Netflix's New Resident Evil Series Is Um... Er.... Uh.....

I still don't know exactly everything I'd like to say about this new series even though I've been digesting it for several days now.

This series is well... bonkers... to say the least...

I almost expected a Walking Dead-like zombie show out of this that would disregard a lot of the already crazy and unbelievable parts of Resident Evil... (think for example in RE (2002) (the remake of the original), Jill never actually questions why Barry holds a gun to her head, and they walk into the lab to confront Wesker like they're best friends and it didn't happen)

But I think we got something that's - to an extent - maybe even crazier and more unbelievable, if that's even possible...

I'm really not trying to say this show is bad. That's not what I'm saying at all actually. Even though, this show does hold a 25% score from the audience members (who I'm sure are furious over the almost-complete disregard of the source material), a lot of content creators in the greater Resident Evil community have actually praised it - to an extent. That said, the data doesn't lie. Resident Evil is Netflix's #1 show right now, topping Stranger Things which has a much higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Which leaves me to explain all this to the anti-establishmentarians, and to be objective about it, and try my best not to piss them (and you) off in the process.

First, I should recognize that Lance Reddick is really good in his role on this show. He plays Albert Wesker (or some version of him, to not give away too much) and he clearly embraced the role - he pulls it off superbly. From the very first moment we hear from him - we get a vibe that this guy is sort of creepy and off - and maybe even has a scarier side that we're not seeing quite yet (this was at least in part of the way Reddick brilliantly played his character). And then we find out as the show continues that he has a very dark past and is involved with some very evil people (to use the titular word) - demonstrably early on in the show to be much more evil than him.

I should also clarify that Albert Wesker is not really the villain of the show - that's the CEO of Umbrella Corporation, "Eveline" (was this a very poor reference to RE7?), who is the clear primary antagonist of the first time line, which takes place in 2022, three months before "the end" (the second takes place 14 years later, after "the end"). Paola Núñez plays Eveline Marcus and is one of the other standouts, in my opinion. Her character is completely ruthless, completely devoid of almost any relatable humanistic traits - she's easily hatable. I'm sure this character did disappoint some in the culture war, because the writers chose to make her a lesbian. I don't think was necessarily a "woke" choice though. Being a lesbian actually worked quite well - maybe even made sense for this character - as she was an extremely masculine and evil character, and it almost wouldn't have made sense for her character to have been married to a man, so it actually worked quite well in the context of the story. Her character is also involved in an absolutely jaw-dropping twist at the very end of the season that's demonstrable of just how evil and heartless this villain is. I'll leave it at that; I don't want to spoil that for you, as it's one of the most intense moments in the series.

The protagonists of the show are Jade & Billie Wesker (at least in the first timeline) and their relationship with each other as sisters is another great part of the show. The shows spends a good amount of time developing these characters and the relationship between each other, as they navigate "New Raccoon City" in South Africa and slowly uncover more and more of its horrid secrets. 

A lot of the hate on this show comes from the disregard of the source material, and I personally believe that's a legitimate criticism. As a huge fan of the Resident Evil series myself, I wish these major studios would just stick to the source material when they write these adaptations (on a different note, I should say I believe Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a great B-rate horror movie, and 5 years from now you'll probably see it for how good it is, and it will be a cult classic). I don't believe it's too much for the fans to ask for these major studios to stop bastardizing and changing the stories of our favorite franchises. That said, I wouldn't necessarily call this a bastardization - it's really more like a deep continuation of the story, or maybe even a "spin-off." That's why I think a lot of RE fans that haven't even given this show a chance... should. This show actually does tie in the original source material quite well, in a way that even though might be a little "bonkers" as I mentioned in the first paragraph... it's just bonkers enough to actually pass for a real extension continuation, or spin-off the Resident Evil series.

On another note, there are a lot of tense moments in this show. It can definitely be a heart-pounder at times. You'll see some of your favorite monsters, and even some new ones. I'll definitely give a thumbs up for the music and the soundtrack which is interesting. The theme music is very reminiscent of the Resident Evil video game series and the soundtrack is more reminiscent of the first Resident Evil movie from 2002 with Milla Jovovich; it had a very cyber-punky feel with several Billie Eilish tunes which matched the cyberpunk feel and look of "New Raccoon City" quite well. There're just enough twists in the first season to keep you tuned in all the way through, and you might even walk away feeling slightly entertained. I'm still not even ready to give this an actual letter-grade yet, as I still don't even think I've fully digested it. My best advice at this point: Go watch it yourself and see what you think.