Neverwhere was one of the first PC projects I had my eye on, although I didn't have a chance to get to it right away. The show is an urban fantasy penned by Neil Gaiman, who is of course a genre-writing juggernaut in a number of arenas. However, I'll confess right off the bat that I only know Gaiman through his excellent contributions to Who: “The Doctor's Wife” and “Nightmare in Silver.”
Until
now. Two episodes into his wonderfully odd Neverwhere,
and I'm definitely hooked. (Note: PC's character isn't in the first
episode, but he appears in the rest of the series. I opted to watch
the whole thing, which is decidedly the way to go.) It's sly and
imaginative and very British – I'm a big fan.
Neverwhere
is part of the subsection of fantasy that begins with an ordinary
man's world being turned on its head by a fantastical encounter. The
ordinary man in this story is Richard Mayhew, a nice Scottish fellow
living in London with a basic flat, a typical job, and a
standard-issue fiancee. The fantastical encounter kicks off when he
stumbles upon Door, an otherworldly young woman being pursued by the
pair of strange, off-putting toughs who killed her family.
Through Door,
Richard is introduced to London Below, which is exactly what the name
suggests: a mirror city operating beneath the streets of London, one
with its own customs, beliefs, and troubles. Unable to return home,
Richard accompanies Door, who is desperate to find out who wants her
dead.
You might notice
that I have yet to mention PC. Well, his character, Islington, is
introduced in “Knightsbridge,” but that doesn't exactly mean he
introduces himself. You can tell by the buildup that he's an
important character – Door is given a vital message to find the
angel Islington, and other characters discuss him as a legend – but
you don't get more than a glimpse of him here. Be patient,
grasshoppers. Be patient.
Watching multiple
episodes of the same series is going to mean a change-up to my usual
end-of-review routine. I haven't seen enough of Islington to tell
his accent, and it probably won't make sense to include a
recommendation at the end of each episode. I think I'll just give
first and final impressions, throwing in additional bits if it's
especially relevant. So, if you don't see accent watches,
recommendations, or warnings in some of the coming days, assume the
previous ones for the series carry over.
Recommend?
In
General
– Off the bat, yes. It's a bit like a dark, inventive cross
between Miyazaki (maybe Spirited
Away)
and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen
and The
City of Lost Children.)
I can't wait to see where it's going.
Warnings
Violence, general
scariness, and brief swearing.
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