Pilot – 1 hour.
Creator: Dennis Kelly.
Original idea: Huw Kennair-Jones, Mark Aldridge and Clare McDonald.
*Warning Spoilers*
Broadcast on Channel 4. IMDB describes it as Mystery/ Drama/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller TV-MA or UK 18 certificate. Feels original and incomparable. Chock full of conspiracy theories, this series would come under Political Thriller as it’s genre. Credibly realist events but uses an expressionist tone. The shots are stylized, and an odd, but a brilliant soundtrack adds to the narrative.
During the first few minutes a news report is used as a voiceover to set the story’s arena. This is followed by the ‘bad guys’ murdering everyone in the first scene. They proceed to murder everyone with a link to the manuscript throughout the episode. The Question “Where is Jessica Hyde?” sets up an active question for the viewer – “Who is Jessica Hyde”
An ensemble of characters are introduced, linked only by ‘Utopia’; a website for fans of the Utopia graphic novel. Becky wants to study a Phd on the graphic novel but is finding it hard to get people to take her seriously, having dropped out of her medical degree when her Dad died of a degenerative disease.
Ian (28) is bored. He works in IT in an office and lives with his mum. Grant (12/14) is pretending to be an adult online, but appears to be a kid running around with no supervision. Wilson Wilson (40s) has an X-files (Carter, 1993-2018) poster and is the biggest conspiracy theorist in the group.
Michael works in Government (secretary to a minister) and he and his wife are trying IVF. We quickly discover that he has gotten a “Russian’s whore” pregnant which has opened him up to blackmail. The Russian demands Michael complete a mission to get Russian Flu Vaccines ordered. The blackmail of Michael will call his morality into question.
In a dark government office, officials debate flu vaccines and the seedy, secretive man in charge reiterates Michael’s mission. Leading the audience to the series’ overarching central active question, who is behind certain actions?
All of the protagonists are innocent, believing the graphic novel to be fascinating artwork – Except Wilson Wilson who knows it to be real, suggesting he may not be so innocent. When a friend from the group is killed and it’s made to look like suicide, we see how deep the conspiracy goes. The Police tell Wilson that medical records don’t lie. He warns the others what the government can do if they have your details and want to take you down.
In the end of Act 2 ‘Disaster’, things take an even darker turn when Ian and Becky are arrested for child porn/abuse and Wilson attempts to go to the police for help to no avail. “How deep does this conspiracy run” and “how far into government does it go?” become the active questions.
More information is leaked to the audience; Mark Dwane wrote the graphic novel while in a psychiatric home. An explanation of Deals Syndrome is given along with the connection to the graphic novel and a company name ‘Covat’ which links everyone with Deals syndrome. They had worked for Covat at some point. A further link is produced when Becky shows Ian that a drawing of the mutation for Deals is in the manuscript.
The group has the ability to uncover the conspiracy. Becky is revealed to know more about Deals syndrome, Wilson knows how to avoid being tracked and evading government pursuit, Ian is in IT and Grant is an escape artist.
The crisis at the end of Act 2 is Wilson being tortured for info on Jessica Hyde. The stakes have been well and truly raised. These protagonists need to uncover what is going on or their lives will be destroyed. Only by working together will they succeed in their quest. Pilot ends with the first active question answered, when Jessica Hyde arrives at their door and announces herself.
