Despite the fact that most of the world’s civilisation has died off from a super-flu, the survivors who star in HBO Max’s adaptation of Station Eleven seem to be in pretty good spirits about the whole thing. In a new trailer, one man (played by David Wilmot) even says to the group of survivors he’s with, “We have shelter. We have food. This is the best thing that could have possibly happened.” He’s really looking at the bright side of the end of civilisation!
While there aren’t a lot of other smiles to be found in the trailer, post-pandemic life still seems to be reasonably benign for the survivors. There are travelling musicians, a museum of civilisation that was, and… well, if you’ve read Emily St. John Mandel’s bestselling, Arthur C. Clarke award-winning science fiction novel that inspired this TV adaptation, not everything is hunky-dory in the apocalypse, despite how peppy the trailer’s music is.
Here’s the official synopsis, in case you missed it: “A post-apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines, this limited drama series tells the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what’s been lost.”
That’s a very noble mission statement for the last remnants of humanity to have. However, if children are being exposed to people without eyes and can discuss them with total nonchalance, then they’re likely seeing a lot worse, too. It certainly seems like someone’s got a tight grip on some of the worst of what’s been lost, too, and the apocalypse isn’t quite as great as everyone makes it look.
The 10-episode series Station Eleven premieres on HBO Max on December 16. It stars Wilmot, Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Daniel Zovatto, Matilda Lawler, Philippine Velge, Nabhaan Rizwan, Lori Petty, Gael Garcìa Bernal, and Danielle Deadwyler.
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