What do you get if you mix the Duffer Brothers, a retirement community, and strange events in the desert? You get a kick-ass science fiction series!
The Boroughs
The Boroughs is a well-written science fiction series that was created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews and produced by the Duffer Brothers. While the majority of Americans consider elderly people a nuisance to be endured, thankfully for Hollywood, older actors are holding their own in a world of plastic surgery and fillers.
My little sister was the one to clue me onto this fast-moving series about Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) a recently widowed aeronautical engineer who unwillingly moves into a desert retirement community after his wife (Jane Kaczmarek) unexpectedly passes away. The death has sucked the joy of existence from Sam, and even though his neighbors try to include Sam in the many activities that the owner, Blaine Shaw (Seth Numrich) and his wife, Anneliese (Alice Kremelberg) offer the residents of the community, Sam pushes them away.
Sam’s next-door neighbour, Jack (Bill Pullman), eventually pulls Sam into a neighbourhood picnic with Judy (Alfre Woodard), a retired journalist and her husband, Art (Clarke Peters), Wally (Denis O’Hare), a retired doctor who has end-stage cancer, and Renee (Geena Davis), a retired music manager. Several strange events that involve a neighbour attacking Sam and the mysterious death of Jack pull Sam and the others into a nightmare rush to discover what exactly Sam witnessed on the night of Jack’s death.
Conclusion
I was hooked on the first episode and binge-watched all eight episodes in one night. It was that good. If I could make a comparison… it would be Stranger Things meets Murder, She Wrote. The science fiction part of the series was different in that it was both scary and appealing to the viewer’s compassion. You will know what I mean when you watch the series. I am keeping tight-lipped about the sci-fi part.
What I wanted to talk about with The Boroughs is that the creators were comfortable using seasoned actors and actresses for the series. Sam’s daughter, Claire (Jena Malone) is the personification of anyone who isn’t a boomer. Claire is impatient with Sam’s refusal to accept the death of his wife (her mother) and blend into his new life with strangers. Believe me, I experienced this firsthand with my own daughter after my husband passed away. My daughter, Gen X, expected my life, lived forty-three years married… to evolve into something new… overnight. I can say that I definitely felt Sam’s loss, and that is what fuels this film. Yes, there is the alien element, but what made this film extra sweet was watching the characters interact during the backyard barbecue. Sam and his friends may be old, but they did important work when they were younger, and although they are dealing with a shopping list of ailments, these people were the ones who changed history by marching for Civil Rights and protesting an unfavourable war.
Not that long ago, I reviewed a documentary called Silver Screamers, where director Sean Cisterna made a horror film with the help of senior citizens. It’s a great film, which my review checks off every detail that made this documentary such a big hit with me. I am hoping that every director and producer takes a clue from people like Sean Cisterna, Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews and doesn’t overlook a seasoned actor just because of age.
We Boomers witnessed the advancement of these United States in the global and scientific world…. unfortunately…we are also witnessing the decay and dreaded fall. We have stories to tell and memories to share, but more importantly, we aged with class and valour… and let me remind you young ones that we are also the original preppers… so if there is ever a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion…I’m betting that we Boomers will be the last ones standing.
Watch The Boroughs on Netflix, and let’s hope that there will be a second season.
