Y: The Last Man premieres with a gory introduction into a world wiped of the Y chromosome
Before everything goes to absolute hell in “The Day Before,” no one seems happy.
TV Reviews Y: The Last Man
A world in crisis. Sounds familiar, right? There’s the absolutely grueling hellscape—biological, environmental, economical, political—in which we have all lived the past 18 months or so. And there’s also how often this concept has come up in recent TV: The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead keep plodding along; Snowpiercer is entering its third season on TNT; the American remake of Utopia aired on Prime Video; Stephen King deigned to write an all-new ending for CBS All Access/Paramount+’s adaptation of his long-admired novel The Stand. I could make a joke here about how no one really thought Y: The Last Man would ever make it to air because the series has been in production for so long and has gone through myriad casting changes, but at this point, betting against a dystopian sci-fi series seems foolish.
And admittedly, Y: The Last Man starts not entirely dissimilarly from other entries in this genre. “The Day Before” writer Eliza Clark (also the showrunner and an executive producer) and director Louise Friedberg use a few approaches that are fairly established when kicking off a series like this: a jarring opening scene that communicates the gravity of this reality, a split timeline, rotating introductions. The source material here is a 60-issue DC Comics’ series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra that ran from 2002 to 2008, so there’s a density and sprawl to this text that Clark and Friedberg have to initially streamline and navigate. And despite the familiarity of their methodology, Clark and Friedberg draw us in with their world building, and the ensemble does too with how quickly they establish their characters and their motivations. Did this work for me because I personally sympathize with the “Men stay trash” theme of this premiere episode? That’s… not not the case, you know?
“The Day Before” begins with an establishing scene that emphasizes the strangeness, isolation, and desperation of the Y: The Last Man world. People and animals are both dead: bodies in the streets and office buildings, crashed planes and cars, men’s ties and shoes laid out as memorials and tributes. “Three weeks after,” we learn, shock has given away to decay. New York City streets are clogged with traffic, flies, and dead bodies. Amid all this, a gas mask-wearing man and a mischievous capuchin monkey walk. Who is Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer), and why didn’t he die along with the world’s nearly 4 billion other men? And why didn’t Ampersand die, either? They both have Y chromosomes, and the “Event” wiped out every human and animal for whom that applied—except for Yorick and Amp, whose loneliness must be incomparable. When Yorick sprinted across the sidewalk to save Amp from that falling helicopter, Schnetzer sold their bond and their despair. If either of them were to die, how would the other live on?
We then move fully backward to “the day before,” and Y: The Last Man connects Yorick to an array of female characters who will form the rest of our ensemble. From New York City to Washington, D.C., to Skiatook, Oklahoma, we watch as the “Event” spreads. A dead buck. A dead dog. A dead mouse. Either of those things could be dismissed as individual sickness, but combined, they are a harbinger of impending doom. No one knows that yet, though, and so everyone goes about their daily lives. In NYC, Yorick, behind on his rent and fired by a 10-year-old child to whom he was teaching magic, tries to borrow money from his sister Hero (Olivia Thirlby). Yorick might be 27 years old, but he’s perpetually broke, and perpetually working on his magic show. The only thing to which he really seems committed is his relationship with his girlfriend Beth (Juliana Canfield), and after some years together, he’s planning to propose.
Whatever stability Yorick is yearning for in his life, Hero seems to be rejecting in her own. She’s in mandatory group sessions for a DUI she received. Her best friend Sam (Elliot Fletcher) is worried about her, but she blows off his concerns. She’s having an affair with her EMT coworker Mike (Daniel di Tomasso), who is married with a baby. And she seems estranged from her and Yorick’s mother, Congresswoman Jennifer Brown (Diane Lane). Jennifer has been a politician for 20 years, and she knows how to play the game. She wears a pink suit, and has a power color (icy blue), and is kind when telling her assistant Christine (Jess Salgueiro) that her chipped nails are embarrassing, and direct when telling the President (Paul Gross) that his Republican beliefs and “conservative values” are bad for the country.
But somewhat like Yorick and Hero, Jennifer is messy in her personal relationships. She’s secretly separated from their father, her husband (Sam Prideaux Robards), and is keeping up appearances for the benefit of her position. She doesn’t speak to Yorick or Hero regularly. And yet she seems smooth, collected, admired by her staff, and utterly aware of how hated she is by other women in politics, like the President’s “My father” daughter Kimberly Campbell Cunningham (Amber Tamblyn). A wife, mother of four sons, and “published author” (I’m sorry, everything about Kim makes me want to use aggressively sarcastic quotation marks) who worries “we’re teaching our boys to be afraid to become men,” Kim is clearly going to be an enemy for Brown. And the same goes for Nora Brady (Marin Ireland), right? The President’s press advisor has a perpetual stink face when regarding Jennifer—the same kind of loathing and resentment she shows when at home around her husband, son, and daughter. Whatever Nora’s deal is, she certainly isn’t happy.
To be fair, though, before everything goes to absolute hell in “The Day Before,” no one seems happy. Clark walks a fine balance between writing these arguments and discussions as somewhat mundane, but also loaded with enough weight to make their timing before the “Event” seem particularly poignant. Ted tells Jennifer he wants a divorce, and refuses her attempt at forgiveness. Yikes. Beth, who is going to graduate school in Australia, not only turns down Yorick’s proposal, but basically low-key breaks up with him. When she said he could come and visit? Double yikes. Hero gets in a physically escalating fight with Mike after she learns that he lied about coming clean to his wife about their relationship, and she accidentally kills him by smashing a fire extinguisher into his neck. That temper? Triple yikes. And then the world shifts on its axis.
“The Day Before” builds a good amount of menace and tension throughout as the episode nears its final minutes: that wave of rats running through city streets, how often cinematographer Kira Kelly tracks the men—military, bureaucrats, politicians, assistants, administrators—in the room alongside Jennifer, the collapsed police officer Hero steps over as she leaves the ambulance where Mike’s body is, the fact that “no one’s answering in Israel,” and then the blood that gushes out of the President and every other man. How much blood is in the human body? So damn much, apparently. The President gets covered with it, and every other man gets covered with it, and the whole room gets covered with it—and in the span of a few minutes, the “Event” is over, and a new world has begun. This is a literal and a figurative plague, and who knows what comes next?
Yorick and Hero don’t know; they’re confused and lost in New York. Jennifer doesn’t know; she’s trying to take care of her people and figure out what the order of succession is in terms of American leadership. Perhaps the only person who really has an idea is Agent 355 (Ashley Romans), or Secret Service Agent Sarah Burgin, or whatever her real name is. “She’s a patriot, like you,” Agent 355’s handler had said when giving Agent 355 the “Sarah Burgin” alias, but for what organization do they work? What entity knew that there was a credible threat toward the President, and sent Agent 355 to his side? She’s a bomb-making expert, she’s good with a gun, and she’s capable of manipulation, coercion, and subterfuge. “Who am I?” she had asked. That might not be as grandiose of a mystery as to what caused the “Event,” but Agent 355 raises an array of questions we shouldn’t ignore, either.
Stray observations
- Where’s Beth?
- “Am I supposed to chase after you?” was the perfect line to communicate what a man-child Yorick is, and Schnetzer’s befuddled, apprehensive delivery was great.
- A little on the nose to have those streets of NYC traffic form a “Y” in which Yorick was trapped? Maybe, but a nice visual introduction.
- Yorick and Hero are both Shakespearean names, actually: the former from Hamlet and the latter from Much Ado About Nothing.
- Teaching someone how to get out of NYPD cuffs seems like an important life skill!
- It felt like the show just had Yorick say “Bedouin” over and over again because it is a fun word to say, but in all seriousness, Bedouin jewelry is very beautiful and their work with silver is exquisite.
- When Y: The Last Man was announced as a TV adaptation, members of the trans community wondered if the show would reflect the different conversations we’re having now about gender identity compared with the comics’ fairly strict binary. The casting of Fletcher is one step in addressing those concerns, and you might recognize him from Shameless.
- What is more delusional: Yorick calling himself “an escape artist,” or describing Amp as a “service animal”? Amp seems a little overly curious and high-strung, and not particularly service-oriented.
- Cheddar, Jack, and goat cheeses, plus tomato, does seem very good for a grilled cheese. I would add in some kind of spice, though. Maybe crispy fried habanero slices?
- Re: Yorick’s point about Australia and the Hemsworths, this is my opportunity to yell that Blackhat is actually a good movie, dammit!
164 Comments
So…. if I have a Hulu sub, I can watch current episodes? I’m never quite sure with these new-fangled television programs and television channels. Or is this on UHF?
It should be available on regular Hulu
It’s on right after Conan the Librarian.
As long as it doesn’t replace Wheel of Fish.
From the opposite perspective, this looks like an “FX on Hulu” show that’s only on Hulu, unlike Fargo and What We Do in the Shadows that are “FX on Hulu” shows that are also on cable.
If all the Y chromosome people are dead then all the Y chromosome people are dead. The ones that are left do not have a Y chromosome no matter how they identify. So, yes, transgendered men would be alive.
This was even a major plot point in I think the first book/trade, as a trans man was highly problematic to the cosmology of a cult that came up with religious reasons for the Event.
The discourse was never about whether trans men were around. Full on surgery is likely out, but otherwise they would be fine. The big problem came from the implication that trans women, specifically those who had no surgery and ones who transitioned after the virus, were around.
I never read the series, only the first issue. Trans women would be a problem. They should have died too if the event that eliminated people was tied to the Y chromosome.
Also women with androgen insensitivity syndrome.But not men with no Y chromosome. Rare but they exist.(Edit: looked it up – 1 in 20,000 or 7500 or more in the US alone.)
There’s also XXY and other variations.
Yes but that’s not going to save you!
But XX males are infertile, so they will be of no help in the “Y: TLM” universe.
Yes but they should survive the immediate die off is the point.
There are thousands of fertility clinics worldwide that are filled with frozen sperm. Repopulation would not be a problem if all the men died.
It would be quite a bit more problematic if all the women died, but people would likely figure out a way to create an artificial womb pretty quickly.
The real problems would come from people losing their minds, launching nukes, etc.
If all the Y chromosome people are dead then all the Y chromosome people are dead.And everybody else follows within a couple months. So….short series.
Wait did they take something out of the post about this, that you were replying to? Or you just brought it up on your own? If the latter that’s obviously not an issue, ha, it’s an important topic to raise. I’m just curious if the piece was edited after the fact.
I can’t find it skimming now, so maybe it was edited out, but I believe I responded to something suggesting there were some concerns with respect to the comic, form which I inferred this might be the issue. However, even then, it’s possible I inferred incorrectly.EDITED TO ADD: Found it“When Y: The Last Man was announced as a TV adaptation, members of the trans community wondered if the show would reflect the different conversations we’re having now about gender identity compared with the comics’ fairly strict binary. The casting of Fletcher is one step in addressing those concerns, and you might recognize him from Shameless.”
I watched the first episode but it was a struggle, really just because I am tired of apocalypse porn right now.
I can’t even start to watch it – I loved the comics when they came out, but the idea of dedicating time to this is… Not my idea of a good time right now
Yup, exactly how I feel.
Yeah, I think I’ll make a note of this for when I’m less emotionally drained.
Same. Living in the start of an apocalypse currently makes me less likely to watch fictionalized versions of it.
I was a big fan of the comic, so I’m looking forward to the show. It also doesn’t hurt that I haven’t seen any of the other post-apocalypse stuff (except for Endgame, which should really count).Maybe it’ll be bad, but I’ll check out a few episodes at least.
I’ve generally avoided this kind of stuff for a while now, especially since even non-apocalyptic stories all seemingly still subscribe to the grimdark motif. No wonder Ted Lasso is a massive hit.
It’s like…read the room Hulu.
How can you even watch a whole episode? I just skip to the apocalypse, and after five minutes, I’m finished and don’t want anymore.
now? they have been fucking that horse since the 90s. same as zombies.
I get it. I was worried I’d be in the same boat but oddly the apocalypse stuff didn’t bother me; it was spending time on the prelude to the world ending. Maybe it’s just a recent run of things I’ve been watching but I’m kinda tired of big hook is coming, but we’re gonna backup and show you the before times! Sometimes it works, most times it’s ultimately wheel spinning. I think of how Preacher’s first season culminated with the inciting incident in the comic. Just get to it! If you’re gonna prelude this show, you’d better have some damn good actors to make me care about characters that get offed 45 mins later. Unfortunately some of the male actors came across with the same energy of playing Agent #2 on a CBS procedural.
I guess the problem is why would good male actors want to waste their energy on what will basically be a cameo appearance in the show.
Aww we’ve gotta wait until Sept 22nd here in the UK for it to appear on Stars.,
When Y: The Last Man was announced as a TV show in November
2010, it was relatively unusual for American TV to make live-action shows based
on comics. The Y show will finally premiere in September 2021. In between, 62
live-action American shows based on comics have debuted on TV:2012: Arrow (DC)2013: Agents of SHIELD (Marvel)2014: Constantine (DC)
2014: Gotham (DC)
2014: The Flash (DC)
2015: Agent Carter (Marvel)
2015: Daredevil (Marvel)
2015: Fear the Walking Dead (Image)
2015: iZombie (Vertigo)
2015: Jessica Jones (Marvel)
2015: Powers (Icon/Image)
2015: Richie Rich (Harvey)
2015: Supergirl (DC)
2016: Legends of Tomorrow (DC)
2016: Lucifer (Vertigo)
2016: Luke Cage (Marvel)
2016: Outcast (Image)
2016: Preacher (Vertigo)
2016: The Tick (New England Comics)
2016: Wynonna Earp (IDW)2017: Happy! (Image)2017: Inhumans (Marvel)
2017: Iron Fist (Marvel)
2017: Legion (Marvel)
2017: Powerless (DC)2017: Riverdale (Archie)2017: Runaways (Marvel)
2017: The Defenders (Marvel)
2017: The Gifted (Marvel)
2017: The Punisher (Marvel)
2018: Black Lightning (DC)
2018: Cloak & Dagger (Marvel)
2018: Deadly Class (Image)
2018: Krypton (DC)
2018: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Archie)
2018: Titans (DC)
2019: Batwoman (DC)
2019: Daybreak (Drawn & Quarterly)
2019: Doom Patrol (DC)
2019: Pennyworth (DC)
2019: Raising Dion (Indie)
2019: Stumptown (Oni Press)
2019: Swamp Thing (DC)
2019: The Boys (WildStorm)
2019: The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)
2019: V Wars (IDW)
2019: Watchmen (DC)
2020: Helstrom (Marvel)
2020: Katy Keene (Archie)
2020: Locke & Key (IDW)
2020: October Faction (IDW)
2020: Stargirl (DC)
2020: The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Image)
2020: Vagrant Queen (Vault)
2020: Warrior Nun (Antarctic Press)
2021: Jupiter’s Legacy (Image) 2021: Loki (Marvel)2021: Resident Alien (Dark Horse)2021: Superman & Lois (DC)
2021: Sweet Tooth (Vertigo)
2021: The Falcon & the Winter Soldier (Marvel)
2021: WandaVision (Marvel)
I should note that it was announced two weeks after The
Walking Dead premiered, so it wasn’t entirely novel. But still, look at all
those!
I guess the difference to me is this was a graphic novel but not some sort of superhero story. I’m not a comics guy but had at least heard of Y, and didn’t realize it wasn’t regular prose.
But let’s be clear, 61 of those flew under the radar and it’s only the success of Richie Rich that made this happen.
I had completely forgotten about Netflix’s ironically cheap looking Richie Rich show, but now I am remembering it and that for some reason Richie’s robot maid went from looking like this:to looking like this:You know, for kids!
The Brady Bunch could have been a very different show with a younger housekeeper.
I have seen movies that start with this scenario.
…huh, for various unrelated reasons I’m now going to check if it’s still on netflix.
Lol Iron Fist
helluva track jam on Sheppard Street in that header photo. Must be a sale on at The Bay.
I haven’t read the comic since it concluded in 2008 but I feel like this is already giving deeper characterization to some of the cast than the source material (which I loved). I’ve been excited to see this for so long but damn, this is the last thing I’m in the mood for right now.
I was really excited about the comic when it first came out, and though I stuck with it I was eventually disappointed by how superficial it all ended up being. I never felt like it truly delved into the world, themes or the characters. Partly because it was so focused on just a few characters, one of which was Yorick who was so immature and naive, and everyone else was very much supporting cast. If the series spreads the attention more (as it seems to do so already from this description of the pilot), it may be able to overcome what I ultimately disliked about the comic. I’m intrigued.
I haven’t read it in years, but the bit with Hero accidentally killing the guy she’s having an affair with is a new, right? IIRC in the comic he just dies from the plague while she is present. If that is new, it sounds like a smart addition considering the dark road that Hero goes down in the comics.
I certainly don’t remember that detail from the comic and I agree it does add some interesting shades to her character while still feeling true to it.
Yeah definitely that’s new. Hero and her boyfriend were driving an ambulance when it hit and she saw him die the same way as the other men (the hemorrhaging, etc). She was horrified and devastated and said he was the only boyfriend to ever treat her properly. So they definitely changed their relationship and gave Hero a more intense intro that foreshadows her Amazon phase.
I haven’t seen this, nor is it likely that I will, so I have no idea whether or not my question, “Has anyone involved in this project ever read ‘Houston, Houston, Do You Read?’ by James Tiptree?” is or is not entirely out of place in this discussion.
Tiptree’s work was referenced in the first issue of the comic. A later storyline – spoiler alert – reveals that a 3 person team has been stranded on the ISS since the plague, two male and one female. They do not have an easy time returning to Earth.
This article, clear as mud with constant meanders and catchphrases? *Triple yikes.*
I have to agree. It’s really not written well.
It’s perfectly fine. I don’t know what you two are complaining about.
Depends on what you’re looking for. For a recap review, it’s fine. For those who’ve read the whole series, it’s a bit superficial. But for those who haven’t read a page of the books, it’s a pretty big list of characters and subplots dumped in a hurry.
The characters and subplots are elements of the pilot. If they feel dumped in a hurry, is that the recap reviewers problem or the episode’s?I dunno, man. I just get weary of AVClub commentariat who shit on the writers for seemingly no good reason. It feels needlessly antagonistic.
That’s perfectly fair. As a recap-heavy review of the pilot, I found the piece fine. But would I say it succeeds at describing the general outline of the show to someone unfamiliar with the books in an elegant, lucid way, as one might hope from a pop culture web site built on great prose? Not so much.
My coffeemaker makes a good cup of coffee but as a graphing calculator it leaves a lot to be desired.
I stopped reading when she unironically referred to the ‘Men are trash’ meme. Try not to alienate half (perhaps more) of your readership with sexist drivel.
I don’t even know what that means. I know what the words mean separately, but I have no idea what it means to “stay trash”.
What are you on about?
I gave up after the 2nd paragraph and scrolled to the comments. It’s literally x happened, then y, then z written in the most irritating way imaginable.
I think part of the problem is that this is labeled a Review whereas it’s really a recap. Some shows seem to get both whereas others that are covered on an episode-by-episode basis never get a proper review, which can be frustrating for shows I’m mildly curious about but not willing to commit upfront.
Fun fact! My husband and I got to go to the premiere of Blackhat in LA because one of the people involved in publicity had worked with us before and thought it would be funny to invite some “real hackers” – they actually got the tech pretty well, but could have done better on characterization, I thought. Still, not terrible, and being at a Hollywood movie premiere was a truly surreal experience.
Opening handcuffs is really easy – you just need a shim handy (a long, thin, flat piece of metal). They’re easily tucked into a wallet or something else handy. It works the same as how you’d open a zip tie – you slip something between the teeth and the thing that locks with the teeth, and then it slides free. (Lockpicking and the like is a frequent hobby in the computer security field)
Will the real shim handy please stand up?
Shim Handy, a man who was not successful in the short industry. Jam Handy had to come to the rescue. Ah, Jam Handy: Reminding you to keep your preserves in a convenient place since the 1930’s.
His name is Yorick? Oh I don’t know….
Can I call you Horatio for short?
Sure, but leave me out of any revenge business involving your uncle. I don’t want any part of that shit.
Just don’t call me Fortinbras, a peerless warrior with a name almost but not quite as embarrassing as Slartibartfast.
There really was a Slartibartfast in the 1996 Sydney White Pages phone book but it was spelled Slartybartfasti. We also had a Z Beeblebrox.
Were they insulted by that immortal guy who has dedicated his life to going around the universe insulting people in alphabetical order? “Bloody Hell, I thought I already did Z. Bebblebrox. Oh, why not go for round two…”
I believe you’re referring to Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged.It’s certainly possible and given the guy is immortal, one may argue inevitable.
That name is probably to be avoided for a while…
Alas.
The figure was higher than I thought, apparently 1 in 20,000 men have no Y chromosome. So 4,000,000,000/20,000 = 200,000 men left give or take.
And then there are the poor guys with XYY syndrome who are EXTRA dead.
Aye, but somehow, Y: The Last Man – Except for Several Hundred Thousand Others, and Maybe Some Trans Folks, if We Decide to Maybe Go in that Direction a Little Bit doesn’t have quite the same ring…
They could have called it Y: The Last Man*(and then in small print at the bottom:*Except for Several Hundred Thousand Others but they’re in Canada so you wouldn’t know them.)
It depends on whether the cause is linked the Y chromosome itself or the genes on the Y chromosome that cause male sex differentiation. In XX males, the SRY gene crosses over from the Y to the X and causes the male sex differentiation. So if SRY targeting is part of the ultimate cause, those guys would be SOL too. Although there’s no way the series will get that think into the weeds, if the comic is any indication.
I mean, TWD still hasn’t explained its pathology, after 9 seasons. It would just give people ammo to poke holes in it.
It seems like a really well-made adaptation so far. Not sure about the timing.
Just finished the first ep. I really liked it.
?
First New Mutants finally gets released, then the Man Who Killed Don Quixote, now Y: The Last Man? If they can get Jerry Lewis to release The Day the Clown Cried to the greater public (and they, never, never should), then what else is there to wait for? That confession movie from Louis CK? On second thought, maybe someone can make like, Robin Hood movie that keeps getting pushed back or something.
The Day the Clown Cried will be “released”, or at least the option of it being screen, 2024.
I’m still waiting for George Lucas to release that Star Wars prequel trilogy he’s been talking about.Wait, what?
I’m still waiting for his sequel trilogy.
I’m still waiting for Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money.
I’m still waiting for George Lucas to release that Star Wars prequel trilogy he’s been talking about.How about an unaltered blu-ray of the original trilogy?
Getting Jerry Lewis to release The Day The Clown Cried is much more difficult now than it ever was before…
I’d think it would be easier. Unless he’s haunting it.
Which streaming service is this on? I missed it in the review sorry.
Hulu
Disney+ in Europe
‘Last Man Alive’ seems like an incel power fantasy.
Oh! I did college theater with Eli Clark – she’s super talented, I’ll have to check this out.
Wait a second, they actually ended up making this? I assumed everyone was just joking.(Only half joking here as well.)
It’s not surprising that it won’t stay dead, it’s just too good a story to pass on, considering the alternatives. BKV just doesn’t miss, hopefully this is just the start of more of his works being adapted.
The recurring Y imagery was one of my favorite parts of Guerra’s art. Glad to see it here and hope to see more
I wanna know how the show will deal with the comic’s main antagonist: Alter Tse’elon, a soldier in the Israeli military.
No sign of her yet. I hope that she’s not left out entirely. There is mention of Israel in the pilot, so maybe she’ll show up. I found her motivation and backstory interesting, and she added an international perspective to the mostly American main cast.
My thought? They’ll shift the nationality of the murderous hunters that dog Yorick & Co across country. In 2002 when the comic came out it was post 9/11, the danger was from the ‘other’, from rogue factions operating out of Middle Eastern countries who claim to be our friends, sneaking over here to do violence to Americans on American soil.
Today again and again we see the acts of insanity from 1/6 to mass shootings in churches perpetrated by our own citizens in service of a twisted version of nativism. So you have this new Ivanka McCain-I mean Kimberly Campbell Cunningham character, who has so much tied up in her old life, find out about Yorick and decide to use him to symbol around which to rebuild the patriarchy. All she’d have to do is whisper in the ears of the red hat wearing, ivermectin chugging Qanon true believers who just lost every man in their life and are watching the government martial law things up (as predicted by the Parler email chain!) and they’d gladly set out to try and Make America GOP Again.But also? It means you can cast American actresses using their real accents and dress them in contemporary, easily found/inexpensive clothing with what ever weapons you find in prop house stocks. Why bother paying more money for ‘Israeli’ establishing shots, specific uniforms, weapons, training and styling just awkwardly portray paper thin villains and get called anti-semite?
Sorry but I have a hard time imaging all the men disappearing and the world being a hell-scape.
Same. It’s as close to heaven as this world could ever be.
Really? A world in which your father, as well as any brothers, male cousins, uncles, grandfathers etc., all suddenly dropped dead would be “heaven” for you? Have you told them that?
How’s your comedy tour of the Catskills going?
When you think of how many men outnumber women in positions of power, it does make some sense.
Nah, cleaning up the mess men leave behind is our day to day. We’d have things up and running smoothly by the afternoon.
Hey Rosie the Riveter: Reductress called to let you know that Lindy West writes for The New Yorker now. Maybe try reading some of her comic social commentary for tips on gender conflict burns.
Somehow I doubt women would be lining up to run the coal mines, unblock the toilets, or build the roads. They certainly don’t dominate those fields today.
Also, literally power. As referred to in the trailer, nuclear power stations will melt down in short order if not maintained properly and they’re all over the US. I’ll bet the majority by far of the people running them were men.
Which is one of the central themes of the series, that creating such an entrenched patriarchy is inherently an unstable way of running society. The world collapses so quickly because the knowledge to run it, in all forms and areas, has been essentially controlled by men, and such when this kind of catastrophe occurs there’s just so few women who could handle and cover it all in such a short time period.
It’s not like they’re there because they have essential and unique skills. They could be easily replaced. I don’t want all the men to die, but if we could figure out reproduction, life could move on without them just fine.
Yes, but that’s missing the point. At first, everything would be a mess just because the ones with their hands in vital stuff would be men who’d be dead. It’s not about capability. It’s an issue already inherent in letting men have the most power, in this context. Which is kind of the point the premise is making: Maybe we shouldn’t put only men in positions of power.
I will allow that half of the world’s population dropping dead in a single day would be disruptive, initially.
That sounds…inevitable.
It would certainly get better. But the immediate aftermath of half of all life on earth dying instantly would be a chaotic hell-scape for a little while, whether they were of one sex or not.
And then the slow realization that entire species would die out in one generation, being that animals with atypical types of chromosomes are typically very bad at reproducing.
Yeah. So like obviously the women who are left would try to figure out how to continue reproducing through cloning or whatever, but I don’t think they’ll be able to figure that out in time (or ever) for a lot of the animal species before they just die off from extinction as a result of some very small generational turnarounds. Which would be massive upheavals to entire eco systems.
It’s not just men, it’s all mammals with a Y chromosome. So also children, animals, so on.
You’re wasting your time. This is lazy hack womyn comydy. Cheap dunks on obvious talking points.(Which doesn’t make it incorrect, just…. blergh.)
Hillary would still lose.
No men means most coal miners, farmers, welders, construction workers, plumbers truck drivers…say goodbye to your food, electricity, medicine, and internet. As we see on the show, starvation and disease would begin relatively quickly.
No men means most coal miners, farmers, welders, construction workers, plumbers truck drivers…say goodbye to your food, electricity, medicine, and internet. As we see on the show, starvation and disease would begin relatively quickly.
Lol. I’d let my ex who used to beat me know that but I made sure that we couldn’t be in contact anymore after she threatened my life.
But…without men we wouldn’t be able to read your deep thoughts.
Sure, the coming extinction of all of humanity because of the half that supplies genetic material? What a laugh! Also, fuck every decent guy who dies, because he’s just a guy!If a man made this joke, he’d get banned. I apologize for being ‘that guy’ today
Given how many times the show was being recast and remade, as you mentioned, my expectations weren’t high but I really enjoyed this. I thought it built the tension well, all the political stuff was so timely and relevant, the performances were good, and I ended up bingeing the next two episodes.Looking at the original casting for this show, and I’ll say at the least that I buy Ben Schnetzer and Olivia Thirlby much more as siblings than Barry Keoghan and Imogen Poots. Also, Ben definitely has more of an every-guy you might see in New York face.I thought Ashley Romans was a standout in her role as 355. I think Lashana Lynch would’ve been great too, but it looks like she has a lot of movie roles coming up that would keep her busy (similar to Barry Koeghan) so worked out best for all of them, in the end.
WHAT’S THIS?!
Masked Man and Mischievous Monkey Mosey Meanderingly about Metropolis?!
It wasn’t mentioned in the episode, but Hero and Yorick’s father is an English professor focused on Shakespeare, hence their names. And, according to the comic, Yorick adopted Ampersand to finish his service training and to feel like he was contributing to the world.
stinks like middle school writing.
I remember when Olivia Thirlby was in Dredd I thought “wow she’s THE NEXT BIG THING” but then she was never in anything else and I thought I was wrong. Is she good in this?
I felt the same about Gemma Arterton after Quantum of Solace. She’s been in stuff, but I thought she’d be bigger. Admittedly I’m biased. I think she’s gorgeous. (Byzantium? Oh my…)
I like her a lot too but I get the sense she’s worked mostly in Britain, a fair amount in stuff I don’t know much about and that doesn’t sound that interesting. Their Finest is the last thing I saw her in and she was good in it (though it’s a little schmaltzy).
Yeah, it’s as much my fault as anything for not seeking out the smaller indie or British stuff. Much as I crush on her I’m not super devoted.Not like voluntarily watching American Psycho 2 or The Angriest Man in Brooklyn for my beloved Mila.
I thought that when she was in Juno and The Wackness in 2007-2008. I guess she’s worked regularly, just in fairly indie stuff or bigger-budget things that didn’t leave big footprints (No Strings Attached, The Wedding Ringer).
I liked the first episode. Diane Lane was excellent and everyone else did a good job at being believable.
The plague (or whatever it is) makes no sense at all though. Don’t tell me the reason given in the comics, I dont care and dont need spoilers.
Natural viruses/illnesses/whatever dont have the ability to synchronize worldwide. If it was manmade, it would require something along the lines of nanobots to activate simultaneously which is beyond the tech we have currently by quite a few years. And regardless of whether its manmade or natural, there is zero chance that it would be even close to that effective. There will always be some people that are immune (more than just one person).
Only way I can think of to explain it would be aliens. And that would also not make sense since why would they only kill the males.
WTF is with the heat obsession of everyone under 30? I swear you youths just shove your faces with Flamin Cheetos and Lava Death Scorpion Piss ramen 24/7. I blame YOU for Hot Mtn Dew.You couldn’t even leave me Mtn Dew?!?
That’s just the way life is nowadays. I’m hot, you’re hot, he’s hot, she’s hot, I’m hot, you’re hot, he’s hot, she’s hot….
All right, Buster, settle down.
Some kind of pathogen killing humans AND mice AND dogs? Utterly ridiculous. Some kind of pathogen killing multiple species BECAUSE of their chromosomes? So stupid even Fauci wouldn’t approve that script. Even one person thinking it’s a good thing to kill off half the entire human race? Look in the mirror, yo, because you’re a friggin’ monster, and you probably work at the Francis Galton Institute. The fact that anyone thinks that this is entertainment makes me want to puke.
Some kind of pathogen killing multiple species BECAUSE of their chromosomes? So stupid even Fauci wouldn’t approve that script.
Oh damn Sam, didn’t know you were an anti-vaxxer. Bummer.Also your comment about this making you want to puke, is that because the premise is stupid (as if fantastical shows that defy logic don’t exist) or because you think this is some sort of anti-male commentary? Because having seen the first episode I don’t see that being the case.
Kimberly, is that you?
Good thing that the series it’s based on and its original writer, the “why” and “how” was never given much serious thought, aside from one or two running theories made by the characters themselves. It’s a story that was more interested in the actual world after the thing happened, not the thing that happened.
Honestly I wish they hadn’t gone with the explanation they did at all. I was happy having it just be a mystery event.
They didn’t really give an explanation, though. The series kinda left it open-ended. The characters have their theories, but none was confirmed.
I thought they found out that the timing of [specific discovery, I don’t see spoiler tags but I assume you know what it is] aligned exactly with when the Y-chromosomed started dropping. Even if that isn’t supposed to be the canonical reason, I’d have preferred they skipped that. It was honestly silly.
At first I assumed this was just a bad joke. Then I looked at the rest of your posts and realized it’s actually just one of many bad takes.
you are not making the point you think you are
Wait until you hear about about the movie where a guy swings a hammer and it lets him fly. Utterly ridiculous.
Yeah – I don’t think it’s supposed to be hard sci-fi. I like explanations too but this is not that type of story. Loosen up.
holy shit shut the fuck up
No dumber than The White Plague (1982) by Frank Herbert in which all of the women die. Actually, less dumb.
Never read the comics and just saw this episode today. So far I think it certainly feels dated in so many ways. It’s interesting enough I guess, but this first episode was a slog of uninteresting characters and a lack of style. A better start than The Stand maybe, but still far less interesting than The Walking Dead’s premiere or The Last Man On Earth. I feel like Yorrick’s apartment is not the kind of place the landlord knocks on your door looking for your rent, that’s just not… realistic. Also watching a commercial jet going down in NYC this close to the anniversary. Just oof, really didn’t need that.
I’ll watch the next episode, but it’s going to have to pick up the slack.
so if every animal with a Y chromosome is dead, not only humans but animals and bugs too, isnt that pretty much it as far as life in general on the planet goes? One more generation and then everything’s gone?
Not every species has a Y chomosome for sex differentiation. Even among mammals, monotremes don’t.
Incidentally, I came across this last night.
I must have missed this note somewhere, but how often will these episodes be reviewed? Since the first 3 episodes are out now, when will Ep 2 be reviewed?Thanks!
All of that blood, coming out of the men, lol. And out of their mouths, no less. And the scene where Yorik is reunited with his now-president mother – who hasn’t heard a break-up speech like that from a ‘lover’ who just wants to skedaddle (“it’s not you, it’s me”)? The world probably won’t end like this, but this series is predictable insofar as women are left cleaning up the mess.
I loved the comic, but the show is frustrating me, and I only just realized why. The comic is fundamentally a road-trip, so it could keep its focus on the characters without lingering too long on any one aspect of the day-to-day misery of the apocalypse. The show is a many-perspectives ensemble, so the writers have given in to the (understandable) dramatic impulse to zone in on the aforementioned day-to-day misery. So: no road trip, we’re lingering in the apocalyptic nightmare, and we don’t get nearly enough of Yorick and 355.
Also, I like Yorick in the comic, although I found him occasionally frustrating. Show-Yorick is just frustrating.
A few years ago Aminder Dhaliwal published a graphic novel titled “Woman World” (pub. by Drawn and Quarterly) with the same theme of a plague killing off all males. (Not sure about animals.) It’s a wonderful meditation on how an all-female society would construct itself, as well as addressing the melancholy of knowing that your generation will be the last.
Finally they made Axe commercials a tv series!
I hope they do the editing that the middle part of the comics so desperately needed. Love Vaughan but comics aren’t the best thing to make up as you go along.
Little biology lesson: sex determination based on X and Y chromosomes is not universal. Even for non-mammalian species that have chromosomal sex, they can use different chromosomes (e.g. ZW) and the males can be the homomorphic sex (e.g. ZZ). For many species, sex is environmentally determined (e.g. by temperature during development).This is tangential to the discussion of this show, but I thought y’all might find it interesting.
So is this finally on FX? I don’t have FX for Hulu so I’m waiting for this to be regular FX.