If you’re looking for a show that matches the intrigue of Lost and Yellowjackets, then the search is finally over as Netflix’s The Society will tick all the right boxes. Despite the show only being one series, the show crafts an illusive mystery that has you constantly second guessing reality. Starring Kathryn Newton, Olivia DeJonge and Kristine Froseth, The Society places teenagers at the center of the narrative, allowing it to blend dystopia with melodrama.
Through a diverse cast of characters, The Society tackles different ideologies such as classism, religion and disability as the teens attempt to build their own community from scratch. Much like similar shows, The Society shows a stripped-back version of humanity where characters are left with limited resources, not only trying to find out where they are but fighting to survive. It may only consist of one season, initially renewed and then later canceled due to the pandemic, but The Society is still one of the most compulsive mystery shows of the last decade.
What Is ‘The Society’ About?
The Society follows a group of teenagers who leave their town of West Ham to go on a field trip. However, the weather forces them to return home before reaching their destination. They arrive back at the high school in the middle of the night to find everyone else in the town has gone missing. As the teens attempt to contact their parents, they realize they have no internet and no signal, they can only call people within the town. The group rediscovering their now abandoned houses is eerie and unnerving. It sets the show apart from other mysteries because they aren’t in the wilderness. There is something so unnatural about seeing places that should be busy but instead are vacant and hollow. Through this, The Society creates a haunting atmosphere and really hones in on the sense of isolation.
Tonally, the show feels similar to Yellowjackets through the high-school protagonists who are stuck in an unthinkable situation. There is naivety to the young cast, which means they often make misguided decisions dictated by their hearts, but that adds to their believability and also helps establish a sense of hierarchy and dynamic. It means, even though the situation is unrelatable, the norms and values created through the structure are universally recognizable. Yes, the characters are flawed and some of them are downright despicable, but their youth gives them rootability. However, unlike Yellowjackets, where the team feels like one connected unit right from the offset, in The Society, there is a lack of consensus and togetherness despite the established relationships that exist. This mirrors Lost in the way the show introduces the audience to the ensemble and flips between the characters, drip-feeding information and backstory.
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Netflix’s ‘The Society’ Is More Than Just a Mystery Show
What is most successful about The Society is its exploration of ethics. The teens are forced into a situation where they have to make decisions regarding their behavior. In a world without parental control, there is an initial urge to rebel, so the students use the church to party into the night. However, as the days keep coming, reality sets in and the true decision-making begins. Some choose to promote democracy, rallying others to ration food and share houses, whilst others want to keep what they have and not divide resources that they believe they have sole-ownership over. The Society really shows how different people can react to extreme situations, and causes the audience to look internally at what they believe in just. It means The Society is more than just a mystery, it is a reflection of morality.
Through the complete scarcity of rules and regulations, the show really delves into dark and disturbing themes, such as the teens deciding whether to implement capital punishment. Throughout, The Society remains unpredictable, and the nuanced characters don’t always act expectedly, evolving as they spend more days in this replica town. You can feel the weight of the constant foreboding thought of whether they will return to their lives in every character, yet there is modulation as to whether they want to go back or not, due to power dynamics and personality. The Society may only be one season, meaning unanswered questions are ever-present, but as a study of humanity, it is one of the most compelling shows out there.
The Society is available to stream on Netflix.
- Release Date
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May 10, 2019
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- Seasons
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1
- Website
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