If there is a sci-fi show with 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from Lost and Watchmen producer Damon Lindelof, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that this series was a massive hit. Yet, in the case of Peacock‘s 2023 sci-fi show, Mrs. Davis, that was sadly not the case. Despite creating a bizarre premise that saw religion and technology inhabit the same narrative (both at times at odds and other times in harmony with each other) that features Betty Gilpin in her career-best performance, this mind-blowing show only got one season, and that is far from what it deserved.
What Is the Peacock Sci-Fi Series ‘Mrs. Davis’ About?
From the very start, Mrs. Davis subverts expectations, with a group of nuns in the 14th Century who aren’t the typical peace-loving worshipers they’re normally portrayed as, but members of the Knights Templar who protect the Holy Grail and slaughter a group of armed soldiers in the second scene. Fast forwarding to the present day, things have changed. A lot. With a man saved from a desert island after being missing for 10 years, he and the audience learn the world is now ruled by artificial intelligence referred to as “Her,” and later named Mrs. Davis.
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These two seemingly opposite ideas come together when Gilpin’s Simone, a nun who refuses to indulge in AI, is tasked by Mrs. Davis to seek out and destroy the Holy Grail. This leads both Simone and the audience on a wild quest that sees her trek across the globe and meet different groups, some who support AI and some who resist it. With the expansive scale of both characters, setting, and premise, Mrs. Davis maintains a whiplash pace that keeps the audience on its toes throughout its 8 episodes.
‘Mrs. Davis’ Examines the Invasive Nature of Artificial Intelligence
Betty Gilpin in Mrs. DavisImage via Peacock
Mrs. Davis manages to make what looks like a similar version of our own world feel incredibly different. Despite almost all versions of technology remaining accurate to our contemporary time period, it is Mrs. Davis herself who makes the world feel alien to the viewer. With everyone believing this AI can fix everything and give them the life they desire, they all seek to please her, wearing earpieces so they can follow her orders and earn their “wings,” as the show refers to them.
This leads to seemingly innocuous extras being roadblocks to Simone’s goal of isolation from Mrs. Davis, as it feels like the whole world is against her, despite her having some extremely personal reasons for hating Mrs. Davis that link to the death of a parent. In doing so, we are reminded of how invasive such technology can be and how it can override the interests of those around us.
Betty Gilpin Is an Unstoppable Force in ‘Mrs. Davis’
Simone wearing a nun’s habit and walking amidst people in uniforms looking angry in Mrs. Davis.Image via Peacock
There is a need for a protagonist whom the audience can trust to guide them in such a twisty narrative, and Gilpin’s Simone excels at this. Gilpin portrays the character with a raw intensity when it comes to her hatred of Mrs. Davis, while also balancing a comedic, nonchalant energy when she is talking with human characters. Impressively, none of the high stakes are lost. Even though Mrs. Davis never got a Season 2, it remains the perfect binge. Not only will you be watching an immersive, inventive sci-fi show, but you’ll be watching one of the most unique ones the genre has to offer.
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Release Date
2023 – 2023-00-00
Writers
Tara Hernandez, Damon Lindelof, Alberto Roldan