Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Laura Donnelly, Ann Skelly, Olivia Williams, James Norton, Tom Riley, Pip Torrens, Rochelle Neil, Amy Manson, Zachary Momah, Viola Prettejohn, Kiran Sonia Sawer, Ella Smith, Anna Devlin, Ben Chaplin, Zain Hussain, Denis O’ Hare, Nick Frost, Elizabeth Berrington, Pui Fan Lee, Eleanor Tomlinson, Vinnie Heaven, Claudia Black, Domenique Fragale, Martyn Ford, Mark Benton, Sylvie Briggs, Nicholas Farrell, Nicola Sloane, Abigail Thaw, Matt Emery.
Sometimes a concept is too large for the overwhelming majority to accept. It is understandable, after all the imagination is a fragile thing of beauty, and if we as a society, as a species, cannot function in that moment of expression, then we must find ways to take the experience and make it clearer, design it so the truth of the matter is not lost, but that the crowds can see and relish its overall sweeping, and undaunted vision.
Change must come, it is inevitable, however, it doesn’t always have to be radical, but it must be sincere, and in the television series The Nevers, what was envisioned by Joss Whedon stands tall, is captivating, and frames the narrative exemplified by films such as those found within the X-Men franchise, and in many cases of those earlier programmes created by Joss Whedon where the sense of family is not determined by blood, but by spirit.
The blending of fantasy and the historic Victorian setting, allows the steampunk element to be fully explored, but it is perhaps to the subversion of the time itself that the first series truly delivers its damning view on the period itself, the rise of women rightly speaking out in numbers, their voices seemingly and unceasingly shut down by the powers that be, only to be reflected in their ability to change society for the better. It is in this aspect that characters such as Amalia True, portrayed by the devilishly superb Laura Donnelly, Ann Skelly as True’s best friend and confidant Penance Adair, and Amy Manson as the psychotic Maladie, hold the power in a London not of their making.
The series, which works intriguingly well as one would perhaps expect of Mr. Whedon’s vision, allows the explanation to come to the fore in its stimulating finale, and one that really pushes Ms. Donnelly forward as she encapsulates the feeling of burden and despair as a women trapped in a loveless marriage and broken by the society that she is unwittingly part of. The range of her acting is presented well, and in scenes that involve the great Pip Torrens during the overall arc of the series, Ben Chaplin, the aforementioned Amy Manson and Eleanor Tomlinson, she lights up the screen with her clash and rally against the Victorian era.
Special mention must also go to Vinnie Heaven as Nimble Jack, a fascinating and absorbing character who she captures with that singular truth of sincerity.
If there is any serious question hanging over The Nevers, it is that the series, when compared to others in the same dramatic genre, feels too short, almost truncated needlessly, but then revolution is a game never won easily, and in this, The Nevers does come out on top.
Ian D. Hall