Season 1 |
Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -|Review Score – 4/5
Episode 3 -|Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode 4 -|Review Score – 4/5
Episode 5 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 8 -|Review Score – 4/5
“What makes you extraordinary in a world where everyone has superpowers?” Even though Extraordinary is not an anti-thesis to comic book heroes, it disses them hard in its maiden season. Weird superpowers like printing 3-D stuff from one’s backside, or making people orgasm with a slight touch against your body are galore in Extraordinary. But at its core, the show surprises with tender character arcs filled with great emotional and sentimental value.
The serious-mindedness of developing adult and mature themes does exceedingly well against the superhero backdrop. Extraordinary’s season 1 is mad fun and one of the most binge-worthy shows on Hulu right now.
The show sports plenty of newcomers in its cast. Mairead Tyers, who plays Jen, looks immensely comfortable with her girl-next-door energy, innocence, and charm. She is the most normal among the lot – mainly because she does not have any powers – but also by the virtue of her characterizations, which one can easily relate to.
Sofia Oxenham plays the sweet, kind-hearted simpleton Carrie, whose compassion is more precious than her capability. Others include the perennial underachiever Kash, played by Bilal Hasna, recently turned human from a cat, Jizzlord (Luke Rollasson), who is finding his way in a new world, and Mary (Siobhan McSweeney), Jen’s mother, thinking her child is dealing with her problems just fine.
The most enduring quality of Extraordinary’s universe is how closely it mimics real-life problems. Despite the sci-fi-ish setting and all the mania with the superpowers, one finds a compelling showcasing of the human condition. Its appeal is such that we all, with our unique, grounded experiences, can relate to the themes, and the impact that the narrative has on the characters.
Writers and the makers ensure that all of this drama is not packed in a pretentious, complex, avant-garde exterior that pushes away the viewer prima facie. Extraordinary is like that sweet girl you see at the party that you are not intimidated by and fall in love with just because of how she is when you talk to her.
Extraordinary is as much about unseen parts as it is about living in your 20s. The coming-of-age element drives and connects all the stories that each portrayal tells. Friendship, heartbreak, goofing around, finding your life’s purpose; everything is sort of mixed together in the same jar to see what comes out the other end. The genre-bending components – a slice of life, comedy, and superhero culture – are handled very well so that each has a proportionate impact. One does not dominate the other, avoiding any lob-sidedness in their exploration.
But even then, the realization of the endless possibilities that Extraordinary’s framework brings is never lost on the creative personnel. The show still remains wildly entertaining with its indulgences in the superhero culture. Visually as well, the use of colours is inspiring.
All the costumes and set designs benefit from the choice to have a consistently random theme to surprise us, so much so that even a non-enthusiast will steal looks before focusing on the storytelling. There is a real freshness and originality to the jokes and humour.
Even if you have a trained ear, it is unlikely you will not be able to appreciate the writing. Some one-liners are worthy of becoming part of pop culture. It is not the brand of comedy that focuses on making veiled political statements or imbuing clever sociological intricacies – plain, simple comedy designed to make you laugh.
All the newcomers on the cast look well settled and perform like they have been doing this for a long time. Complete confidence and assuredness in the effort do justice to the unique material and subject matter. The only thing one can fault the people behind Extraordinary is the fact that they did not make more episodes. On every technical and sentimental front, the show is a winner all the way through.
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Verdict - 9/10
9/10