Pantheon Season 1 Episode 1 -2 Review: Pantheon & Cycles
AMC+ steps into the world of uploaded intelligence for its new animated series, Pantheon. The 2 episode premiere of Pantheon Season 1 Episode 1, “Pantheon,” and Pantheon Season 1 Episode 2, “Cycles,” wastes no time amping up the tension.
The series, based on a collection of short stories by award-winning writer Ken Liu, follows bullied teen Maddie who discovers that her deceased father’s consciousness has been uploaded onto the cloud.
Maddie’s discovery brings her into a world of ethically questionable technology that could change our understanding of what it means to be human.
This is No Slow Burn
The first episode has the feel of a slow burn. There is a deliberate, almost casual feel to its pace. It suggests that viewers are about to embark on a cerebral exploration of identity and personhood.
By the end of “Pantheon,” it is clear that this will not be a slow burn.
Those big philosophical themes will likely continue to drive the character stories, but Pantheon is more a tangled corporate thriller than a meditation on the nature of humanity.
Viewers get answers to so many questions in just the first two episodes. Questions that could easily be season-long mysteries in another series.
Yet, each answer reveals a new layer of intrigue. It is immersive and efficient world-building. The premiere draws viewers in quickly and sets the stage for a high-stakes thriller with plenty of unexpected turns.
Tension and Trepidation
One thing that immediately stands out watching “Pantheon” and “Cycles” is the feeling of foreboding that hangs in the air throughout.
Much of that comes from the rather dramatic score that underpins most scenes. The score sometimes threatens to be more of a distraction than an asset. It always manages to stay on the right side of too much, though.
Instead, starting with the opening credit sequence, the score evokes an eerie paranoia that sets the tone of the entire series.
There is also a certain melancholy about the series that adds an existential dread to the experience of watching it. It’s hard to articulate precisely where that feeling comes from, though.
The animation is pretty straightforward. It’s even surprisingly bright considering the feelings the show elicits. Still, it all works together to build a constant tension that holds viewers’ attention as they wait for each shoe to drop.
It almost feels like the beginning of a horror movie. There is even one scene — you’ll know it when you see it — that can easily be categorized as body horror.
Maybe by the end of the series, we’ll be calling Pantheon a sci-fi-horror series. I certainly wouldn’t be mad about that.
Overall Impression
This series has big narrative ambitions. It’s an emotional story about human connection and grief. It also asks big questions about personhood and what makes us who we are.
I am looking forward to exploring those questions as much as I am looking forward to unraveling the plot’s central mysteries.
Pantheon is reminiscent of Apple TV+’s Severence both in theme and tone. It has the potential to be addictive appointment TV if it balances all its different elements and keeps its ambition focused.
Whether it can do that and whether the Severence comparison is ultimately favorable or unfavorable remains to be seen. It is certainly off to a great start, though.
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New Episodes of Pantheon stream Thursdays on AMC+ and HIDIVE.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.