Something to watch tonight: Thursday 10 April
See (Knight, 2019-2022)
After yesterday’s meditation on actors playing non-sighted characters, I was reminded that the best blind performance in recent years is Jason Momoa1 in the early Apple TV+ series, See.
Back in 2019, I wrote about this one based on only a couple of episodes but we got deeply hooked and binged all three seasons as and when Apple made them available:
Coming in a close second to The Morning Show in the “most expensive TV ever made” contest is a post-apocalyptic drama set several hundred years in the future in a world where some kind of catastrophe has sent humanity into medieval mode and also removed the sense of sight. People haven’t seen for so long that even the idea of ‘sight’ is considered heresy and the Witchfinders will come looking for you.
As you might expect, our story starts with the birth of twin babies who might have the gift, forcing the village chieftain (Jason Momoa) to evacuate his people and find safe territory.
This is Apple’s attempt at a Game of Thrones replacement. It has a beautiful animated opening title sequence, some strenuous world-building intended to last several seasons, and thrilling battle sequences. Unlike The Morning Show where the budget has gone on star power, you get the sense that you can see all of the money on screen. British Columbia should reap some Lord of the Rings-type tourism rewards. It looks beautiful.
The show is the creation of Steven Knight2 who was responsible for the film Locke, one of the smartest and most unusual dramas you’ll ever see. Then again, he was also responsible for the recent film Serenity which was none of those things.
Anyway, that first episode intrigued me. I’ll keep going.
Whenever anybody asks me what they should be watching on Apple TV+, I tell them about See. The early stuff is buried pretty deep in the interface now but it’s worth seeking out.
Any other suggestions for great ‘blind’ performances? Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark springs to mind. Nowadays, characters with disabilities ought to be played by performers who share that disability – a big challenge for a show like See where everyone3 is blind – are there any recommendations for performances from blind actors that I should, ahem, look into?
Where to watch See
Worldwide: Streaming on Apple TV+
I know, including a Jason Momoa performance in a best of anything list is a stretch but you have to trust me here.
The prolific Knight is also behind Peaky Blinders and was co-creator of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionnaire?
Maybe everyone.