Review: Too Many Complications Obscure a Promising Start in 'Utopia'

Gillian Flynn has left Amy Dunne in "Gone Girl" and has joined the search to find Jessica Hyde. Where is Jessica Hyde? That is one of the central questions asked throughout the first season of the new Amazon Prime show "Utopia." While audiences quickly get an answer to that question, you might be left with many puzzles in this overly stuffed pandemic thriller.

Amazon provided the first seven episodes (all except the finale) for review, and what you can expect is a show filled with lots of plot twists, violence, and a sleep-deprived-looking John Cusack. It all centers on the newly discovered "Utopia" comic book that is put up for sale at a fan convention. It's predecessor, known as "Dystopia," is filled with Easter eggs that have correctly predicted future global pandemics such as Ebola and SARs. In an effort to save the world from meeting its end, a fanatical group of readers attempt to win the auction and unlock the clues in "Utopia," just as another pandemic is starting to spread across the country.

The first couple of episodes of "Utopia," based on a British series from 2013, are some of the most intriguing hours of television this year. It leaves you on the edge of your seat and unable to wait to start the next episode as the ragtag group, filled with mostly likable characters, works to save humanity. Around the fourth episode, the world gets a little too big, and the episodes begin to feel a lot longer than their run time, becoming almost a chore to finish. Much like the characters, you might need to create your own murder board to keep track of everything that is going on.

Flynn packed "Utopia" to the gills with conspiracy and intrigue - so much so that it actually, at times, feels like you're watching multiple shows concurrently. You have "the nerds," as they are so lovingly called, who are working to unlock the mysteries of the comic book and do so to prevent the end of the world from coming true. Then you have the larger conspiracy aspect (who admittedly are looking for Jessica Hyde and Utopia), with only the assassin named Arby going back and forth between the two.

Even after the other nerds have proven their worth and loyalty to Jessica, she never really trusts them. This is actually one of the most glaring issues with the show. Jessica is so animalistic, almost feral, that she seems to have escaped from "Jumanji." At one point she takes out a fellow female simply because she feels her reign threatened. She simply, and coldly, says, "One group can't have two leaders."

After the initial shock and awe of the initial few episodes wear off, not enough is done to help her assimilate into the Scooby gang. Having a more relatable or likable lead for the show would have grounded it more and made up for some of the other issues. Actress Sasha Lane ("American Honey") does a good enough job as Jessica, but the problem lies more with the character and writing than the portrayal.

The showrunners have assembled a cast, many unknown or with just a few credits to their names, who will be more well-known after this. Cory Michael Smith ("Gotham"), who plays Cusack's son, is bound to break out with his role here. Smith has the right amount of devilish spirit in him that makes him both fun to watch and hard to turn away from. Ashleigh LaThrop ("The Handmaid's Tale") is another one to watch in the future.

The more well-known cast members are John Cusack and Rainn Wilson. Wilson turns in a solid performance. Cusack, however, appears to be sleepwalking through most of his scenes. While he isn't given much to do, as his character mostly stays in the shadows of the main action, there doesn't seem to be much a desire in him to find his character's purpose.

Watching a show about a pandemic while actually living through a pandemic is unnerving enough. Add in the shady corporation, and Flynn has overstuffed the show with so much that you have to binge the episodes just so you can keep track of what previously happened. If you are looking for Utopia in the form of a television series, then you should keep looking, because "Utopia" has moments of promise wrapped within a messy fa�ade.