The Society: Netflix tease mystery teen drama FREE now for the biggest moments from morning TV SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow for the biggest moments from morning TV When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The Society is the brand new Netflix version of Lord of the Flies - or close enough. When the entire population of suburban America West Ham’s teenagers go on a school trip, they hit some horrendously bad weather, resulting in them being cut off of the route they were taking. With no other choice, the school busses return to their home town, where the collection of teens find all of their parents and other miscellaneous adults have disappeared from the town. And to make things even more spooky: All of the roads out of West Ham have been inexplicably cut off by dense forest which seems to never end. With nothing but their wit and emotions to guide them through this strange nightmare, the kids find themselves struggling to handle the consequences of their early actions. While one faction of the town may dedicate themselves to partying, another strives to inventory all of the food on the Lost-style Island. Herein lies one of the biggest issues with The Society: The plot has been seen before in a number of different medias. But while the selling point of the show is that the teenagers are reckless and foolhardy, it comes across as irritating and nonsensical through most of the show. Amidst the ongoing teen drama and intrigue, much of the story surrounds the mystery of how the kids got to this cursed land, and an ongoing investigation of a smell that plagued the town before the switch. But, again, these ideas and problems aren’t fully fleshed out, and are likely to leave viewers utterly disheartened as few answers are ever really offered. The Society Netflix Review: The show brings a new take on the classic premise Frustration aside, the cast of The Society offers an eclectic group of youngsters who - for the most part - do a good job with the show. In particular, protagonist Cassandra (played by Rachel Keller) puts on a really good example of a complex character with many layers to her psyche. And while she sometimes urges the show forward singlehandedly, she is not utilised enough throughout the span of the ten episodes. On top of the great cast, The Society is really well designed and shot. The Society boasts a sort of ‘90s inspired look on each of the characters with their almost retro costumes. The Society Netflix Review: The show has an incredible display of cinematography The Society Netflix Review: Unfortunately some of the plot falls short<doc-sep>The Netflix teen drama has almost become a genre in and of itself. Between offerings such as “On My Block,” “Sex Education,” “13 Reasons Why,” and syndicated CW staples like “Riverdale,” the streaming network has found a solid niche in exploring the everyday lives of teenagers, in all their flailing, moody glory. “The Society,” Netflix’s compelling new drama from “Party of Five” co-creator Christopher Keyser, takes a grab bag of teen tropes and mixes it with “Lord of the Flies” and a vague dose of supernatural intrigue for good measure. Its premise even manages to sidestep the question of what to do with the parents, a typical teen show consideration that some shows (like “Riverdale”) answer by folding the older generation into the action just as much as their scheming kids. “The Society,” by contrast, banishes the adults altogether — and indeed, anyone but the central teens, period. At first, the show seems like a typical high school drama about the popular kids versus the burnouts versus the overachievers. But when a field trip drops the senior class back in an abandoned facsimile of the town they just left, with no way out or in, the teens of West Ham have to figure out how to live together without imploding under pressure. And after the requisite initial panic of apocalypse partying, both the characters and the series, to their credit, take that question incredibly seriously. (If you don’t trust me, trust the show’s reliance on dramatic handheld cameras.) Think “The 100,” but instead of juvenile delinquents learning how to function as a community, it’s wary rich kids flailing without their Ivy League plans. For a while, the existing social order remains intact. Class president Cassandra (Rachel Keller, “Legion”) tries to take the lead amongst the panic, setting off a chain of insecurities from her little sister Allie (Kathryn Newton, “Big Little Lies”) and popular pretty boy Harry (Alex Fitzalan). The jocks, united in their letterman jackets, band together as they’re so used to doing. Friendly nerds like Gordie (José Julián), Becca (Gideon Adlon, “Blockers”), and Sam (Sean Berdy) try to unpack the bizarre logistics of their situation. Social outcasts Campbell (Toby Wallace) and Elle (Olivia DeJonge) gravitate towards each other, for wont of better options. Despite — or maybe thanks to — their best efforts, their attempts to make a revolutionary new order end up looking an awful lot like the more rigid, heteronormative one in which they all grew up. Even as much as “The Society” spins its wheels — and with 10 episodes clocking in at a solid hour each encompassing a sprawling cast, it inevitably does — there just aren’t many other teen shows that routinely debate the advantages of capitalism versus socialism or democracy versus dictatorship. With the exception of a time jump deeper into the season, “The Society” rarely takes shortcuts while the teens figure out what it means to build a community from the ground up, and what the dynamics of their old world mean in this new one. Much of the series’ best material comes when the characters have to confront their privilege or lack thereof. Harry, who used to have everything, struggles to adjust to sharing his assets. Will (Jacques Colimon), a poorer orphan, embraces the opportunity to found a more equitable order. And some of the most interesting and revealing moments come from the reaction to Cassandra’s aggressively pragmatic solutions from all the disgruntled boys who resent her power and influence over their girlfriends. To them, the biggest threat isn’t whatever force brought them to this New Ham (a question the show entertains but isn’t wholly consumed by), but a smart girl with the audacity to tell them what to do. More than anything else on the show, the exploration of this dynamic (which I like to call “the Elizabeth Warren paradox”) feels both urgent and timely. All of this is wholly worthy and fascinating for a show like this to dive into. But after I watched all of “The Society” within 48 hours — which, to Netflix’s inevitable relief, is a relatively easy thing to do — I wasn’t nearly as invested in its story as I should’ve been. Few of the characters register as particularly compelling beyond their loglines; not even the aforementioned time jump, usually a storytelling device meant to shake things up, does all that much to meaningfully shift anyone’s particular arc. Take the jocks, who tend to blend into one dim bro. Many of the female characters — with the exceptions of Allie, Cassandra, and steadfast Christian Helena (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) — feel interchangeable. That just shouldn’t be the case after a few episodes, let alone ten solid hours of content that hinge on these particular characters being riveting enough to stand all on their own. “The Society” premieres Friday, May 10 on Netflix.<doc-sep>The Society on Netflix ending explained: What happened at the end? FREE now for the biggest moments from morning TV SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow for the biggest moments from morning TV When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The Society: Netflix tease mystery teen drama The Society ending has been on Netflix for a few months, but fans are still unpacking all the information from the finale. Netflix viewers were left wondering who won the election, who is the father of Becca's baby and working their way through the other mysteries of the ending of The Society. The Society fans can read on for The Society ending explained. What happened at the end of The Society? WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Society At the end of The Society, Netflix viewers got a shock return to the town the group of teenagers were somehow disappeared from at the start of the series. The final moments of The Society were set at a reading, where everyone was wearing yellow ribbons and were gathered around a plaque with all the teens’ names on them and the words “We Remember Them”. This seems to confirm the theory that the teens have found themselves in a parallel universe, meaning there must be a way they can return home. HOW MANY EPISODES ARE IN THE SOCIETY ON NETFLIX? The Society ending saw Allie deposed as mayor However, the episode gives no clues as to how they can return and where they actually are. In the universe occupied by the teens, the end of The Society sees Allie Pressman (played by Kathryn Newton) deposed from the position of mayor thanks to a coup by the so-called “guard”, led by psychopath Campbell Eliot (Toby Wallace). Thinking they will be unable to win the upcoming election between Allie, Lexie (Grace Victoria Cox) and their candidate Harry Bingham (Alex Fitzalan), they arrest the former and her assistant Will LeClair (Jacques Colimon) from trumped-up charges of fixing the election. To do this, they make a deal that sees Lexie and Harry become co-mayors, putting off the election for now. WHO IS IN THE CAST OF THE SOCIETY? Campbell enacts a coup at the end of The Society on Netflix The guard parade Allie and Will in front of the crowd, which is about to turn violent before Grizz (Jack Mulhern) returns from his expedition to find farmland. This expedition was important personally for Grizz, who came out as gay to a second person, as well as the group more generally when he and the rest of the explorers find fertile land with turkeys and fish. Grizz’s intervention stops the violence for now but the end of The Society on Netflix does not reveal what the guard will do with Allie and Will. However, it suggests Campbell might meet a sticky end if there is another series of The Society. Earlier in the series, Elle (Olivia DeJonge) managed to escape from her evil boyfriend Campbell after she tried to poison him. Grizz discovered farmland at the end of The Society on Netflix<doc-sep>
Take "13 Reasons Why," add a "Lord of the Flies" twist, and mix in some "Lost" for good measure. Netflix may have built its original series initially around adults, but these days, it really loves teens — especially teens who behave badly. That’s the cornerstone of “The Society,” a series constructed around the premise of what happens to 200 teenagers who think they’re going on a school field trip, and are instead deposited in a carbon copy version of their small town, except with no adults and no younger children around. Things aren’t too bad at first for the teens — the power is still on, and there’s a supermarket full of food — but the situation quickly takes on new urgency as they slowly realize that they’ve been completely cut off from the rest of the world. How, exactly, the teens ended up in this mirror universe is one question that only sort of haunts the series, as eventually the mystery behind its premise gets de-emphasized in favor of the kids discovering that their survival will require some heavy duty growing up, fast. This theoretically makes the show a microcosm for discussing philosophical issues surrounding the creation of a society like this, as well as an opportunity to explore the nature of power, as factions arise and battle is waged for control. And while the show drags a bit in its early episodes, as the teens keep getting distracted from the bigger issues by their interpersonal woes, the pacing improves dramatically in the back half of the season as the drama escalates. Seacia Pavao/Netflix “Are we in an episode of ‘Riverdale’ or in Soviet Russia?” one teen asks, and the answer ends up being far more the latter. To “The Society’s” credit, its commitment to exploring the big questions raised by the premise, specifically in regards to how the kids might come to manage each other and their resources, is unquestionable — because while initially led by Cassandra (Rachel Keller), the ad-hoc society quickly develops life and death stakes. (A note: For those who find violence in school settings triggering, “The Society” won’t be an easy watch.) The show’s characters, despite being played by many not-exactly teenagers — Keller’s casting as a girl just out of high school feels particularly out of place after her breakout roles as older characters in “Fargo” and “Legion” — feel extremely teenager-y. And the vast nature of the cast, combined with a notable lack of diversity (the cast could be better served by a larger percentage of people of color) occasionally makes it hard to track individual characters — an issue not made easier by the fact that many of the characters lack much in the way of definition. (Like, how many jocks in letter jackets are there, exactly?) However, there are some standouts within the cast, including Kathryn Newton (most recently seen as Reese Witherspoon’s spirited daughter in “Big Little Lies”) as Allie, who finds herself having to step up in order to keep the town from descending into chaos. Seacia Pavao/Netflix Meanwhile Toby Wallace, as resident sociopath Campbell, develops well into his role as a charmingly evil villain. Another strong supporting player who deserves a lot more screen time than she gets is Salena Qureshi as Bean, and Sean Berdy from “Switched at Birth” gets to play a character whose hearing impairment is not his sole defining quality. (The show’s casual embrace of the nuances of sign language is one of its best details.) Too gritty and dark to have much fun scratching the pleasant itch of teen soap tropes, “The Society’s” adult content keep it from feeling like a natural fit for a network like the CW (though it does stir up memories of that network’s “The 100”). From the pilot directed by Marc Webb (“The Amazing Spider-man,” “500 Days of Summer,” the latter film making a cameo appearance later in the season), it feels slightly better in its execution than really necessary — though, no spoilers for the end of the season, but there are plenty of questions left unresolved, to an almost unsatisfying degree. That said, at a certain point the drama does get addictive, as the show eventually reveals what it’s really about: a grim reckoning with the fact that these teens have had to grow up too fast. And these days, with climate change and school shootings and a government that’s rotting from the inside, teens today might find “The Society” painfully relatable.