Growing old can be tough. Your joints freeze up, your brain fogs over and the world in general regards you as something of a nuisance rather that regarding you a font of wisdom, but hoping to address that balance is Netflix’s newest sci-fi show, The Boroughs. While some have taken the presence of the Duffer Brothers on producer duties as their cue to proclaim the show rather tritely as Stranger Things with old people, much like the aging characters located within there’s a little more under the hood than some may give it credit for.
Feeling more like they’ve taken the elderly camaraderie Ron Howard mined from Cocoon and thrown it headlong into the extraterrestrial paranoia of M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, series creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (who also cooked up the unfairly under-appreciated Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance) are obviously treading in the footsteps of the denizens of Hawkins, but can they make our stay at The Boroughs a pleasurable one?
Widower Sam Cooper is being driven by his family to the Boroughs, a state of the art retirement community and he’s feeling plenty sore about it. You see, his beloved wife, Lily, had arranged for them to move there before a stroke tragically took her life and since Sam can’t get out of the contract, he’s being forced to go there alone and the sullen and grieving man doesn’t mind showing how he feels about it.
However, even though the curmudgeon hates the place, you gave to admit that the Boroughs is an impressive set up. Located in the New Mexico dessert, the bungalows are all spacious and neighbourhoods are all clean and picturesque and if any of the residents take something of a turn, the Manor ensures they are kept comfortable and safe while their minds and bodies finally wind down. But despite this, Sam still wants out of his contract, even when he’s approached by some of the friendlier locals.
However, sinister vibes occur when one night Sam is visited by Edward, the visibly muddled husband of Grace who both used to live in Sam’s house before he moved there. Thanks to an ominous cold open, we already know that a horrible and other-worldy fate occurred to his wife, but after the confused man wounds Sam with a knife, the local authorities arrive to take him back to the Manor.
The the wake of his attack, Sam is even more adamant he wants to leave and even confronts the Borough’s CEO, Blaine Shaw to get him out of his contract. But after neighbour Jack Willard convinces him to join a barbecue to welcome him, Sam begrudgingly finds himself warming to the spirited group made up of the flirty Renee; retired journalist, Judy and her weed puffing hubby, Art and good-natured cancer sufferer, Wally. But after a hair-raising close encounter with a creature that seems to be feeding on Jack, it seems that the Boroughs is hiding some surprising secrets.
Sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than a good, solid first episode to lock you in to a brand new series. Not to belabour the comparisons to Stranger Things, but while the show turns out to be far more than just being a copy of that show that switches out teens for pensioners, you can’t help but be reminded of how good the opening episode of the Duffer Brothers’ pop culture smash really was. Much like the installment that introduced us to Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, “Welcome To The Boroughs” smartly lays out the scenario and all the characters with similar skill. Yes, there’s something of an argument to be made that some of the plotting follows the Netflix pilot manual to the letter (freaky opening, set-up, character intros, main character drama, closing shock), but when something works as well as this, why screw around with it?
Straight off the bat, we get some smart stunt casting after we witness Dee Wallace’s ill-fated Grace have a messed up run-in with some sort of spider-limbed being that end up being far nastier than both E.T. or the Krites from Critters. But while the whatever-it-is may vaguely recall every gangly-limbed creature we’ve seen in everything from 10 Cloverfield Lane to No One Will Save You, it’s still just enough creepy stuff to get you through an entire episode of set-up. However, the cool thing is that this introduction to the world of The Boroughs doesn’t actually need it to hold the interest as the characters and performances are more than enough.
Taking point is Alfred Molina’s Sam, a man who, by his own admission, found other people fairly tiresome even before his wife tragically died and while he’s obviously suffering PTSD from the event that only transpired five months earlier and is triggered by such things as Bruce Springsteen’s Thunder Road or the sight of someome choking, the actor still manages to project a gooey, wounded, interior under that crunchy, belligerent exterior.
Aiding him is a mature cast who also portray the typical, life loving types you tend to find in these sorts of things (again, Cocoon seems to be a major touchstone here) and while subsequent episodes will flesh them out more (depending on how long they survive, of course), everyone gets a good showing. Geena Davis grabs her colourful, quirky character with both hands, American Horror Story regular Denis O’Hare is fast with the quips, Independence Day veteran Bill Pullman is the resident ladies man, Clarke Peters quotes philosophy from under a cloud of weed smoke and Alfre Woodard’s journalist leanings will no doubt become invaluable as the mystery slowly unravels. You can tell that all their talents and quirks will all come to bear as the creeping, crawling things gradually slink into the light, but while the central conspiracy will no doubt dictate the plot more and more, watching these retirees deal with their advancing years proves to be genuinely endearing. All the little details are there (the flame decor on Sam’s golf cart is a winner even if he doesn’t agree) and with other threads waiting to blossom (the fact that Jack may be having an affair with Judy and Wally’s stage-four cancer will surely rise to prominence), but as we end the episode with Sam coming face to face with one of the multi-legged “Owls” as it appears to be leeching off Jack, there’s still plenty of intrigue to keep us going as the secrets behind the Boroughs slowly get exposed.
While the opening salvo of The Boroughs may not break the mold, any accusations of merely being an “aged up” Stranger Things are smartly vanquished by some winning performances by Molina and a similarly game cast. Whether or not it can manage to become as big a household name as that other show will remain to be seen, but it’s certainly proving the worth of the elderly when it comes to streaming shows.
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