Hope in the dark times – review of the series “Sweet Tooth”

An attempt at survival and humanitarianism after a global catastrophe

The Sweet Tooth series presents the world ten years after the outbreak of the pandemic, during which humanity was destroyed by a previously unknown virus, and mysterious fantastic creatures appeared on Earth – hybrids (children half human and half animal). It is not known which came first: whether it was the virus that caused the hybrids or vice versa. Most people fear them and some even hunt them. New children are immune to the plague, which of course also interests scientists.

As befits a post-apo, the corpse is thick, additionally contaminated people are burned alive and children are murdered or subjected to brutal experiments. Is this a good material for a series for the whole family? Several treatments were used here to warm up the whole story. Thanks to this, an adventure story was created about travel, friendship, family relationships, as well as tolerance for difference and hope for a better tomorrow.

Killing cruelty

The main character is (in the case of the series “cute”) deer-boy Gus (played by sweet Christian Convery), raised by his father Pubba (Will Forte) in the woods of Yellowstone Park, away from the cruel world and evil people. Pubba in the comic book was a type of a religious southern farmer and he died quite quickly, but the rural accent and love of God also passed to his not-so-pretty son (if you are looking for a similar atmosphere and you like strong movies, check out the movie Devil Incarnate from Netflix).

In the series, great emphasis is placed on the father-son relationship: warm care, learning to read and learn the rules. He also gives Gus a mascot of the Dog, which he never parties with.

About a year after his father’s death, the boy befriends a lonely wanderer Jeppard (Nonso Anozie). Besides the fact that he kills “bad” people, he also seems much nicer, more affectionate and smarter than in the comic. Together they set off on an adventurous journey. And here is a redirection to the homeland: Gus, instead of a hybrid reserve (whose existence is not confirmed and may only turn out to be a trap), is looking for a previously unknown mother.

The cast is masterfully selected (actors experienced in family films) to make the whole picture pleasant and the series was pleasant and sweet. There are also children’s games with live entertainment music. The biggest “bad”, General Abbott, reminds me a bit of the hilarious Dr. A worker from the movie Sonic. Fast as lightning.

Fantastic shell

The series of fairy tales also adds a beautiful visual setting. In addition to the cute, fantastic hybrids, the stunning nature of New Zealand is shown: forests, mountains and vast meadows just like in Tolkien’s. It is worth adding here that the plague is announced by beautiful blue flowers, which it is better not to have in your garden, because caring neighbors can burn you alive. There are also colorful ribbons, marking the site with the hybrids and telling hunters where to hunt the children.

An additional fairy-tale element is the great narrative of James Brolin (father of Josh Brolin known from the role of Thanos), which starts each episode.

I have the impression that all the dirt and darkness have been removed from the prototype just to make the painting more accessible to a wider audience and to sell it better. Certainly, the “lesson of tolerance” would be a bit more difficult if it was about accepting difference, which is not “sweet”.
Perhaps without this treatment an equally interesting dark fantasy work would be created.

The action is captivating

Overall, I can’t deny that the show is enjoyable to watch. There are also moments of anxiety and tension building up to the last moment, when we find out if the heroes will get out of trouble.

I admit that the main character irritates me at times. Despite all the independence, reading and teaching he received from his father, he only gets to know the outside world and can be very silly and naive. Which often leads to twists and turns that are not lacking here anyway. What I like about the plot is that we observe the stories of several different characters at the same time, and then at some point their paths meet. The action is fast-paced and I reached for the next episodes with curiosity.