Netflix series Below is scary and heartfelt
Who doesn’t love a good sea creature tale? Well, Netflix has a pretty great one in its six-episode series Below, which stars Josh Hartnett (Trap). Hartnett is Calvin Penney, a fisherman who resides in a small seaside town in Newfoundland, Canada called Snook’s Arm.
Calvin was a young boy when his family was basically forced to relocate from their town of Little Pot Rock. They actually attempted to bring their house with them, towing it across the sea to their new location. But something actually begins to pull the house under the water, and Calvin’s father is pulled under with it. Naturally, this left him with some trauma.
Now Calvin is a father of three grown children, Jay (Rohan Campbell), Mary (Ruby Stokes), and Wade (Charlie Heaton). While Mary and Jay have moved elsewhere, they are back at Snook’s Arm for Newfoundland’s Come Home celebration, joining Calvin and Wade. But the big island-wide celebration is threatened by some strange events – including the sudden appearance of a very large, very dangerous sea creature.
All of this is happening at the same time the townspeople are being pushed to take a big cash payout to leave Snook’s Arm, much as Calvin’s family had to do all those years ago. It seems like most of them are starting to lean in favor of the relocation.
Below is filled with likeable, often-quirky characters, and most of them speak with the equally quirky, but somehow charming Newfoundland accent and way of speaking. For example, instead of saying, “I know that”, what comes out sounds more like “I knows dat.” “Mother and Father” are “Mudder and Fadder.”
The cast is uniformly good, and Harnett is fully believable as the good-hearted, stubborn Calvin, who does not want to leave the island. He wants Jay and Mary to go into business with him, but when they say no, he doesn’t push the issue. He’s a good Dad, and very protective of Wade, who is a bit on the neurodivergent side.
Speaking of Wade, I have to give Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) props. He gives Wade a high level of energy and an eagerness to please that made me want to protect him too.
Make no mistake, there is much more to this story than just a sea creature…there are other mysteries and secrets afoot, and you might feel at times as if you are one of the residents of Snook’s Arm.
I don’t want to give any spoilers at all here – just watch Below and find out what happens for yourself.
The creator of Below has a special love of Newfoundland, and it shows
Jesse McKeown is the writer, creator and showrunner of Below, and his inspiration for the story began with his love of Newfoundland, which he visited for the first time 18 years ago. It’s where he met the woman he would later marry.
He pitched the basic story outline for Netflix as “What if Jaws took place in Newfoundland?” Netflix was agreeable to the idea, so he wrote the script for the pilot episode, and they loved it.
McKeown says that he is extremely proud of the outcome. As he stated in the press release, “Below is not based on pre-existing IP. It’s not part of any franchise. It’s not a sequel or a remake. For better or worse, this is a monster of my own creation.”
And it’s one heck of a monster, readers. Below’s story is thrilling, scary, intriguing, and it has tons of heart.
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