Swarm, the brand new Amazon Prime sequence from Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, impressed a flurry of conversations round so-called “stan tradition,” parasocial relationships, and the obsessive nature of some music followers. Whereas the sequence doesn’t essentially conceal from operating parallel to the fandom that surrounds a sure Houston, Texas famous person, this system really serves as an examination of the deeper and sometimes darkish facet of obsession.
With the promise that this piece will stay spoiler-free as doable, Swarm, which stars the wonderful Dominique Fishback within the position of Andrea “Dre” Greene, is at occasions a really uncomfortable watch.
The opening episode, “Stung,” was directed by Glover and written by Nabers and the director. There exists heavy-handed “wink wink nudge nudge” references to Beyoncé and the BeyHive, however it turns into extra in regards to the singular mission of Dre to get subsequent to the present’s fictional pop star, Ni’Jah, a powerhouse artist and performer who instructions the so-called “Swarm” — a set of followers who will experience on anybody who dares the critique their fave.
Naturally, the satirical sendup of fandoms seen inside the sequence mirrors a lot of what performs out on social media with mega-popular stars. Names on social media that reference the celebrities the customers revere, devoted followers draped in merchandise from the artist, and an abject willingness to defend the honour of the celebrities by verbally attacking critics with ferocity. As most are discovering, Dre handles the enemies of Ni’Jah with murderous intent which highlights the present’s brutal horror parts.
Because the present’s March 17 air date, a lot has been manufactured from Glover’s intentions with this system together with some believing Swarm is a refined, if unfounded, continuation of his hatred for Black girls. Sure, Glover did specific some fascinating ideas about what he anticipated of Fishback within the position of Dre in a Vulture function story with Fishback, which requested her to channel an animalistic high quality. However does that imply he harbors hatred for Black girls? It isn’t for us to say.
Different observers famous that Glover seemingly depicted Black girls in a nasty mild or missing complexity within the hit sequence Atlanta, after which there’s the truth that Glover isn’t married to a Black girl. This isn’t meant to be a protection towards the claims of hate however actually detracts from the actual fact Glover largely acquired out of the best way after the primary episode and let his group deal with the remaining.
The choice by some to criticize and middle Glover as a substitute of Nabers, a gifted playwright, and producer in her personal proper, steals among the thunder away from the writing room, Fishback, and the handfuls of actors and crew members who labored on the present. That very same mild can be taken from the efforts of established Black girls writers on the present resembling Karen Joseph Adcock, fledgling writers like Malia Obama, and rising writers resembling Kara Brown together with Chloe Bailey and her efficiency.
Is Swarm excellent? Maybe not. At its core, the sequence may merely stand as an indictment of “stan tradition” and maybe additionally that of the seedy underbelly of social media general. As well as, it shows a Black girl fully raveled and in want of loving care
It’s heartbreaking at occasions to see how loss and the shortage of others not leaning in to encompass Dre with love and understanding impacts her psychological well-being. What we will say general is that there’s nothing on tv fairly like Swarm for the time being and it deserves a watch even when only for the sake of satisfying one’s curiosity.
Swarm is presently airing on the Amazon Prime streaming service.
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Picture: Amazon Prime Video
