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STATION ELEVEN SERIES REVIEW
The end of the world never looked more Shakespearean than it does in HBO Max’s newest miniseries Station Eleven. Adapted from the book by Emily St. John Mandel, the story occurs as a deadly flu virus spreads across the globe (unusually timely given the fact this was written and partially filmed before any sign of the current pandemic was emerging). The show bounces from a variety of perspectives and timelines as we see people survive the harrowing early days of the pandemic while also seeing how the world may adapt in the future. One of the primary focuses is young girl named Kirsten (Matilda Lawler), an acting prodigy who is watched over by a man named Jeevan (Himesh Patel) after losing contact with her parents. Twenty years later, we follow an older Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) after she has joined a travelling theater company who perform Shakespeare for survivor communities. But a suspicious individual calling himself the Prophet poses an unknown threat to them and possibly others they know. This show is definitely going for the heady, artistically minded approach more than your usual post-apocalypse shows. But is it truly an artistic masterpiece like some critics praise? Unfortunately, Justin, Robert, and Eliot were quite divided when answering that question. Find out which side of the argument you lie on by listening to their thoughts.
CREATED BY: Patrick Somerville
STARRING: Mackenzie Davis, Matilda Lawler, Himesh Patel, David Wilmot, Nabhaan Rizwan, Daniel Zovatto, Julian Obradors, Philippine Velge, Lori Petty, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danielle Deadwyler, Caitlin FitzGerald, Andy McQueen, David Cross, Enrico Colantoni, Deborah Cox, Luca Villacis, Prince Amponsah, Dylan Taylor, Joe Pingue, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Ajahnis Charley, Milton Barnes, Kate Moyer, Timothy Simons
YOUR REVIEWERS
Justin Zarian (Screener Squad, Eye on the Prize, Breakfast Pub, Assistant Site Manager)
Justin’s fate as a movie fanatic was written in the stars when his birth forced his parents to cancel their planned Oscar viewing party. While growing up in California, he was often seen in front of the television watching and re-watching Star Wars, Jurassic Park, classic Disney movies and a steady stream of animated shows. This eventually led to a B.A. in Film at Brigham Young University and an Outstanding Student Teacher Award for displaying a level of film knowledge so insane that even his fellow film students couldn’t compete. He received his M.A. from Syracuse University and is currently pursuing a teaching certificate, but still volunteers at One of Us every so often for the fun of it. His hobbies include non-stop film conversations, wondering how Mass Effect 3’s ending went so wrong, espousing the joys of shooting guns (but not hunting, as he’s quick to note), writing the next great American television show in his head, and anything else entertainment related. You can find him on Facebook once in a blue moon.
Eliot Nelson (Screener Squad, Staff Writer)
Soaked in the soggy rains of Seattle, Eliot developed a love of sci-fi, movies, cartoons, heavy metal, and all of geekdom. Pursuing his passion for the written word, he got his BA from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He has since worked exclusively in the foodservice industry, like any liberal arts major worth their salt. Eliot wiles away the hours listening to movie reviews, writing his epic sci-fi novel, and consuming as much media as possible. His favorite movies include The Lord of the Rings, City of God, Dawn of the Dead, and Groundhog Day. When not rambling to himself about the ineptness of entertainment executives, Eliot posts infrequently on Twitter and squawks regularly on his podcast The Debasement Tapes.
Robert Garza (Screener Squad)
If it weren’t for sad music and scary stories I wouldn’t be as well-adjusted and cheerful as I am today. Moonlighting as a musician off and on since adolescence, I am as big a fan of scores and needle drops as I am of slow zooms, production design, and third act exposition. Just about all of my screen time is spent on international horror, drama, and hour long episodic. Big fan of genre, and the biggest fan of supernatural horror and dark sci-fi with meaningful representation and narratives that use trauma, grief, and grace as more than surface-level content. Also, I read a ton of modern horror novels/comics and stan Matt Berry. In the before times I worked music and film festivals across the US and will hopefully return to that sometime in the future.
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