Underscored

In many doomsday tv shows and movies, we see the main characters fighting their way through illnesses, undead creatures, dictatorial governments, and environmental disasters, to name a few. What if the people that survived wished they hadn’t? They were the people that watched these shows and thought “no way in hell I’d want to be surviving that.” But, accidentally, they survived.

This is that story.

With the pilot episode spanning from New York to the middle of nowhere, Connecticut, (cue the line, “the state that feels the most like an above ground pool”) two sisters suddenly wake up to a new life, and kind of wish they hadn’t.

Taking the quick-witted fast-paced vibe of a show such as Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Gilmore Girls combined with a sci-fi premise and undertone that feels like Station Eleven or Interstellar, this dark comedy, at its core, is about the choices we make…and what truly is important?

Sisters Brianna and Lara decide to meet up at Grand Central for a spring trip to a farm in Connecticut. Though they only live 20 blocks away from each other, they don’t see each other often, or rather, haven’t seen each other since they moved out of their shared apartment 1 year ago. As they arrive, they realize this town isn’t exactly what they were looking for. The bed and breakfast is tiny and overbearing, there is no pool as advertised, and they have to venture into town to find some “fun,” which includes one mini movie theatre, one 50s themed diner, and no artisan coffee shops.

But Brianna and Lara are soon stuck in this town for good. Unknowingly, this town was built by survivalists in the 80s. The cult moved elsewhere in the 90s but the infrastructure remained. When the world collapses overnight and they’re temporarily moved into the underground shelter, they realize this trip that they hated saved their lives. Except Brianna and Lara are not strong-willed and frankly don’t want to persevere, but as a result of their circumstances, they must.

Though dramatic in stakes, the situation isn’t intended to be sad. To be honest, these sisters aren’t completely upset that they’ve lost everything.

Further leaning into the satirical world, this isn’t necessarily making fun of where someone's mind may go in survival mode; but it sure does poke around at the idea of which priorities are chosen (i.e. the character, Lara’s first thought is how she’ll be able to poop without scrolling on her phone). Speaking of the characters…

BRIANNA: The older sister. Type A in spirit. Not in practice. She wants to be organized and on-top of everything, but can never follow through. For example, Brianna “planned” the trip to Connecticut but somehow, every single idea slipped through the cracks. But it didn’t slip through without Lara picking up the slack.

LARA: The younger sister. Slightly materialistic; more so than she would like to admit. Not a narcissist but surely not one with the earth. In any sort of way. Bad track records in relationships. Her and her on-again-off-again boyfriend are constantly fussing. Currently off-again. As of this morning.

JARED: Lara’s boyfriend. Secretly jumped on the train to surprise Lara in Connecticut after unintentionally breaking up with her this morning. Kind of a loser, in a cute but unfortunate way. Aspires to be an architect but doesn’t know how to start.

Supporting characters include the town odd-balls that happen to be thrown together. Most notably is the town farmer, Hazel, who is incredibly OCD about the crops; not in a superficial way. Though there are rules; no one is allowed to enter the greenhouse without a mask, no one is allowed to water the plants without supervision, and no pets are allowed, this also shows the harsh reality of actually living with OCD (i.e. intrusive thoughts, hence, the dark comedy). Hazel has the potential to grow into a leading character throughout the season due to a budding (pun intended) relationship with Brianna.

And among the guests at the tiny bed and breakfast are the financial bro (f-boy) who just needed a bed before getting back to the city, an older gray-haired couple from Georgia (why would they choose here of all places?), and a yoga instructor who lives part-time on the third floor (aka, the attic). This place is run by the quirky librarian who, despite her age, knows how to run a damn well business.

The comedy of the episode comes to a peak when the church bells ring; there are no “alarms” in this tiny town. The diner owner drives through town on his pickup truck shouting at residents left and right to head immediately into the underground shelter within the next ten minutes. No one knows why they’re going, but most of them follow along; collective ignorance...and ignorance is both bliss, and luckily enough, humor, when they are stuffed together for the night.

The pilot concludes with the town emerging after a whopping 5 hours (input sarcasm) from the shelter. Everything looks as it was. Green grass. Buildings intact. Sounds of crickets. The sun is rising in the direction of the diner. There’s a slight chill in the air; not too hot, not too cold.

It isn’t until the phones are shut off, the internet on desktop computers isn't working, and the electricity starts to flicker that they realize something truly went wrong in the world…“shit.”

In true The Summer I Turned Pretty fashion, pop music seems to be the vibe that would best fit, and also would help lighten the mood. Though alt-pop seems to bleeds into the darkness and slight edginess a bit more. The screen fades to black while we hear “Silence is Golden” by The Beths. For a full soundtrack, check out this Spotify playlist linked below.

If you’re curious about where each song would fall: “Not Strong Enough” theme/overarching motif; “Pink Light” Lara’s internal monologue after the breakup with Jared; “Lost the Breakup” Lara’s internal monologue, 5 minutes later; “I Don’t Wanna Be Like You” signifying Brianna and Lara’s complicated relationship; “Motion Sickness” the train ride, irony intended; “Chaise Lounge” arriving in the overtly eccentric bed and breakfast; “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” Jared’s surprise entrance, aka the on-again moment; “Howling” Brianna and Lara mindlessly wandering the town, trying to find something to do; “Dead Girl Walking” as foreshadowing, right before the church bells; “Silence is Golden” after the final line. As for the music while in the shelter, an instrumental underscore similar to that in Shiva Baby seems very fitting.