Beneath a bunch of jargon, complicated language, and new cultures, there’s a beating coronary heart of Moonhaven, the brand new AMC+ sci-fi drama. Half dystopian story, half detective story, with a smidge of political thriller thrown in, it’d take some time earlier than you get your sea legs with Moonhaven. It’s unlucky that there’s a lot work to do on the a part of the present to explain their new world, as a result of as soon as the precise intrigue and story unveils itself, it’s really fairly a wild journey. One with moments that may make you gasp and marvel what you simply noticed.
Moonhaven is ready in a not-so-distant future the place the Earth has been ravaged by humanity. Life on Earth sucks, there’s not a lot in the best way of meals, water, or consolation. Some years in the past, a colony on the Moon was created known as Moonhaven. The individuals who reside there reside very in another way than the folks on Earth. They communicate in English but it surely’s the sort of English that A Clockwork Orange‘s Alex DeLarge speaks. You don’t grieve when somebody dies, you get the dreadfeel. It’s supposed so as to add to the mystique of Moonhaven but it surely solely results in confusion and obfuscation. As a result of the plot revolves round a current homicide and the opportune arrival of a pilot, Bella Sway (Emma McDonald).
Moonhaven’s objective was to finally return again to the earth to show folks easy methods to get better and rebuild their lives, however the life-style is so essentially completely different. The primary factor is, nobody raises their very own youngster on Moonhaven. When you’ve got youngsters, you meet them as soon as, after which they’re given to a different household to boost and also you solely meet them once more once you die. It’s an try to unravel tribalism which they consider results in battle. Do away with blood is thicker than water, and possibly battle goes with it? However it’s genuinely exhausting to think about what hippie thought that forcing folks to surrender their youngsters would carry peace on Earth.
The present dabbles with themes of predestination, expertise as an enormous brother, even extraterrestrial life, however that can be its downfall. It has an excessive amount of to juggle and never sufficient time to present one the eye it’s due. It usually feels prefer it’s attempting very exhausting to make you curious about watching extra as a substitute of truly leaning into the strengths of the collection. Moonhaven delivers a slew of characters, however amongst them are stars that the present should lean on so as to elevate itself. McDonald’s Bella is certainly one of them. Although she is initially fairly a cipher, giving us the attitude of an individual from earth, she shortly turns into part of Moonhaven and learns about its tradition.
She meets Arlo (Kadeem Hardison) and Paul (Dominic Monaghan), two detectives. However with out a lot crime on Moonhaven, they’re not as skilled in fixing a current homicide, one which leads them to Bella. Arlo is a lover of Sherlock Holmes and shortly turns into one of many vibrant spots within the collection, providing healthful levity. Paul, on the flip facet, is the guts of this present. Though you would name Bella the protagonist, it’s Paul’s world that we’re plunged into. As he will get to know Bella, she will get to know him and his life-style. He’s a form and simply man, one who can perceive the twists and turns that an investigation can take, but in addition somebody who can embrace the second and easily begin dancing.
Some low factors within the collection embody Joe Manganiello additionally performs a bodyguard named Tomm with extra up his sleeve than we understand. It’s sort of a weird function, a personality who’s each aimless and much too targeted. It’s exhausting to see him past simply being a plot system disguised as a personality. Similar goes for the enigmatic Maite performed by Ayelet Zurer. She begins off because the chief of the Mooners however quickly turns into regardless of the plot wants her to be. We by no means study fairly sufficient about her to type our personal image and it’s somewhat infuriating. The character is somewhat smug and is probably going meant to be a type of characters who walks the road between black and white however finally ends up present solely to push the plot ahead. The presence of this system IO is supposed to be a sort of technological huge brother, however that too falls into the background till it’s wanted to carry motion to the plot.
On the finish of the day, whereas Moonhaven is an attention-grabbing idea, and there are definitely moments in it which can be lovely and considerate, it may’t see the forest for the bushes. It feels prefer it’s throwing rather a lot in opposition to the wall, hoping most of it sticks. However, all just isn’t misplaced. The ending of the season brings extra readability and extra mysteries that may be sufficient to intrigue viewers to come back again for extra.
