![]() While the series wraps the spread of its pandemic in the cloak of a sinister conspiracy, the way in which many of the characters relate to the virus should often hit close to home for anyone following current events - particularly in the U.S. Image used with permission by copyright holder Reality bitesĭespite all of the tremendous acting in Utopia, though, it’s the story’s all-too-familiar themes that are likely to generate the most buzz around the series. Her character is involved in most of the show’s most memorable action scenes, and in Utopia, she seems as comfortable brawling in a dirty bathroom as she does delivering dramatic exposition on her character’s traumatic childhood. Her story arc affords her plenty of chances to add nuance and depth to a character that often avoids subtlety, and the American Honey actress makes good use of those opportunities. In a role that should remain unnamed to avoid spoilers, Lane plays one of the show’s most intriguing characters. That’s a wide range to cover, but Wilson handles it well and carries the audience along with him on this rollercoaster of emotions. He’s one of the show’s smartest characters and its most gullible, and manages to be both hero and villain at various points in season 1’s arc. Image used with permission by copyright holderĪs the lonely scientist Michael Stearns, Wilson does a wonderful job of capturing the highs and lows of his character’s journey and the effect the experience has on someone whose mind was fragile enough before he got caught up in a plot to foster a global pandemic. We can’t help being skeptical of billionaire CEOs, after all, and Cusack’s character embodies all of those ambiguous reasons for being cautious. Playing pharmaceutical tycoon Kevin Christie, Cusack strikes just the right balance as a character that often feels too good to be true, keeping you on edge despite every outward indication that he sincerely wants to do right by the world. It’s easy to root for the show’s group of friends, but it’s hard to look away from the characters surrounding them. Image used with permission by copyright holder Three times the drama His average-guy character is there to show us how easily we could all be swept up in the machinations of a mysterious cabal if we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the times when we watch the story unfold through his eyes are often when it feels the most real. Portraying the group’s most skeptical member, Byrd occasionally feels like the audience’s surrogate in the crazy events happening all around him. That ability to sympathize with the characters in Utopia is both important and impressive, given how bizarre things get in the series and how quickly the vibe shifts from strangely familiar to a truly sinister spin on our current, real-world predicament. Borges’ character remains a sympathetic figure even at his looniest, though, and like many of his castmates, his performance keeps his character relatable - a quality that makes the stakes feel higher as the danger to him and his circle of friends grows. Borges in particular is a standout, portraying the group’s most paranoid member - a bunker-dwelling, wall-of-clippings-and-string true believer in all manner of sinister conspiracies. The core cast of comic-obsessed friends are fun to watch, even when the story takes them to some shockingly dark places. Image used with permission by copyright holder They’re joined by John Cusack as a charismatic entrepreneur, Rainn Wilson as a neurotic virologist, and Sasha Lane as a mysterious woman who might be the key to saving the world. The ensemble cast of Utopia is led by Dan Byrd, Ashleigh LaThrop, Desmin Borges, and Javon Walton playing a group of friends whose mutual fascination with an underground comic that may or may not foretell the future turns into a quest to stop an apocalyptic event. The underlying story of Utopia is an engrossing, well-crafted thriller, but it’s the mix of familiar faces and lesser-known actors who have great chemistry that really sells the show’s rapidly unfolding mystery. The following, spoiler-free review is based on the first seven episodes of season 1. Image used with permission by copyright holderĭigital Trends was given an early look at the first seven episodes of Utopia‘s eight-part debut season. It’s a shame, really, because Utopia‘s talented cast and compelling story provide a great foundation for the new series, which can’t help but be judged on how much it reflects reality rather than offering the sort of surreal escape from it the show would have been just a few months ago. ![]() God’s Creatures review: an overly restrained Irish drama Significant Other review: a scary kind of love The School for Good and Evil review: Middling magic
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