The Emmys 2018 have just ended and if they tell us anything, it’s that the lines between cinema and television have been blurred, in terms of actors, directors, writers and production values.
Though things in Pakistan may be different, not the same can be said about the content being generated by the likes of HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and several other platforms with high profile plans.
A case in point, rather, the latest case in point is The First that marks A-list actor and activist Sean Penn’s entrance in the universe of television with a show called The First. More to the point, it is, as expected, both ambitious, flawed and yet there’s something about it that makes you curious about the series.
Like Interstellar, Chris Nolan’s masterpiece on space travel and discovery was in reality just as much about fathers and their relationship with their children and the hope to save them, so is The First. But of course, the series, unlike the film is on a different tangent. There are several families. And different characters and narratives that drive the show forward.
On the surface, the series is about Penn’s character going to Mars whereas so far, he has not put a foot on Mars, but underneath it is about families and hard to get out of your mind emotionally.
The entire first season, slow-moving and introspective albeit a bit serious is available on Hulu and it is quite possible that the first few episodes will be hard to watch for the pace is more languid than emergent as was the case with Interstellar.
But if you need a reason to watch it besides Penn wanting to go to Mars, and curious to know if he ever really goes, just know that it’s the new show from Beau Willimon, creator of House of Cards. The eight episode series is out on Hulu and could serve as a good new binge-watch series.
