I started watching the series, The Nevers, on HBO Max a few weeks ago and finally got back around to finishing up the last couple of episodes recently. As a fan of sci-fi and fantasy movies and series and movies, I am always excited to check out new content and provide a review to help you decide if you should add to your watch list. FYI - I’m trying to make this review largely spoiler-free, so don’t worry about having any surprises spoiled by reading the article.
The Nevers is a short, 6 episode series on HBO Max. It comes from the mind of Joss Whedon, who has developed shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dollhouse, as well as being involved in movies for both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC. Unlike a lot of shows and movies these days, it isn’t actually based on any pre-existing content (comics, novels, etc.).
The first 6 episodes are labels as “Part 1” of season 1. HBO has committed to part 2 of season 1, but no dates have been announced.
What’s The Nevers About?
This is a tricky one to answer without introducing massive spoilers, so I’m going to keep it general. The plot unfolds over each episode, as we learn more and more, with a few bigger twists and turns toward the end of part 1.
The series is set in Victorian-era London and follows a group of characters who have manifested strange abilities all at the same time. These people are referred to as the Touched and are looked upon as everything from an interesting curiosity to a danger to the English empire.
The Touched are predominantly women, but there are definitely a number of male characters in the group as well. The main character is Amalia True, who is the de facto leader of the Touched, as she gathers them to live in a reclaimed orphanage for their own safety.
Other key characters include: Penance Adair (a brilliant inventor), Dr. Horatio Cousins (a doctor who can heal with is hands), Maladie (a psychotic serial killer who is also Touched), Lavinia Bidlow (a rich spinster who funds the Touched community), Hugo Swann (a rich playboy who owns a private sex club), Lord Gilbert Massen (a member of the British ruling party), and Inspector Frank Mundi (a detective investigating Maladie’s murder spree), and many others. There is a wide cast of characters for such a short series, but each is given a reasonable amount of development along the way.
The story revolves around how the Touched are accepted (or rejected) by Victorian society, how and why they got their powers, and essentially how they will continue to exist going forward. The show tackles gender stereotypes (since so many Touched are women) and concepts of the individual vs. the government, and the class structure.
Plot Structure
The show is able to include a lot of plot, but not initially giving the audience a lot to go on. Viewers are dropped into the story, without much setup. We don’t initially know how the Touched came by their powers (they generally don’t either) or really what the motivations are for many of the main characters. Instead, pieces of the background are slowly hinted at and then revealed over each episode.
This structure can be a bit confusing initially, as things happen that may make viewers feel like they missed an episode or some previous content. But, that’s simply the story structure. As you watch it, you simply need to stash away some of that information for a later episode, when things click into place.
There is also a very big reveal during the last episode, which both clears up a lot of lingering questions and brings on a host of new questions that part 2 will hopefully resolve.
The Touched Powers
A quick word about the powers of the Touched. Think of them a bit like mutants in Marvel’s X-men universe. Some powers are very useful, while others seem more like simple curiosities or may even be terrible. You’ll see powers like glimpsing the future (Amalia), understanding how energy flows and designing inventions to take advantage of it (Penance), healing (Dr. Cousins), shaping fire, speaking to birds, shattering anything you touch, turning solid matter into glass, including those around you to spill their secrets, etc. It’s an odd mix of powers that seem to have little rhyme or reason, at least so far.
Watch it or Not?
If you enjoy sci-fi steampunk-style stories, then put The Nevers on your watch list. The acting is generally quite good. The story is very engaging, if a bit confusing at first. The production values are excellent. While it isn’t special effects heavy, the effects it does include largely feel believable and aren’t distracting. Personally, I’m looking forward to part 2.
