Devs Review: Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2

Are the choices we make truly our own, or has everything we’ve ever done — every movement, every word, every breath — been pre-determined, and we are slaves to what has already been decided for us?

This idea of free will vs. determinism is at the center of the tech-religious-mystery-thriller Devs.

Devs comes from the brilliant mind of Alex Garland, who was at the helm of Ex Machina and Annihilation, both focused on technology and how it relates to humanity in helpful and harmful ways.

In his first television miniseries, one that he wrote and directed each episode of, Garland is tackling technology again, this time to examine how technology relates to free will or a total lack thereof.

I’ll be quite honest. I don’t understand tech.  

The jargon of AI and quantum-I’m-not-even-sure-what-word-to-use-after-quantum goes beyond what my mind can process.

I’ll never be able to use numbers for anything high-tech or have the ability to use math to predict anything other than how much money will be in my bank account after I pay my bills. That’s just not me.

Here’s something I do understand: a rich, complex story. 

Strip away the tech, the language of Silicon Valley, and the complicated questions of the universe; what’s left in Devs is the story of a girl, fighting a monster to avenge the love of her life (with some espionage on the side).

If you’ve ever found yourself in a conversation saying, “I wish I could take down Facebook,” or “Social media is going to do us all in,” or “Why do billionaires get to run around doing whatever they want and no one holds them accountable,” then Devs may be just the show for you.

The series starts with an offer of a promising career working with tech giant Amaya for Sergei (Karl Glusman). The work he’s done learning to predict a nematode’s movements must mean he is destined for a great future in tech with his boss, Forest (Nick Offerman). 

The opportunity seems too good to be true. 

That feel-good feeling lasts for about 15 minutes until the audience sees Offerman drop his friendly facade, and turn horrifyingly sinister. (This woodsy-tech guru is most definitely not Ron Swanson.)

Suddenly this nice story of a guy getting a promotion that might propel him into changing everything becomes the story of Lily (Sonoya Mizuno) trying to figure out what happened in those 15 minutes that’s turned her world upside down.

DEVS “Episode 1”  — Pictured: Sonoya Mizuno as Lily. CR: Raymond Liu/FX

As Lily begins to unpack what’s happened to her boyfriend, Sergei, and the details she discovers that he’d been hiding from her all along, that question of determinism becomes more and more important to Devs. 

The actions we take every day, while we see them as free will, they are potentially actions predicted by our DNA. (That’s where that whole nematode thing plays in.) 

While the quantum of it all doesn’t makes sense to me, it does makes me feel a whole lot better about eating that second doughnut yesterday. I WAS HELPLESS, IT WAS IN MY DNA. Devs said so.

In this case, that theory is being used for…well, it’s unclear. We do know that it does involve fuzzy pictures of the crucifixion and Forest’s deceased daughter, Amaya, though. Rebuilding genetic memories perhaps? 

If all of that sounds complicated, I assure you, it’s really not.

The actual simplicity of the story inside of this grand universe is probably the most impressive part of Devs. 

The writers don’t assume the intelligence level of the viewer, and they make it easy to follow along. The dialogue is delivered by the actors with a slow purpose. They want you to understand what they’re saying and recognize these words later. 

This isn’t a fast Aaron Sorkin walk-and-talk. Alex Garland has his own style that’s far more deliberate and user-friendly. 

Devs is an exceptional television debut for Alex Garland, who has built a stunning world full of intrigue, strong characters to root for and against, and a mystery that will undoubtedly be the greatest aspect to unpack. 

This story feels bigger than the big screen, which is most likely why it needs to be told on television. Every aspect of Devs is deliberate and grand, from the set, to the score, to the shots. It’s impossible that one wouldn’t be fully immersed while watching.

My only complaint is that I cannot immediately watch Episode 3; however, I can accept the week-long wait. 

What did you think of the first two episodes of Devs? What else will Lily discover about Amaya? Better yet, what else will she discover about Sergei, and about devs? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Devs streams Thursdays on Hulu.

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Showrunner Alex Garland Previews ‘Devs’ at Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo 2020