Mrs Davis Episodes 1 to 4 Review: Starring Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman, Andy McQueen, Chris Diamantopoulos, Elizabeth Marvel, Tom Wlaschiha, Katja Herbers, Ely Henry, Jack Foley, Ben Chaplin, Sam Meader and Raphael Corkhill alongside other cast members, this show is a new absurdist comedy from Peacock following a world where an algorithm is a widely beloved source of emotional support but Simone, a nun, works to bring it down.
Directed by Owen Harris, Alethea Jones and Frederick E.O. Toye, this show is written and created by the duo Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof. This series will contain eight episodes, the first four released together and subsequent episodes released every Thursday on the streaming platform. The series was officially selected for the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival.
– The Mrs Davis Review Contains Mild Spoilers –
Watching the trailer already makes jaws drop and smiles instantaneously appear. Still, the show takes every narrative structure, story beat, and plot device to create an interesting web of incidents that all fit together like a puzzle piece. Meanwhile, it takes the conversation between AI and God to such a place where the mortal human fears to traverse.
If the readers are surprised by this sudden bout of dramaticism, it is because the show demands it. Like a Russian nesting doll, there is a plot device within another narrative cliche, within yet another bout of sweet, sweet irony. Betty Gilpin mentioned that we hadn’t seen a show anything like this one, and she was not wrong. A lot of good content currently out on the OTT platforms doesn’t fit into a singular genre or talk about a singular perspective.
In Mrs Davis, the show not grapples with the human condition of finding purpose but intertwines it with the concept of an artificially intelligent entity taking over the planet through soft power. It takes the hilarity of it just far enough for us to acknowledge just how silly it is but also deals with the darker aspects of what happens when we put someone up on the pedestal of a God. Can you feel the cult vibes emanating from this show just yet? Well, you might not be the only one.
Without making it too evident, this series walks the line on highlighting so many deeply problematic and normalised aspects of our society but keeps them subtle to show us the realities and the analogous double standards in the world while still keeping the characters and their story at the forefront. The characters are given real motivation and traits that align with what we think of modern character archetypes. They are people of this generation who grew up to be raised in an era of endless possibilities with technology.
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The concepts of worthiness and masculinity are so well-explored. Gilpin’s character is such a wonderful study of how family dynamics shape the way we present in our lives and the different kinds of loves that walk in and out of our lives. Apart from this, we see her fierceness and her insistence to see past the farce in this world as a central trait that makes this show so enticing in the first place.
Let’s not speak of the absurdity, because it is not just the story world. Still, the dialogues, the writing, the cinematography and the editing technique polish everything that would have already shined based on the mind-boggling premise. Moreover, the parallel in understanding the absent all-powerful nature of a God and the incredibly interfering and all-powerful nature of the algorithm exhibits a stark contrast but a deeply disturbing core that rings true underlying significantly in every episode.
Mrs Davis Episodes 1 to 4 Review: Final Thoughts
This writer personally feels like the writing, story and acting are great contenders for next year’s Academy Awards. It is an incredibly fresh look at a fundamental element of the 21st century, and it tackles that extremely well. Using some religious imagery and a dashing hero, this show does a great job of keeping the characters relatable and keeping up the excitement episode after episode.
The next few episodes have some insane shoes to fill. Because they have already shown us a little glimpse into how crazy and insane this world can get, how deeply flawed all characters can get, all-powerful or not and how the little things that they have teased early in these instalments will be difficult for them to measure up to all of this. However, the cliffhanger will definitely keep the audience on their toes for now because the way the episode ended, it seems like the adventure may only be just getting started.
Mrs Davis Episodes 1-4 are currently streaming on Peacock. What did you think of this absurdist comedy show following a warrior nun? Let us know in the comments below.
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