Critic Reviews

“The Nevers” is a joy to watch and a thrill to follow. Supernatural realism, complex storytelling, fantastical powers and topical realties meet in this smart, suspenseful and colorful production. A litany of nuanced characters keep this otherworldly tale grounded.

It’s a historical drama awash in lush costuming and production design. It’s a sci-fi epic unraveling the mysteries of the universe. It’s a screwball comedy and Harlequin romance starring quick-witted heroines, surly detectives and devastatingly handsome heirs. Even when it errs towards the silly, it’s fun and twisty enough to be an engaging page-turner of a show that should grow its own fanbase without much trouble.

True’s penchant for fisticuffs, reminiscent of the leads of every past Whedon show, ensures action aplenty as “The Nevers” develops characters alongside an engrossing, deepening mythology.

Fetchingly original Victorian dark fantasy. [26 Apr - 9 May 2021, p.7]

That the many characters and interwoven stories didn’t become confusing was a triumph, and the moments where touched “turns” were displayed were subtle enough not to distract from the main narrative. Skilful, too, were the understated social messages that still ring as true today as they did in the Victorian era – women with unchecked power are a threat to the status quo and abnormality is to be feared.

At the end of this run sent for press, it feels like it’s finally finding its voice, ironing out some of the early tonal imbalance and allowing its most interesting characters to shine, some thanks to a few very unexpected plot turns in episodes three and four.

Even when the multiple plot strands curl this way and that, and if it’s a bit difficult to keep track of all the players without a scorecard, “The Nevers” is a dazzling visual feast with gorgeous sets and first-rate CGI, sly humor, ambitious and sometimes deeply moving set pieces and wonderful performances from the ensemble cast.

Whedon's name understandably may not generate a lot of good will these days and the unevenness of these early episodes -- which alternate between clever, exciting passages and overstuffed, drearily paced stretches -- might not inspire the kind of instant following of his past work, but there's a lot here that works and, in the right hands, might keep working for many seasons to come.

There’s a genuinely intriguing anchor in their [Penance Adair & Amalia True's] friendship, and in True’s grappling with her intrusive past. Whether or not The Nevers cares to favor its characters over immensity in its later episodes remain to be seen, but I imagine viewers’ patience with the Whedon-verse, and The Nevers’ bloat, will be thin.

The enthusiasm comes at the expense of developing any of the characters beyond their immediate impact. The dynamic between the two leads is promising. Despite their advantages, they must still put up with being young women in a male-dominated world. But the relationship is hardly given space to breathe amid all the plotting and exposition.