"The Peripheral" might be Amazon's Version of "Westworld" but That's Not Necessarily a Bad Thing

 

                                                                                                    Image via Variety

    Despite the many different shows coming out across streaming, Sci-Fi has had a tougher time hitting the small screen with big success in recent years. Though, one such show has stood out that was very successful during its initial run, however, Westworld. The HBO original series which is based on the 1973 film of the same name was created by the husband-wife duo, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. The show was a huge hit for the premium network when it released in October 2016, but ratings have since slipped for the show in successive seasons. Amazon's newest marquee series, The Peripheral is headlined by Nolan and Joy again, this time though, adapting a beloved novel which is set in the future in which technology has altered society to a degree in which many can't determine an alternate reality to their own.

    The Peripheral is very high-concept science-fiction which we see from the onset jumping between two worlds in the streamer's 2-episode premiere. One being a rundown section of future North America where our main protagonist, Flynne Fisher (Chloe Grace Moretz) lives with her Army veteran, gamer brother, Barton (Jack Reynor) and their ailing mother who they are seemingly willing to do anything to protect and care for. The second is the dystopian London-set simulation (or so we think) in which Flynne plugs into. Flynne is a very talented and savvy character who has been able to win money for her family doing missions in VR-based games for profit. In scenes like these, the show reminds me much of Ready Player One, however, noir-elements combined with parallel worlds makes this show feel deeper and richer in building out its universe. 

    Moretz does a good job in the role, building confidence in her acting and character work as Flynne begins to find out more about what we eventually find out is future London. It is here where she begins engaging with figureheads such as the stoic fixer, Wilf Netherton (Gary Carr), a character who begins the series in the opening scene but is not seen again until the start of the second episode, "Empathy Bonus". He believes Flynne to be the solution to all of the problems within future London. Flynne enters this world herself after portraying her brother in the pilot episode, now having her own robotic avatar (known in this world as Peripherals). While the premiere does leave you wanting to know more about our lead characters and some intriguing supporting characters as well, namely Connor Penske (Eli Goree), a paraplegic military veteran friend of the Fisher's and Corbell Pickett (Louis Herthum), a mysterious and powerful white bearded antagonist who resides in the small town of Clanton in 2032, the second episode is where things start to pick up in both worlds. Whether it's a shootout amongst the smaller, modest "home world" of the Fisher's or the beginning of the espionage based glitzy future London, you feel that both worlds have interconnectivity in the way there seems to be a hopelessness blending the series as a whole.

    The Peripheral, which is a loose adaptation of the novel, is the first series that Nolan and Joy have crafted since they signed their overall deal with Amazon back in 2019 for a reported $150 million. Though this is the first series to come out of that deal, the pair is also currently filming Fallout, a series based on the best-selling video game as well. The Peripheral has elements that make it similar to Westworld, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The familiarity of the 2032-set Clanton separates this as it gives the viewer a sense of something that they can relate to which is different to that of the HBO sci-fi drama that just wrapped up its 4th season.

    The Peripheral releases new episodes on Amazon Prime Video every Friday. Is this a series you think you will tune in to?