnapping Touched, the British governments utter distrust of them and a hunt for Maladie, the psychopath. All the while we are learning that True is not as true as she claims, nor are some others. In typical pithy Whedon fashion, characters are charming, complex and funny in their own ways. I completely fell for the steampunky inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly, Vikings), and her shy Irish accent. But what really shone was angry, dangerous, boiling beneath the surface Amalia True (Laura Donnelly, Outlander). The rest of the cast each has their charms, and oft get a chance to shine. And once again, in true Whedon fashion, the end of the season reveals something we kind of knew had to be revealed, but was done so in a unfathomable manner, much like the whole sudden jump to the future of the now painfully troublesome Dollhouse.

Jupiter's Legacy S1, Netflix

Speaking of creators that a lot of people do not like, the first series on Netflix from Millarworld (now that he sold the imprint to Netflix) is the adaptation of somewhat critically acclaimed Jupiter's Legacy, another in the many reworking of the Superman mythic figure such as Invincible and Homelander from The Boys. 

In the comic world, and yeah big ol SPOILER ALERT, a league of justice extolling superheroes is broken apart when their children murder them. Well, really just The Utopian and his wife, Lady Liberty. They are presented as overbearing, controlling entities that demand far too much of the next generation of superheroes, which leads to their demise. But then we learn it was all a manipulation at the hands of one of their own. The comic is rather short, and was followed by a few unsatisfying sequels.

The TV series is even less satisfying, in that they wanted to stretch out the whole introduction story into an entire season. And boy, does it get stretched out, taffy strung between two wide spread arms, stretched. But not as tasty. Not that the story is inherently bad, nor is the acting or production values, but OMG backstory filler! 

We learn that The Utopian, his brother and some close companions, emerged from the trauma of The Great Depression with superpowers (by way of a mysterious magical/alien island), powers that they controlled very closely, keeping a tight rein on how they would influence the world. Oh, they could have taken over, they could have influenced world politics, but Sheldon (Utopian) wants to gently guide the world to make its own better decisions, with their league, their Union of Justice to set the example. It starts off well enough...

But it has failed. By the time the 21st century spins around (the age much more slowly) their kids are drug addicts and hedonists, the products of terrible parenting and many are fame obsessed, in particular Sheldon's kids. The comic came out almost 10 years ago, and maybe this would have been shocking and enlightening then, but this rendition of "gritty superheroes" is just ... tiring. I am sure they wanted to do a mirror reflection of the Marvel movies, but it all seemed so forced, but without the "OMG shocking!" of The Boys. 

But it has failed. The series was cancelled soon after S1 being released on Netflix, and it makes me wonder whether the network is second-guessing what they got from Millarworld.