Nothing seems to back up a good sci-fi mystery more than copious use of flashlights. The X-Files knew it, Spielberg knew it and the makers of The Boroughs certainly as savvy enough to equip their alien busting OAPs with enough battery power to search for the truth. This, of course means that we’re reaching the section of a Duffer Brothers Netflix show where the game is well and truly afoot as our characters start to connect the dots and pair up into various, hopefully entertaining combos. It’s always been my favorite aspect of that other show (I wonder if I’ll actually get through a review without ever referencing Stranger Things once – probably not), but let’s see if the Duffer’s producing influence can rub off on the new show and make it just as rewarding.
Things are getting weirder, but things are getting clearer too, and if the show does it’s job right, this is where the sparks truly start to fly.
While Sam shows Wally the dazzling lightshow that occurs when you expose the blood of that mysterious creature to the rays of a TV set, neither are aware that they’re being watched. However, the eyes that study them don’t belong to some otherworldly predator, but the shrewd, journalist peepers of Judy, who is looking for answers in the aftermath of Jack’s death. While Wally purchases various equipment, Judy spies on both him and Sam as her suspicion rises, but unbeknownst to her, there’s another mystery happening right in her own marriage as her distant husband, Art, has made his own, fascinating discovery. After witnessing a huge murder of crows suddenly murder themselves by flying directly into the ground, he’s locked in on discovering why as he’s obsessed with uncovering the blind spots of the universe.
However, while Sam, Wally, Judy and Art are all obsessed with exploring the unknown, Renee is obsessed with exploring the hunky physique of ex-drummer/new security guard Paz. But while Paz’s boss, Hank, seems to know far more about the errant, quartz-stealing creature than he’s letting on (he even refers to it as “Scar”), it seems the the beastie that killed Jack is also feeding on Renee while she sleeps in a post coital glow.
After using up all the alien goo in their tests, Sam and Wally surmise that the only other answers available to them will come from performing a secret – and highly illegal – autopsy on Jack’s body as it lays at the local funeral home. Caught read-handed by Judy, she angrily demands answers and after the morbid examination is performed, it seems that the puncture marks in the back of Jack’s throat not only proves that something was feeding on the base of his brain, but matching marks in Sam and Judy’s throats mean that they’ve all been fed on too.
But while Sam takes the rap when Hank arrives, Art discovers a bizarre, glittering peach tree hidden in a mine outside of the titular retirement home. A peach tree whose fruit seemingly has the ability to heal wounds…
There’s a subtle, up-changimg of gears that occurs whenever these types of shows start merging the characters into little groups as they all gradually begin to realise the creepy shit they’re obsessing over is part of a far bigger conspiracy. After all, if we’re to compare it once again to that other show (there it is again), I’m sure we’d agree that the most rewarding parts are discovering which combination of characters work best together. It’s with this in mind that we debut the union of the belligerent Sam, the quick-witted Wally and the grieving Judy and as alien-hunting trios go, they’re pretty damn fun. Grumpy/sassy double acts are always a goldmine for charisma and Denis O’Hare’s rapid fire, bitchy comments work well with Alfred Molina’s gruff, uneasy-with-people demeanor. Watching them bumble their way into have to perform an informative by undeniable crime (an autopsy on a buddy isn’t exactly your average misdemeanor) provide the exact mixture of fun and tension shows like this require and with the addition of Alfre Woodard’s grieving Judy, it also retains a real dramatic heft to go with it’s Scooby gang antics. One of the gems of the show is that it isn’t afraid to pause the sniffing out of clues in order to explore the pitfalls of being old and having both Sam and Judy take a moment while Wally gets to his grim work to bond over their respective grief for their lost loves is exactly the sort of thing that separate The Boroughs from its peers. I mean, why wouldn’t you gravitate to having Alfre Woodard tearfully explain away her complex relationship with Art while describing what Jack meant to her?
But old age isn’t all death and mourning – especially if you’re Geena Davis. As Renee manages to get lucky with Paz due to their shared interests (music, each other) we also get a timely reminder on the validity of a mature lover due to an extended bout of biddy fiddling (sorry, not sorry). In addition to this, Art’s solo odessy out in the middle of the desert may have unlocked the core of this mystery thanks to the discovery of an ethereal tree that grows healing fruit. I have to say, a lot of what’s happening in The Boroughs is going pretty much what I suspected and the healing peach pretty much confirms it. There’s no doubt Wally’s anxiety about his cancer will soon butt up against this wonder fruit and have strong suspicions that the CEO of the Boroughs and his wife may very well be far older than any of their greying residents.
But until then, the mysteries of the inhuman encounters continue to swell. Whatever the Hell this “Scar” is, it’s been feeding on everyone that’s living in the vicinity of Sam’s house in a most invasive manner – but it’s the fact that Hank is on its trail armed with a piece of futuristic tech that really throws out some big questions. While it’s easy to believe that the Boroughs’ population is being harvested to feed this thing and possibly others of its kind, there’s a sense that this Scar could be an aberration, or even some sort of parasite that’s not directly connected to the central conspiracy. But then it’s just this sort of conjecture that makes watching slow burns like this so much fun, especially when you trying to get two or three steps ahead while you try to connect the dots and when you combine it with the superlative character work, not to mention the Spielbergian imagery (the Boroughs lit up at night looks like a UFO from Close Encounters; shots of sausage-fingered alien hands) you get prime TV.
As the momentum picks up, the Boroughs is getting more intriguing with every new episode and the show is thus far holding a steady balance between the heartfelt drama and the growing mystery of the lithe creature that likes to target the elderly – no, not Paz you dopes, the alien! Anyway, I’ll be interested to see if we’ve got some big surprises in store as I feel like I’ve figured out a lot of the story already. Still, here’s hoping I’ll be proven wrong.
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