āBut in the end, the quest for knowledge - humankindās intractable struggle to know, and by knowing, conquer the natural world - well, that makes it all worthwhile.ā
Frankstein, M.D.
Creators: Lou Harris, Brett Register, and Bernie Stu
Type: Webseries
Length: 24 Episodes (from 5-10 minutes each, about 3 hours altogether)
Genre: Modernised Frankenstein Adaptation, Medical Drama, Gothic, Science Fiction, Horror, Romance
Publisher: Pemberley Digital and PBS Digital Studios
The first thing that should be noted about this series is that itās not strictly an adaptation of Mary Shelleyās novel, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. This series is an adaptation of the Frankenstein concept, including the elements of it depicted in film and contemporary culture. At least they get points for not calling the Monster Frankenstein.
Victoria Frankenstein is an incredibly gifted soon-to-be doctor of medicine. Unfortunately she is, also, arrogant, rash, and self-absorbed in her pursuit of professional recognition. Together with her lab partner Iggy, Victoria embarks on an exploration of the bounds of medical science in Frankenstein, M.D. Unfortunately as their experiments progress they begin to discover that some ethical restrictions upon experimentation are there for a reason.
This series has a number of clever elements to it and is quite a unique addition to the literary webseries genre that Pemberley Digital created. It more explores the ideas of the Frankenstein concept over directly adapting the novel. Since I personally consider the book to have been one of the most influential pieces of literature Iāve ever read I have to say that the fact that it deviates from the book in some quite significant ways makes it something of a miss for me personally. I suspect that if youāre a fan ofĀ Mary Shelleyās novel over the other media that have developed from it this webseries might be something of a disappointment. If you liked the classic movie or scientist-must-deal-with-the-monster-they-created horror films then itās far more likely to be your cup of tea.
Frankenstein, M.D. does some interesting things with genre blending. The show starts as a comedy, albeit a rather uncomfortable one, and spends a number of episodes building the world and developing the characters over advancing the plot. The black humour created by Victoriaās cavalier attitude to the wellbeing of others in her pursuit of scientific advancement making her friends lives miserable sets the stage for the darker developments that follow. As the famous plot develops, the webseries descends through a science fiction medical drama into a full blown horror story. Considering the limits of the webseries format this one does a good job of playing off the Gothic elements of the original story to create fear with what you arenāt shown rather than what you are to create the ominous atmosphere.
The main characters are well developed although more based off their literary counterparts than directly representing them. The choice to change Victor Frankenstein to a woman is an interesting twist and an intriguing way to examine the obsession that is the focus of Frankensteinās character. Victoria is brilliant but obviously insecure due to her desire to advance in a male dominated field and thus relentlessly determined to prove herself. This additional dimension to her character makes her an interesting protagonist independent of her literary precursor. The show does a good job of developing both an utterly irresponsible and largely contemptible character that you are still capable of feeling empathy for. Iggyās character, based on the Igor of the films, is her foil. Somewhat incompetent, far more laid back, and often taken advantage thanks to his easily led character, he is largely used for comic relief in an otherwise grimly Gothic medical drama. However, the show should be given credit for developing an interplay and alternation in the pairās roles and their contrasting views as the ethical dilemmas of the show begin to eventuate. They are the stand out characters and the focus of the show with both actors nailing very solid and believable performances. They are backed up by an appealing supporting cast who do a great job but pale in comparison to the anti-hero protagonist, in particular. Nonetheless, every good horror story needs you to care about the events occurring and the additional characters admirably flesh out the world. A special mention should go to the Monster whose actor produces a haunting and disturbing performance.
As with any Frankenstein story this version is focused on the ethical dilemmas intrinsic in advancing science. This show deserves credit both for presenting interesting science and an actually relatively believable justification for the creation of the Monster. It excels at technobabble, although I canāt guarentee that if youāre actually a doctor or biologist you will be as convinced as a layperson. As to the ethical considerations, this show focuses more on the things-man-was-not-meant-to-know terror of the story. Oddly enough this was a relatively minor consideration of the original novel which includes numerous other ideas not commonly examined that the show does not go into. I must admit to personally finding this disappointing as this effectively makes Frankenstein, M.D. just another monster story, albeit a quite well-done one. Nonetheless, the examination of Victoria Frankenstein is strong and I personally found her character far more compelling and sympathetic than the original Victor Frankenstein.
Frankenstein, M.D. is in some ways a rather uneven production. It swings between genres and ideas, ultimately choosing a relatively simple theme from the films over the nuance of the original book. That said it is a very interesting character study with an excellent production design that carries the rather difficult narrative. Itās not too long so if youāre interested in a modern monster story with an intelligent scientific premise or a detailed character study it could well be worth giving a go.
