Utopia Review: The Dark at the End of the Tunnel

It makes sense that a graphic novel would be at the heart of the Amazon series Utopia Season 1 because that is exactly what it is: graphic. 

This smart show forces humanity to justify itself, and, well, let’s just say it is still an uphill battle. The combination of gore, evil, tenderness, and friendship makes us viewers feel like we’re on a janky carnival ride. And yes, we do want to ride again, no matter how we screamed. 

The exceptional performances by all of the actors add gravity to the plot and keep us grounded in the story. 

It is a hearty ensemble and viewers are likely to have their favorites that really make the series for them. For me, it’s the opposites attract friendship between Becky and Jessica Hyde. 

On Utopia Season 1 Episode 7, “Talking Hurts,” the two women who have been absolutely ravaged by crap circumstances, two women who pretty much have no one other than the ragtag team they are running with, deliver some of the most proud and perfect scenes ever made. 

Jessica Hyde: It’s just hard to be alive. I wish I knew it was worth the trouble.

Becky: Well, life isn’t always trouble. Sometimes it’s nice and small. Those are the best times. 

And Jessica Hyde, clothed in trash bags and bright shower curtain material, suffering from a bite by an infected bunny, rests her head on Becky’s shoulder. 

This scene alone makes the entire show a hit. 

But don’t be fooled by the sweetness of that moment. Utopia never lets you get comfortable or feel like everything will be okay.

There is no hope here.

In fact, this show is brutal. Utopia kills bunnies. There isn’t a better way to put it, I don’t think. 

And our world is particularly brutal right now. In some ways, this drives home the point even harder about the true mess our species’ greed and selfishness has brought upon the earth. 

In other ways, it makes scenes unwatchable. What’s the point of seeing the madness when we are living it?

Maybe the point is that, yes, there is great, big, endless, gruesome darkness in people. And there is also sparkly, silly, fundamental love. 

Strangely enough, groomed killer Arby is the character that illustrates love the best. 

At the beginning of the series, he appears to be some kind of heartless savant murderer. He is quite childlike, akin to Lenny from “Of Mice and Men.” 

And then he realizes that he has been created to be a person without love, but that he is a person and therefore needs love; he, therefore, is love. 

It’s a very cool transformation to watch, especially when he shares scenes with the delightfully bratty Lily. I’m not sure there’s much more human than an indulgent teenager enjoying sweets fro the first time. 

The dead people tower Arby/John makes for Jessica Hyde is in the shape of a flower and it is so weirdly sweet. 

Utopia does the irreverent and twisted mix of cute and horrifying quite well. It is not the series’ greatest strength, but it definitely pulls it off with true Gillian Flynn flair. 

In a somewhat chilling, although perhaps unintentional, nod to the Christian hit self-help book, “A Purpose Driven Life,” the villain of the show is obsessed with each person having a purpose in their life. Fulfilling that purpose is the only thing that justifies their existence. 

This dastardly and creepy mantra, “what have you done to earn your place in the world today,” is made all the more horrifying when we hear Dr. Christie convince Wilson Wilson of its merit.

It’s not so unreasonable, really.

It is a classic ethical dilemma that is indeed a core question in Thomas Moore’s “Utopia:” how can people rid the world of greed when greed is a fundamental part of humanity? If they can’t ever do good, should humans get to exist at all?

Wilson Wilson is the perfect person to turn because he is a zealot who deeply distrusts humanity. 

The point isn’t made that elegantly or artfully, but it is still is clear that Wilson Wilson represents one type of person who is vulnerable to the nihilistic message of Mr. Rabbit. 

Again, the performances are really what make this show great. Javon Walton and Farrah Mackenzie as orphaned children Grant and Alice are simply phenomenal. 

John Cusack is perfection as the Big Bad. I don’t want to see him play anything else, to be honest.

Rainn Wilson is equally stunning at the straight-man and good guy archetype Michael Stearns. He recovers from his hand mutilation like a champ! 

Dan Byrd deftly balances the comic nerdy-ness and burgeoning badass-ness of his character Ian. It would have been easy to tumble too far on either side of that line, especially considering Byrd’s past success in the geeky roles. But Ian is nuanced and always a part of the larger group dynamic. The result is pretty much flawless. 

The true heroes of this tale are actors Ashleigh LaThrop and Sasha Lane as Becky and Jessica Hyde, respectively. They are the core moral and emotional center of the film. 

They take fantastical, strange, and really hyperbolic material and make it effortlessly digestible. 

Jessica Hyde is callous and does awful things. Truly awful. 

But we never for a second think that she truly lacks humanity or complexity. That depth is because of the power of Lane’s performance. 

Likewise, Becky is a good person. Her dialogue and action reflect a very simple role in the story. 

LaThrop’s take on Becky elevates her goodness to a rich and hearty choice about how to live life. She also adds a bit of sexiness and fun to her relationship with Ian that makes it one of the most enjoyable and memorable things about the show. 

I’m really gonna need her to get some antibiotics for the whole neck thing, though. 

Season 1 ends on a very sharp cliff hanger. We need the sequel as badly as the team needed Dystopia’s sequel, which is to say, real bad! 

What did you think of this season of Utopia? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

All 8 episodes of Utopia Season 1 are streaming now on Amazon Prime. 

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Top 15 Moments from ‘One Day at a Time’ Season 3