Dystopian future fans look no further than Netflix’s new series “The Silent Sea.” The Korean series is set in the not too distant future on a drought ravaged Earth. Water is the only currency that matters. When the opportunity to possibly rehydrate the planet arises, a special team is assembled to head to the moon to retrieve a mysterious sample.
The series comes from director Choi Hang-yong and writer Eunkyo Park. It stars “Squid Game” alum Gong “Slap us in the face please” Yoo, and Kim Jae-sun. Joon Lee and Bae Doona also lead up the cast. The latter in particular is a standout of the series as Doctor Song Ji-an. You may recognize Bae Doona from “Cloud Atlas,” “The Host,” and “Sense8,” another Netflix series.
Folks will be tempted to draw comparisons to the smash hit “Squid Game.” Aside from mildly oceanic references in their titles and two shared actors – that’s where the similarities end. One could argue that both explore the darker side of human nature, but through extremely different lenses and circumstances.
Amongst the Stars
The premise is as solid as it gets. A world in which we didn’t bother to protect our natural resources and companies put profits above preservation? Calling it set in the ‘future’ seems rather generous. The show succinctly sets up the premise and characters. The efficiency with which it doles out information at the right time on the crew feels just metered enough to keep us going. However, not so much of an information dump that it feels clunky.
As the crew uncover the mysteries of their mission and the Lunar base to which they’ve been sent – we’re met with a tidy and relatively original sci-fi thriller. The moral dilemmas they’ll face along the way are the most authentic part of the series. They don’t feel so absurd that there’s a clear “well of COURSE you’d act xyz way” – which is often a pitfall when dealing with sci-fi.
Clocking in at eight episodes, “The Silent Sea” is a great premise with an incredibly strong beginning and middle, and (to some) a possibly questionable end. It gets so caught up in trying to jam in some traditional heroism it undermines a bit of the work it’s done. It’s certainly not a perfect show but the flaws don’t outweigh the intrigue.
Overall it’s a solid sci-fi foray with great acting. We’d certainly recommend “The Silent Sea” – streaming now on Netflix.
