I’m struggling to find a new dystopia to invest in after reading the Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. I fell in love with the amazing characters, writing, and story.
If there is something else out there I should read or watch, please let me know.
I gave the new Netflix series from Denmark The Rain a chance. It’s got a punchy tagline: “Stay Dry. Stay Alive,” which sounded like a good start.
The show has a novel concept. The rain holds a virus that kills most of the population. The main character Simone (Alba August) and her younger brother are holed up in a bunker. Initially, Mom is there too, but not for long. Their father promises to return after he completes a mysterious quest but does not.
Fast forward five years and food in the bunker is running out. Simone and her brother must venture into a new, inhospitable world but only when no storm clouds are above.
I bought into the series at the start. Simone is a typical teen and I enjoyed the bunker scenes of the first two episodes. How do two teens cope with stress, fear, and the boredom of solitary confinement? How well would they deal without adults?
Once they are out of the bunker, the series turns leaky. The main character makes many stupid choices. She waited five years for her father’s return and then all of a sudden she is ready to trek around the country searching for answers without a thought-out plan or a plan of any kind. She meets some starving people, all her own age, and leads them to a new bunker full of technology and food. But they all quickly give up the safety, food, and technology to follow Simone into danger.
I also had to ask why all the good people in the series portrayed as stupid? The bad people who hunt survivors have technology and vehicles. All the good people are starving and scavenging. There must be some smart good people who can start cars and find food. Right?
This show has a great premise and good actors but imitated other dystopian shows already out there.
Lisa Acerbo, Author 