The object of fascination in “Swarm,” Donald Glover and Janine Nabers’s new horror-thriller series, is the ferocious devotion that a superstar can inspire.
You know Ni’Jah. Every last inch of her gleams: her hair, her eyes, her teeth, the beads and paillettes that shimmer with each hip thrust or arm swing, but, most of all, her skin. She looks the way royalty should. Her pronouncements, delivered in songs and music videos, move mountains. And, as with any queen, her domestic orbit is common knowledge: the rapper husband with the capitalist hustle and the wandering eye, their twins, the gifted but hopelessly overshadowed younger sister.
Forget Ni’Jah’s songs ; “Swarm” ’s aural signature is the crinkle of fast-food wrappers and potato-chip bags, along with the insect-like buzz that heralds Dre’s sudden onslaughts of violence. The series opens in the dingy Houston apartment that the fantasy-prone Dre shares with her former foster sister and sole friend, Marissa , a mall clerk and aspiring makeup artist who supports her financially. As young Black girls, Dre and Marissa bonded over their love for Ni’Jah.
Delirious and tense, the seven-part season is strongest in the early outings, when it’s unclear where Dre is headed and the writers more often buck plot conventions. Those episodes also suffer less from the series’ tonal messiness; we’re allowed a perverse satisfaction in Dre’s semi-sympathetic antiheroism.
The Trump-era revisit proves fruitless, and the glance backward jibes awkwardly with the freshness of the talent assembled. A feline Billie Eilish has a notable role as an amateur hypnotist hoping to recruit Dre into her hippie-twee white-girl cult, and Kiersey Clemons injects a bitchy aliveness that becomes crucial to Dre’s character arc. Most delightfully, Paris Jackson enjoys a mischievous bit of stunt casting, playing a wannabe Thelma to Dre’s Louise.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Donald Glover's New Horror Series About an Obsessive Pop Stan Just Got Its Own EPDonald Glover is finally back with new music — kinda — releasing a new EP tied to the world of his new horror series about an obsessive pop fan, 'Swarm.'
Read more »
Donald Glover’s New Thriller, “Swarm,” Imagines the Scary Side of the BeyhiveThe show offers a stellar commentary on how fandoms have evolved with social media, and addresses how race and the patriarchy play a role in both our daily lives, and in stan culture.
Read more »
Donald Glover Show Reveals Surprise Casting Of Pop's Biggest Star In Swarm TrailerA Swarm trailer reveals a surprise Billie Eilish casting in the buzzy new series co-created by Donald Glover about the obsession with pop stars.
Read more »
Billie Eilish Makes Surprise Acting Debut in 'Swarm' SeriesBillie Eilish is going to be one of the many unexpected supporting players in Swarm.
Read more »
Chlöe Bailey on the Complex Darkness of 'Swarm' and SisterhoodThe Prime Video series, co-created by executive producers Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, premieres on March 17.
Read more »
How 'Swarm' Was Inspired by the Beyhive, Internet and Real CrimesSwarm, the series inspired by the Beyhive and fans' relationships with the likes of Beyoncé, is debuting on March 17.
Read more »