Being normal in a Brave New World

It’s a utopian society that’s guarded by three rules: no privacy, no monogamy, and no natural births. That’s the basic setup for Peacock's newest original series Brave New World based off the book of the same name by Aldous Huxley. Every day is as perfect as the last, so long as you don't look at it too closely, otherwise it all falls apart.

Alden Eurich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) stars as John, an outsider living in the “Savage Lands” away from the pristine utopia of “New London” society. John works as part of the museum that serves the “Savage Land” as a reminder of the “old world” and how people used to live a savage lifestyle. His world is turned upside down when he escapes the “Savage Lands” to explore and interact with the “New London” inhabitants. He essentially becomes a “virus” in the system and seeks to break their “social norms” and free their “oppressed” people.

I’m throwing a lot of “air quotes” around here because this show, much like the book, is a social commentary on the class system of society and the utopian ideals. Everything is a metaphor as you would expect coming based off a book, it does so in an extreme way. Not only does it shame the utopian ideals on privacy and class, but also questions our current systems of religion and monogamy. The end result is shaming and questioning everything to bring anarchy with no real solution.

In what could have been a commentary on today's society ultimately becomes a meaningless effort on anarchy. The characters never get interesting enough to care about and about half way through, the mystery box that is the AI society barely holds any weight. I like where the characters end up and could lead to better development, but not sure if I care enough by the time that could eventually happen.