I'm not sure how to recommend DEVS, or if I should: it's as annoying as enthralling, it's as dark as it's beautiful.
Fantastic stuff, unusual pacing, great soundtrack, great acting, sometimes it'll really stretch your patience or feel unwarranted then it'll drag you right back in.
You won't like the end and then you'll think about it and like it again... then you'll change your mind! You'll want to rewatch immediately or maybe never again. You'll read every review and DEVS explained article even the ones with physics stuff you don't fully understand, you'll remember details that make you feel moody, you'll have a fondness for Jamie that puts a small smile on your face. The Jacob Geller video dissecting it will become a fave.
It's very much not what you'd expect: the vibes and through lines match folk horror (like The Wicker Man) far better than sci-fi by the time we're half way through. If you liked the thought experiments posed by The Matrix, this might be right up your alley.
I watched on a hunch, trusting that Nick Offerman could deliver a solid performance and hoping for existential fear like in Annihilation or Ex Machina.
Here's the pitch: Alex Garland the filmmaker was given a blank cheque to make a one shot series by FX and Hulu: they gave a 'sci fi guy' a massive budget to do whatever artsy boundary pushing story he wanted. Not a mad men clone, not something popular, just what tickled him. This is some obscure, off-putting, out there story that doesn't get seen, let alone make any money... and yet in 2019, some studio took a risk. The cast is diverse, the themes intelligent, the photography and design just stunning.
Garland generally does hard sci fi where something scientifically conceivable but slightly out of current reach forces people to rethink their world then examines the psychological fallout.
We have a talented cast, a thriller, atmospheric glitchy music, a pinch of absurdism and lots of stuff to ruminate on. There's a surface story of industrial espionage in silicon valley and the broader theme of cult-like beliefs among a group of select developpers working on a special project.
It examines faith even though most of the characters are probably atheists. It's about how we see ourselves as moral beings and in relation to other people, could your conscience change if you had information about how the world works?
The best I can say about DEVS is that it's like those unnerving stories that get passed from person to person in school and then stick with you long after. It's the job these actors cherish and want to talk about even though it's not their moneymaker. You know?
This is cult TV and well worth the effort of tracking it down and taking the time. If you have a mental slot free for something unusual and you enjoy heady sci-fi, take the leap.
