Swarming towards "Swarm"

      I will preface this review by checking and recognizing my biases. The very topic that this show largely centers on, speaking to the dangers of "stan culture" and obsessing over a single artist, are tendencies that I embrace somewhat shamelessly. I have been a dedicated fan of Donald Glover since about 9th grade of Freshman year. I discovered a couple live performances of him paired with just drums, guitar, and bass for Last.fm and that was it. I was in and progressed gradually, at first, then exponentially. All four of his albums and even some of the songs buried on his elusive early mixtapes adorn my top 25 list for songs and top 10 list for songs. "Community" and "Atlanta" also share space on my top five favorite shows. I say all this to provide the quantifier that my feelings on this show are inextricably tied to my placement of Glover as my favorite creator. His voice shines through any project he chooses to place his energy and support behind and "Swarm" is no different. This exciting new series shares much in common with Glover's last series where he served as show-runner, "Atlanta". There are very few as well equipped to consistently work in the world of Afro-surrealism, absurd humor, and mock documentaries as Glover and the writing room behind some of the most bracingly original writing of the past decade. This time, Janine Nabers, a former playwright and "Atlanta" writer", serves as co show-runner and creator. Nabers has spoken about her interest in a nuanced depiction of the same kind of psychopathic serial killers that have been startlingly humanized in an arguably harmful way the past couple years. Even if you love Evan Peters, it is a little odd to receive an Emmy celebrating the role of such a terrible individual and not even make some mention to the kind of impact this project may have had on the victims. Sorry, I will step off my soapbox to deliver the main purpose behind that elongated tangent being to contradict the idea that this innovative new series is any more harmful or problematic than the art that we have been celebrating brazenly these past couple award seasons. 

    "Swarm" begins every episode with a warning. They subvert the obligatory message that comes towards the end of the credits that you sit through hoping for an end credits scene. They boldly state "This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional." This is intentionally disorienting. The character of Dre is fictitious. Dre, of course, is an amalgam of multiple different sources of inspiration largely from stories surrounding Queen Bey who is represented by the very intentionally similar Ni'jah. Dre is obsessed with Ni'jah in the same way many members of the Bey Hive cling to her every lyric and cinematic role. Pretty much any content that she releases is what these dedicated fans consume. This is an almost pavlovian reaction that I understand well as I watched and rewatched this entire series the second it dropped since it had the Glover/Gambino stamp of approval. I would not writing this review if I wasn't just as quickly consumed by the show. Consumption is a focal point throughout the series and the idea that the viewer has certain desires for how they'd like the show to unfold is consistently scrutinized. There are often characters who struggles with consumption even directly speaking to addictive behaviors in eating analogized to newly spotlighted unhealthy practices such as doom scrolling. Dre serves as a fulcrum determining the pace at which the audience feels comfortable wrestling with the complex ideas being interrogated throughout the show.

    However, Dre does not act alone. There are many guest stars both in front of and behind the camera. In the first episode alone you get stellar performances by Damson Idris and Chloe Bailey. Of course, I will mention the masterful direction in this "Pilot" handled by none other than Glover himself. The dance sequence when we first discover Ni'Jah's music and the impact that it has on Dre feels like the culmination of Donald Glover's time as a creator. Throughout the series there are exciting humorous cameos such as Paris Jackson who is painfully self-aware in her white presenting biracial role. There are also star turning cameos such as Billie Eilish's acting debut in episode 4, "Running Scared". Here is the first time we see Dre truly disoriented as she doesn't know what to make of Eva, Eilish's magnetic, enigmatic character. It is so heartwarming to see that Eilish and Glover's friendship has started into a turn a sort of creative partnership as well. Eilish who speaks about Glover as one of her role models likely jumped at the opportunity to be in this project, but she leaped into the world of acting with this scene stealing part, capitalizing impressively. I'll take this time to speak to another impressive foray into uncharted ground with Malia Obama, credited here as Malia Ann showing quite prowess with her pen. Episode 5, "Girl, Bye"'s teleplay is handled by Malia Ann who provides a couple of my favorite scenes throughout the series. The cold open here especially depicts a pitch-perfect AT&T employee struggling to work amicably with Dre as she demands that he turn her phone back on. This scene is funny, real and serves as a demonstration of Malia's voice that she's already refined quite well. 

    I have thus far avoided speaking about the clear star, Dominique Fishback. Fishback has been on the rise for a while but has clearly found her ideal vessel in the role of Dre. To say that she's transformative feels too simplistic. This is another case like "Tár" where underneath all the bells and whistles this project is truly a character study. It's hard to imagine anyone other than Fishback playing this complicated, captivating product of her environment. I kid you not, you will find yourself continuously wondering if it is still Fishback portraying Dre as she morphs so effectively in behavior and appearance to adequately meet the many new ways Dre chooses to present in order to continue to conceal herself. All of this is captured viscerally on film where the audience feels invited to consider where the camera is placed and how the picture is being captured. It's exciting when you can see a flicker in the frame as this is the kind of physical representation of the difficulty in creating movie magic that comes with more antiquated technology. Here it is additive in contributing to the overall tone and aesthetic of "Swarm". Apparently this was a decision painfully reached by Donald Glover who insisted upon using film. This decision pays off and is a worthwhile investment I would say. I will conclude shortly so that a reader can discover all of the moments that make up this exciting project for their own and decide where they agree and diverge from my opinion. My favorite episodes overall were "Running Scared", "Fallin' Through the Cracks" and "Only God Makes Happy Endings", but the whole series is worth the watch. Overall, I would give this series an 8.5/10. As always, I am very excited whenever Donald Glover can get a chance to not only share his art but bring other voices into his projects so that they can receive a platform to grow, evolve, and bring their expression to a wider audience.