Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every country, by children learning mathematical concepts […] A graphical representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Incredible complexity. Lines of light varied in the non-space of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding.” Thus wrote William Gibson in the 1984 novel neuroman, long before “cyberspace” became a common term to denote the shared unreality of our digital interactions.
Gibson is credited with creating the “cyberpunk” aesthetic, combining cinematic neo-noir imagery with visionary science fiction, relentless action, disgruntled and disgruntled worker characters and intellectual ideas in a truly distinct style. His work is celebrated and influential, but beyond writing the screenplays for the abhorred… Johnny Mnemonic and some great episodes of The X filesGibson’s vision has never been realized cinematically. the peripheralsa new series on Prime Video is here to change that.
A grand, mysterious and unique show that is sure to stand out in the television landscape, the peripherals is a new project by west world masterminds Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, along with brilliant director Vincenzo Natali, stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Flynne Fisher, a young woman who, while trying to support her struggling family, is drawn into a deadly battle for the future. While it can be confusing at times and bites off more than it can chew, the peripherals does justice to Gibson’s vision, creating a clear, well-acted and labyrinthine sci-fi mystery.
The Strange Sci-Fi World of William Gibson’s The Peripheral
The opening images of the peripherals are stunning and set the tone and tell the audience that this isn’t their world. The camera moves through the smoke from launched cannonballs and heavy artillery, past archaic wooden sloops (those old-fashioned pirate ships), hovering over the water until it reaches a park bench occupied by a man named Wilf. Sitting on the sidewalks of London, Wilf watches this fiery orchestra of violence in what appears to be a small river carved through the city. It’s all very surreal and disorienting, and a perfect introduction to this world.
Of course, it’s also confusing, even though it all comes together in the end. like many of the peripherals‘s first half, none of this introduction is well explained, and the peripherals consistently drops you into already elaborated, pre-developed worlds where there is little to no exposition that would orient a viewer. While this may be frustrating or confusing to a viewer, it captures the true spirit of Gibson’s literary work, which so often eschewed traditional explanations and was written as if from the future. Readers (and now viewers) just had to get used to this brave new world.
If viewers wade through the waters of this area well, they will find themselves drifting into the quiet life of the Fishers. Flynne may be the young, gorgeous daughter in the Fisher family, but she’s certainly the most capable of the bunch. Her life in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of 2033 is simple and somewhat depressing, caring for her seriously ill mother and helping her spiteful, somewhat lazy brother Burton.
Flynne earns a little money in the usual ‘convenience and hospitality’ fashion, but the biggest rewards often come when she and her brother complete difficult missions in an entirely virtual world. When the Fishers gain access to a brand new, off-market virtual reality headset, they discover a new way to make money. They just don’t realize how incredibly dangerous it’s going to get.
Virtual Reality and time travel in the periphery
Flynne thinks she’s just in another video game; in the peripheralsas in several other futuristic sci-fi titles (including Ready Player One), achievements in VR games can be very lucrative. That, of course, is an idea that is becoming more and more realistic as video games become highly profitable (something brilliantly satirized in the series players) while physical sports are increasingly looked down upon, whether for the neurological damage they inflict on players or the racial and financial exclusion endemic to the industry.
However, this alleged video game seems like more than anything else she’s played. Flynne painfully learns that she doesn’t simply embodies a “sim” in an entirely fictitious digital word; instead, nearly 70 years in the future, she connects to a body where a group of individuals need her help. She can’t really refuse – the moment she put on the headset, she put her beloved family in danger and a bounty from the future was placed on them.
the peripherals does an excellent job of not only visually distinguishing between the ‘real’ world and the virtual world of the future, but also depicting the appeal and profitability of the VR world. Creating a semi-southern atmosphere in the Appalachian region and North Carolina’s beautiful, natural landscape, not to mention the chic trailer park of its area, the peripherals has a sort of working-class, redneck dignity that makes it extremely iconoclastic in the sci-fi landscape of polished, futuristic metropolises. This rural environment makes the peripherals excel.
Of course, the show also shapes 22nd-century London, but even that futuristic world seems shabby and grossly underpopulated. An abandoned metropolis, it strikes a nice balance with the Blue Ridge Mountains of the 2030s. the peripherals alternates between Flynne’s experiences in her time period and her experiences around 2100.
Chloë Grace Moretz leads a dedicated cast
There are a whole host of complications and subtleties that, while ultimately explained in a wholly appropriate way, can nevertheless confuse or frustrate viewers. There’s a lot going on in the peripherals, with characters and entire action sequences existing without any explanation, so it requires the patience, faith, and trust of its audience. Like Gibson’s oeuvre, it is not spoon fed, but is set in a fully developed world, with or without a spectator to see it.
Chloë Grace Moretz does a great job as a young woman who is burdened by a demanding family, but who is nevertheless tougher and more resilient than most of the people around her. Here she is beautiful inside and out, creating a continuous line between the rural world of the 2030s and the grim urban world of 2100.
Jack Reynor is excellent as her brother Burton Fisher, a man who could look like an asshole if you jump to conclusions too quickly or fail to dig deeper. A concerned family member who nevertheless enjoys a hazy and lazy rural existence in the woods, lazing by his caravan with or without his group of friends and earning money in the most passive way. He is one of several characters in this film who are haunted by the specter of military involvement, one of the most subtle yet interesting thematic aspects of the peripherals.
Vincenzo Natali Reunites With Westworld Creators For The Peripheral
Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy bring the same sprawling, intelligent sci-fi magic they conjured up west worldstill the peripherals is suitably much more humane. It takes advantage of the realism and humanity often seen in Gibson’s work, while also delving fully into his world without compromise.
The great Vincenzo Natali (director of the philosophical masterpiece) Cube, Cypher, nothingand more) directs the top four episodes here, with the same confident vision that his episodes of Hannibal and west world. Natali knows Gibson’s work very well and directs it with surprising literary intelligence that is in no way tampered with by its complicated plot, intricate imagery, and expansive scope. the peripherals may have confusing moments and some frustrating sequences, but all in all, it’s probably the best Gibson adaptation yet, and a worthy sci-fi follow-up to west world.
Produced by Kilter Films, Amazon Studios and Warner Bros. television, the peripherals will be available on Prime Video October 21.