1x01 Pilot

Brave New World was required reading "back in the day" and, while there have been many adaptations of what is arguably Aldous Huxley's most well known novel, IMO none have really captured all of the bewitching insidiousness of the dystopian utopia he conjured. Well, with Hulu, Amazon, Netflix and CBS all now offering streaming only exclusive content, I guess it was only time before someone, this time NBC/Universals "Peacock" streaming service took a crack at getting it right.

And thusly, we are introduced to, as @Anthoney65 noted, Peacocks "interesting" mix of recognizably accomplished if not distinguished thespians, making sure to tick all the socially acceptable ethnic ratios, while somehow keeping the mix well within the mid-tone range. Given that the source novel was penned in 1932, this might seem a bit "awake", however, given the current political climate, NBC/Universal can be forgiven, yet thanked for not shoving a feeding tube down the viewers throats, and using a reflex hammer rather than a sledge.

And yet, as I watched the pilot, and, given recent events as well as the previous 1 or 2 years leading up to them, I can't help reflect as to how Huxley's "Brave NEW World, turns out to have at least a distant cousin, if not a sibling, in world we currently find ourselves in. This is NOT to infer that Huxley was somehow prescient in his futurist construct, yet, many aspects of HIS imagined society DO seem to mirror the one we are currently devolving and retrogressing toward.

Bear with me. Huxley's Brave New World is a utopia conceived on the basis of human self interest masquerading as a universal paradise. Today, it is increasingly believed that, if the "right" people are in charge, then, whether through coercion, cancellation, force, or violent revolution, that a socialist paradise can be engineered, through elimination of capitalism, family, patriarchy, racial privilege, (well one PARTICULAR races' privileges) grievances, both macro, micro and imagined, and, all authority, other than a nebulous, pseudo-religious fanaticism that no sane, logically thinking person would either condone nor understand. Sound familiar??

And so, in the first episode, we meet Lenina, who is a scientist who makes bio engineered babies, grown in a lab, ala "The Matrix", created according to what the society requires. Oh, did I forget to mention that not everybody in this new world is equal, rather, there is a caste system, Alpha's, Alpha pluses, Betas and so on and so on in a hierarchy which sees to it that everyone stays in their place. But, rather than bread and circuses, THIS society sees to it that the masses are pacified by thought monitoring, 24/7 surveillance, and a handy little treat called "SOMA" which they hand out like Skittles on Halloween. Hell, if you can't solve your problems, you might as well forget them. "Imagine no emotions..., I wonder if you can.., no feelings to confuse us, a boy or girl for every man. But I digress.

It seems Lenina is getting called on the carpet because she made the mistake of doing the horizontal mambo "several times" (uh 22) with the SAME guy, Henry, and unfortunately, she caught some feels. Being the handsome, but compliant drone he was, he snitched her out for getting "too attached". Obviously there is no "snitches get stitches" rule in Huxley's Brave New Hood, er.., World. Not to worry though, they've got a pill for that!! Take two, and, along with a mandatory shag (or four) in the Pleasure Garden, and, all is forgiven. Of course, she later sees her former not Boo, not Boo'ed up with another, her BFF, and it seems that her interrogator, Henry, is NOT a fan of menage a trois with beautiful, willing seductresses. What IS a boy to do?

Before I forget, it seems there was an "accident" with one of the worker drones, that is, one of them "slipped" over chest high barrier several stories up, and became an atrium decoration about 15 feet out from the optimal "accident" trajectory. No worries mate, they've got a pill for that, but, they've also got a connection to the neural net, which unbeknownst to the powers that be, can apparently hold residual memories for a short while after death. Henry get a flash of the moment of his death, and concludes that the drone had a running start when he uh, "slipped". Henry tells his superiors, who tell him, "don't worry, we've got a pill for that", and you look tired, so, mandatory furlough, er, vacation for you. Lenina later barges in to call him out for being a hypocrite, and not getting busy with the girls at the party, and, after some awkward hesitation, he confesses that he is an INCEL, er, isn't like "other Alphas", and has been ordered to take a vacay.

By vacation means a trip to the Savage Lands, sort of a Disneyland / Universal Studios for degenerates who want to play shoot em up bang bang with the "savages" who take their cosplay rather seriously. (Think "Westworld", with live humans instead of robots) One of them is named John (first name John, last name Savage, middle name, The) who takes care of the props, guns, and cleans up after the shows. He has a mad crush on one of the cosplayers, but, it is unrequited, and frankly dangerous, as her significant other is a bit of a psycho.

John's Mom, Linda, played by a doped up, but incestuously seductive Demi Moore, is fully in her cups, and after an apparently tasty dinner, is put to bed (alone) by John, who then notices folks lurking outside. He goes to investigate, and, is promptly set upon by Antifa, er, Savage Lives Matter, uh, .... peaceful denizens of the savage lands, who, bag and tag him like a CIA Black Site Op. He is transported to a the SLAZ / SLOP, outside of the theme park grounds, we meet Raz, that is, the BNW female equivalent, who draws his, (and our) attention to a blue energy wall that separates the Savage Lands from the rest of Capitol Hill, er..., Seattle.., er, New London, which if you walk into it, you will be instantly turned to ash, rather than being dispatched with nearly 300 rounds of 5.56.

He is then shown a bunker, not unlike Sarah Connors, full of ammunition and weapons, and is told he has to make a choice as to who he wants to be. Later, we see him returned to his home, driven by his crush, who tells him he has to do what he has been told to do, because, she would hate to see him, or his Mother, cancelled, er..., come to harm. John later is seen sitting on his porch, drinking a beer, and he opens his hand, revealing a single 44 Magnum round.

So, my verdict is that, although this is not a 100% faithful to the source material adaptation, (thus far) it is nonetheless an entertaining one, with a capable cast, good pacing, and decent acting. Worth watching, and I look forward to seeing how Peacock's interpretation of this classic unfolds.