Wednesday, July 31, 2024

TV Review: Supacell

The Black Heroes remake you didn’t know you needed—a bingeable adventure amidst larger social issues

Superhero movies and television series have saturated theaters and streaming services lately, often making a once magical concept feel ordinary and repetitive. Many viewers still enjoy superhero adventures as a way to provide an escape from the monotony of everyday life. But with the non-stop changes, chaos, and stressors in the ‘real world,’ ironically it is ‘real life’ that seems extraordinary, while superhero tropes may seem cliché. Some may crave something different—something that reflects the reality of the stressors of life rather than providing a traditional, escapist view. Occasionally, we have seen different approaches to the superhero genre, with stories that show a more cynical side of superpowers. Netflix’s Supacell takes a nontraditional approach to the concept of having superpowers by juxtaposing the fantastic into a world filled with real-life stress and chaos. The series follows five unconnected Black Londoners who each suddenly develop a different superhuman power but still have to deal with both the mundane and the overwhelming stressors of their daily lives.

Before we meet the lead characters, the first episode provides a cryptic glimpse of a sinister scheme lurking in the shadows of the city. The series opens in a menagerie-like prison designed with a long hallway of brightly lit rooms, all comfortably furnished with beds, videogames, books, and even piano keyboards. Inside each glass cell is an ordinary-looking person: women, men, mostly young, but all Black. Despite the comfortable-looking interior, it is clear they are distressed and they are prisoners. In contrast to the inmates, we see white people dressed in suits or military gear. Each cell has a glass wall that allows the white captors and the Black captives to see each other. When one of the captives tries to escape, we get a dramatic visual summary of the situation. The symbolism and references to commoditization of human life, as well as the symbolism of external manipulation, are quite overt.

Blissfully unaware of the hidden drama are the five initially unconnected lead characters: Michael, Sabrina, Andre, Rodney, and Tazer. Michael is a busy, working class, package delivery driver who is ready to propose to his social worker girlfriend, Dionne. They are a sweet, hardworking couple, so you know fate is coming for them. Sabrina is a dedicated and overworked young hospital nurse living with her streetwise sister, Sharleen. Andre is a good-hearted but struggling ex-felon and single father trying to keep a steady job and build a relationship with his teenaged son. Rodney is an unapologetic, energetic drug dealer. He is biracial and has a tragic backstory that explains why he is struggling to survive financially. Tazer is a street criminal engaged in various forms of extortion and drug dealing. Tazer is being raised by his beloved grandmother after the disappearance of his mother. At some point, each person’s unique power manifests unexpectedly. Michael can suddenly teleport, time travel, and rewind time; Tazer can become invisible; Sabrina has telekinesis; Andre has superstrength; and Rodney has superspeed and super healing powers. As in the television show Heroes, the lead characters are flawed and struggling and are (for the most part) more annoyed and stressed by the appearance of superpowers than they are excited and motivated. This bit of realism and cynicism is a refreshing change of pace despite the attendant bleakness.

This first season of the show is an origin story of the people who will become a team. Initially, the five main characters are living separate, unconnected, ordinary lives (for better or for worse) when a sudden physical change manifests and each person realizes that something dramatic has occurred. The manifestation of the superpowers is treated as a fearful or amusing aberration which does not immediately change the character’s day to day lives. Supacell is also clearly different from other superhero series because all the superpowered humans are Black. That basic demographic shift already makes the story unique. It is hard to think of another superhero team where all or even most of the characters are Black or people of color. As the story progresses, we discover that the ethnic connection is not an accident. The superpowers are tied to a real-life genetic trait specifically connected to Black people.

The Netflix series has many nostalgic similarities to some classic favorites in the superhero genre. Supacell is most like the first season of Heroes, with its ordinary, flawed, unsuspecting, and unconnected characters. The show also has the gritty edginess of Luke Cage. A primary plotline is Michael’s attempt to change the past to protect Dionne after his future self warns him. The concept is similar to storylines in The Flash. And, in true superhero fashion, each lead character has a loved one who gives them both a motivation and a vulnerability.

In contrast to the thoughtfully created main characters, the ultimate villains and antagonists in the series are, thus far, somewhat two-dimensional. Instead, the focus remains on the five main characters who encompass a range of troubling to morally gray to earnestly good. Michael is the pure heart center, Sabrina is the caretaker, Andre is the strong supporter, Rodney is the quirky comic relief, and Tazer is the violent wild card.

Beyond the journey of the five heroes, the show addresses a range of social issues including predatory healthcare, racism and racial exploitation, sexism and racial stereotyping, economic disparity, and flawed justice systems. None of it is presented as a problem to be solved. Instead, it is a backdrop for the adventures in this brief series. With only six episodes, Supacell is bingeably easy to finish. However, since the season is primarily an origin story (the tale of how the five heroes connected and found their motivation), the overarching plot does not get resolved, and the motivations of the antagonists remain unclear. There is no pressure to find the big answers—at least not yet, and the final episode makes it clear that season one is only the beginning of the journey.


Nerd Coefficient: 7/10.

Highlights:

· Refreshingly cynical approach to the superhero genre
· Vague, two-dimensional villains
· Bingeable adventure amidst larger social issues

POSTED BY: Ann Michelle Harris – Multitasking, fiction writing Trekkie currently dreaming of her next beach vacation.