A widow who breaks Victorian conventions takes into her care young girls whose supernatural talents go beyond what is acceptable to society. Sounds familiar? Yes, but not only this idea has already been seen somewhere.
The series Niereal was not very lucky. In 2020, the work on the set was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Then Joss Whedon – the creator and showrunner of the production – quit his job, claiming that the conditions for working on the series during the pandemic were exhausting him. It was not long after co-actors – Justice League Ray Fisher and Buffy ‘s Charisma Carpenter and the Angel of Darkness – accused Whedon of creating a toxic atmosphere at work.
Ultimately, the series hit viewers in April 2021, but its premiere passed unnoticed, and opinions among viewers and critics were divided. Now the series is on DVD.
Unrealistic, i.e. a rifle at an opera evening
The action of the series takes place at the end of the 19th century in Victorian London. As a result of a mysterious phenomenon, dozens of people across the city have been given extraordinary powers – some heal by touch, others predict the future, can lift objects by willpower, speak all languages or have superhuman strength. They have to hide their abilities so as not to attract the attention of Victorian society. They are commonly referred to as “the affected”.
Source: HBO
Those who cannot hide or harness their extraordinary talents find refuge in an orphanage. It is led by Amalia True, a widow with an adventurous character, and Penance Adair, a genius inventor and “cinnamon roll”, also endowed with special abilities and well understanding the tragic situation of their charges. Nobody in the house they run fits into the rigid framework that society has set for women, especially Mrs. True, who also hides a great secret.
Source: HBO
When a murderer called Maladie begins to threaten the city, it is in the hands of Amalia and Penance and their charges that the fate of the terrified inhabitants rests. Maladie also leads a group of “affected” by her bloody crimes, successfully destroying what Lady True is trying to build.
Unreal – a costume series with a contemporary message and … a shark jump
It is mostly unrealistic production about exclusion, or at least this is the idea, because the performance varies here. Affected by extraordinary abilities, they are not treated by the rest of society as full citizens. At best, they become the object of the sick fascination of the London elite, who pose with them for photos, are chained to the wall by their believing parents, and at worst they fall victim to inhuman experiments. It is also a story about class struggle and emancipation, but in the background (as if they were left for the next seasons). The whole story sounds like a repeat of entertainment. The rivalry between Amalia and Maladie and a special home for the “affected” are associated with the X-Men , and even with Buffy – the vampire terrorwhich is proof that since Firefly Whedon hasn’t shown us anything original.
Source: HBO
It’s fun to watch the scenes where the heroines are racing through the streets of London in a vehicle straight from steampunk stories or when Amalia fights several opponents at once, but at the same time it is difficult to care about what she experiences. Both she and the other characters in this show aren’t written well enough. Their powers are supposed to play a bigger role here, not what kind of people they are. Only Penance Adair stands out against this background, being the conscience and heart of the orphanage, and at the same time a talented, ambitious scientist with a detective flair.
Hope to improve this situation now rests with Philippie Goslett, who became the showrunner of the Unreal in place of Whedon. Perhaps her look at this story will allow her to focus on important aspects, on the stories of individual charges of the tabernacle run by Penance and Amalia, and throw away unnecessary, chaotic threads, such as the organization of a tabernacle of pleasure by a rich lord. It is a pity that the most unnecessary element of this series, i.e. the secret of Amalia True’s origin, can hardly be recreated in any way.
Source: HBO
Until we get to know the story of a young girl with great talent and dreams of true love, crushed by the world around her, the series still holds up. There comes a moment, however, when the so-called shark jump is made in great proportion in history. In the sixth episode, Joss Whedon combined the history of exclusion, emancipation and the London underworld with time travel and post-apocalyptic rebellion. This means a completely new environment that the viewers had to become acquainted with in just a few minutes before the first part of the season ended. Everything indicates that in the next episodes (and maybe seasons) we will not return to this world. In this one storyline, Whedon to the X-Men and Buffy also threw in the Travelersand every episode of Doctor Who in which an intelligent being from outer space meets people on its way and wants to help them, and they pay them back. Completely unnecessary.
Source: HBO
It is an unreal series with its own moments, it looks good (although London seems to be an unnaturally clean city) and has an atmospheric soundtrack. Cleverly planned and well-executed action scenes, fights and executions are the real flavors of this production. Unfortunately, however, there are not enough of them for viewers to wait for the next episodes as for other fantastic productions from HBO.
Special extras, or how to make the viewer like your favorite scenes even more
One of my favorite things about any DVD is the bonus material. There are quite a few of them here (although some fragments are repeated) and they give a thorough insight into the most spectacular scenes in the series, such as the fight between Amalia thrown into the river and a lad who can … walk on water. Such additions show how much work was put into a given scene and that not everything we see on the screen is based on what can be created on the computer.
Source: HBO
As the production of the first season was suspended due to a pandemic, some materials tell about the shooting of the series in accordance with sanitary restrictions. It was also an interesting screening, especially in the case of the public execution scene, which required a large group of extras. It turns out that when you can’t have the right number of people on set, filmmakers are pretty smart.
The materials include not only actors, who play the main roles, but also people from the film crew responsible for computer effects, set design, costumes (ie Gemma Jackson, previously working on Game of Thrones ) and special effects. Several of them even have their own separate segments, which I consider a plus, because it is worth emphasizing their work and creativity at every step.
The DVD release from Galapagos Unreal is a position rather for those who became big fans of the series after the first six episodes, or for fans of the behind-the-scenes magic of stunts and the secrets of computer effects. The rest of the viewers can safely enjoy watching the series on HBO Go.