Being a sucker for anything '80s (G.L.O.W. and Stranger Things come to mind) and seeing how much praise this show was getting on IMDB, I decided to kick-off the new year with a new show. As far as the '80s go, there isn't much to see here, visually speaking (though it warmed my heart to see Sony's old logo), but the soundtrack is absolutely delightful!
I feared that this would become yet another teen show spent in school but, thankfully, it's the most refreshing take on the genre that I've seen in years. The aggression, violence and overall grittier mood are well executed, without falling into the tackiness that often plagues shows that try to be edgier this way. The scene where Marcus kills that hobo that harassed him earlier was great, the quick build-up was very well done, to the point of embedding a sense of bloodlust in the viewer, I can't remember the last time I felt so satisfied to see some asshole being "taken care of" on screen.
I did not know this was based in a graphic novel until I read the other comments here. It does have a comic book vibe to it, you can feel it throughout most of the episode. It's like X-Mansion without the X-gene and the moral guidelines. It's like Hoggwarts if Voldermort was in charge of things. It's like Saved by the Bell if they all did drugs. You get the point (hopefully).
I was pleasantly surprised by this pilot episode, as it shows a lot of potential, steering the viewer away from boredom and almost constantly keeping us on our toes. The grittier take on high-school clichés keeps things interesting. It also seems to borrow something from the Japanese classic Battle Royale, which can only be a good thing.
All in all, I feel as if I was watching a show that knows how to balance trying to be edgy without ending up looking like a poseur.
Review by kinkyVIP EP 6BlockedParent2019-01-01T15:22:43Z
Being a sucker for anything '80s (G.L.O.W. and Stranger Things come to mind) and seeing how much praise this show was getting on IMDB, I decided to kick-off the new year with a new show. As far as the '80s go, there isn't much to see here, visually speaking (though it warmed my heart to see Sony's old logo), but the soundtrack is absolutely delightful!
I feared that this would become yet another teen show spent in school but, thankfully, it's the most refreshing take on the genre that I've seen in years. The aggression, violence and overall grittier mood are well executed, without falling into the tackiness that often plagues shows that try to be edgier this way. The scene where Marcus kills that hobo that harassed him earlier was great, the quick build-up was very well done, to the point of embedding a sense of bloodlust in the viewer, I can't remember the last time I felt so satisfied to see some asshole being "taken care of" on screen.
I did not know this was based in a graphic novel until I read the other comments here. It does have a comic book vibe to it, you can feel it throughout most of the episode. It's like X-Mansion without the X-gene and the moral guidelines. It's like Hoggwarts if Voldermort was in charge of things. It's like Saved by the Bell if they all did drugs. You get the point (hopefully).
I was pleasantly surprised by this pilot episode, as it shows a lot of potential, steering the viewer away from boredom and almost constantly keeping us on our toes. The grittier take on high-school clichés keeps things interesting. It also seems to borrow something from the Japanese classic Battle Royale, which can only be a good thing.
All in all, I feel as if I was watching a show that knows how to balance trying to be edgy without ending up looking like a poseur.