What would you do at the end of civilisation? That’s the main question asked by Between, a new Netflix-original series. After season 5 of The Walking Dead, this looks ready to fill the gap in post-apocalyptic TV drama.
Looking at the trailer, we won’t be launched into full anarchy right away. Set in the peaceful town of Pretty Lake, the opening shot shows the population, starting at 8244. Our next glimpse is of a grieving mother, praying for her sick daughter. Despite its idyllic setting, things in Pretty Lake are far from tranquil. As disease spreads, the population gets steadily lower, and situations go from bad to worse.
Particularly impressive is the haunting shot halfway through. A group of on-lookers stand over mountains of dead bodies, only visible by the light of their lanterns. It’s a chilling sight, and one which hints at high production values. There’s a lot of action crammed into a short space of time – particularly towards the end. The last 30 seconds are a crescendo of explosions, interspersed with snippets of dialogue. Whilst the former is visually satisfying, the latter that hints at real potential. No-one over the age of 22 remains, and each survivor has a different idea for how to proceed.
We don’t get any names, but someone claims they’re ‘sick of being lied to’, whilst another wants to ‘have some fun’. This establishes what could be an interesting moral dilemma. With the old establishment gone, what’s to stop individuals taking what they please?
Nevertheless, in some areas we are left wanting. Most noticeable is the lack of any character development. We’re not introduced to a single person by name. And hasn’t The Walking Dead already done a good job of showing misfit survival-stories? What more does Between have to offer? We won’t get the answers until May 21st. But backed by the award-wining producer of 24, this might be a worthy successor to the post-apocalyptic crown.
Joe Jones
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