The Nevers
2021
Original language: English
- sci-fi & fantasy
- drama
The story
In the last years of Victoria's reign, London is beset by the "Touched": people — mostly women — who suddenly manifest abnormal abilities, some charming, some very disturbing. Among them are Amalia True, a mysterious, quick-fisted widow, and Penance Adair, a brilliant young inventor. They are the champions of this new underclass, making a home for the Touched, while fighting the forces of… well, pretty much all the forces — to make room for those whom history as we know it has no place.
What it’s like
Gritty, soot-stained Victorian London rendered in murky greys, sepia and gaslight amber, with grimy interiors, rain-slicked cobbles and a lot of smoke hanging in the air. The camera tends to stay close and restless, handheld in the brawls and lingering on faces in tight, shadowy rooms, while the score leans on swelling strings and sudden percussive stings that punctuate the quieter, more intimate scenes. Its vibe is brooding and rough-edged, a little theatrical, with flashes of dark whimsy whenever a Touched woman's power surfaces in an unexpectedly odd or charming way. Pacing is brisk and episodic, shifting between street-level scrapes, workshop tinkering and political intrigue, and the emotional register runs from defiant to tender as the central women slowly build a fragile sense of family out of people the world has discarded. Violence is a regular feature: fights are physical and sometimes bloody, with some disturbing uses of the powers, though gore stays moderate and sexual content is limited. Best suited to viewers who like a rowdy, character-driven period fantasy about outsiders banding together, rather than anything gentle or cosy.
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