Emerald City Review: The Beast Forever; Prison of the Abject (Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2)
Emerald City is an ambitious series hoping to re-imagine the timeless story of “The Wizard of Oz” — an attempt many others have made before and failed at — and, after the series debut, “The Beast Forever,” it’s difficult to tell if it’s up to the task.
Taking such a leap is already a daunting feat. “The Wizard of Oz” is such a beloved story that re-making it in any way, shape, or form is almost like setting oneself up for failure automatically purely based on the fact that, no matter what these show runners do, this series will never be “The Wizard of Oz.”
Where Emerald City triumphs, however, is when it’s not actually trying to be.
There are some interesting twists and turns, as well as intriguing secondary plot lines (the young boy who becomes a girl when he doesn’t get his “medicine,” for example) and it is, admittedly, neat to see how these writers are choosing to reinvent these beloved characters.
What may throw viewers off, however, is the fact that there are multiple dramatic plot lines set up in Kansas in the first five minutes of the series, despite the fact that we expect the majority of it to take place in Oz.
Dorothy is sleeping with a Doctor at the hospital she works at — a hospital from which she is stealing pills for her Aunt Em. Why this is relevant or important, we’re not sure, which is why it is confusing that it is included in the pilot.
Then we have this little arch about Dorothy wanting to reconnect with her Mother. Is this relevant to the series? We’re not sure.
Maybe we won’t be in Oz for as long as we think. Maybe this will all matter down the road.
Maybe we were simply shown these things to show us why Dorothy may be eager to get back home.
For now, however, it is all so irrelevant that it’s barely worth mentioning — except to say that it all just seems pointless.
The show is as confusing as it is visually stunning and it is truly a shame that they killed off the most captivating character in the first episode (The Mistress of the East). While that is true to story canon, she was fantastic and beautiful in the most terrifying way and the show could have really benefitted from keeping her around.
The other sisters simply fall flat in comparison to their merciful and stern counterpart.
They’re boring.
She will be sorely missed.
But that is not to say that I’m not intrigued by this strangely dark interpretation.
For now, I’m happy to follow Dorothy down the opium yellow brick road and see where we might end up.
Maybe, just maybe, it will take us somewhere unexpected.
What do you think of Emerald City so far? Let me know in the comments below!
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Emerald City airs Fridays, 9/8c on NBC.
Becky Peters
Becky is a television, literature, and pop culture enthusiast who spends more of her time exploring fictional worlds than she does living in the real one. Post-apocalyptic and dystopian settings are her kryptonite, and she has a strange soft spot for anything that involves the walking dead (the creatures themselves, not the show -- but the show is good, too). You can usually find her engrossed in shows like Preacher, The Walking Dead, Sense8, or any one of the many other series that tickle her fancy. Follow Becky on Twitter: @epic_bcky
One thought on “Emerald City Review: The Beast Forever; Prison of the Abject (Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2)”
The thread about her mother is clearly not irrelevant, as she’s shown abandoning Dorothy during the same type of storm that later transports Dorothy to Oz. Most likely, it’ll come to light that Dorothy is herself originally from there.
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