issue 30// vol 46 he Rw AA CO A beautiful, imaginative, and dark family sitcom that belongs on your watchlist >» ‘Flowers’ is unafraid to explore mental health issues Udeshi Seneviratne Illustrator keen f you are a fan of gorgeous cinematic visuals, incredibly talented actors, and heart-wrenching scenes of Olivia Colman crying on screen, this series is for you. The BAFTA nominated show Flowers is an enchanting tale of an idiosyncratic family told through a dark comedic lens which displays mental illness with honesty. Season one focuses on the depression of the father, Maurice Flowers (Julian Barratt), achildren’s book author struggling to find inspiration and meet deadlines. The plot starts with Mr. Flowers going into the garden one gloomy morning, attempting to hang himself from a tree, but to his surprise the branch snaps. He drags the chair and rope, disappointed, back into the house. Mother Deborah Flowers (played by Oscar-winner Olivia Colman) is a colourful music teacher. She is clueless to the bleak household events and always seems to be on the verge of bursting from the mental toil of keeping up happy appearances for their neighbours. The story also revolves around the family’s twins—both 25, living at home, and constantly bickering. The sister, Amy (Sophia di Martino), has a rugged goth aesthetic and a love for composing music. The brother Donald (Daniel Rigby) uses his time to invent half or fully useless machines—a by-product of his awkward man-child characteristics. I thoroughly enjoy watching Donald’s excitement while revealing the works he deems to be exceptional. His “flying car” invention is literally just metal sheets and fans bolted to the doors. Creator of the show, Will Sharpe, adds elements of his Japanese heritage by creating and playing the role of Shun. Shun is an illustrator from Japan with a heavy accent and actions that come off as a slightly offensive stereotype. He is there to help Mr. Flowers illustrate his books. The character provides honest and poetic advice to the Flowers that stem from his upsetting background—a story that will break your heart in episode five. Sharpe also illustrates his bipolar disorder by colouring the first and second seasons differently, both structurally and visually. Flowers depicts its characters to be eccentric, loud, and almost always chaotic. Underneath it all, we see that all of these characters are struggling in their own ways. At the end of the second season, we learn how Shun was brought to the dysfunctional British family. He left us with a quote that vocalises the importance of holding on to life: “The difference between life and death... so small. But if you can hold..” The show is currently available to stream on Netflix in Canada. Illustration by Udeshi Seneviratne ‘Upload’ premiere is both promising and. a hilarious trek through virtual reality » ‘The Office’ creator Greg Daniels goes virtual with his new show Jonathan Pabico Contributor wkweK KY reg Daniels graced our TV screens with the always beloved antics from The Office. He now leaves the cubicles for his newest adventure in Upload. The premiere of this wacky sci-fi satire looks at where we could easily be with virtual reality (VR) technology. After getting injured in a car accident, Nathan (Robbie Amell) is placed in a VR afterlife program to save his mind. He soon discovers that the virtual world he now lives in is not as perfect as it seems to be. Amell delivers hilarious humour through his character’s silly and strange experiences in VR. His performance balances comedy with more serious tones as he explores how Nathan adjusts to the maddening routines, rules, and isolation of his virtual surroundings. The story sets up a decent dynamic so far between Amell and newcomer Andy Allo who plays Nora, Nathan’s customer representative of his VR afterlife. Their chemistry brings meaning to the friendship of these characters, and together they relay how important it is to support each other during difficult times. However, more screen time could have pushed their dynamic further (even though the series Promotional image for 'Upload' via Amazon Prime Video The episode presents a blissfully absurd future ruled by VR technology. has just started). The premiere instead rushes to unpack the disjointed facets of Nora’s personal life. The episode presents a blissfully absurd future ruled by VR technology. It parodies the hype for VR, while being whimsically fresh with its social satire about how quickly virtual reality can become our strange new normal. The ironies from Nathan’s digital utopia not only elevates the story’s levity, but also makes viewers more appreciative of the world we already have. Upload’s premiere also offers commentary on VR’s role in making video games more immersive. Amell’s character lives like an avatar when he is thrown into his virtual world. His annoyance with having to pay digital currency he doesn't have for certain resources is a running gag that drives the weird humour even more. The show uses this absurdity also to examine our social anxieties about what VR gaming technology could mean for future youth. However, the story’s eerie undertone could have had more depth for a stronger balance with the strange comedy. Even philosophical themes about consciousness, life, and death are made ridiculously obvious through dialogue. The story is sometimes bland as a result, but luckily, the talented cast make the plot watchable. The premiere also doesn't reveal how VR became a successful industry and could have better explored the technology’s complicated history. Hopefully, though, subsequent episodes may provide surprising answers. Overall, the show so far has an original premise and bold satire that will not disappoint viewers. The series is audaciously different from The Office, but if Upload can keep up its momentum for the rest of the season, it may just be worthwhile to check out.