Let's not pull any punches here, The Tribe is an absolute train wreck. The acting is patchy (to say the least). The writing ranges from abysmal to pretty bad. The production values are both impressive on a dollar-for-dollar basis yet the production decisions are barely coherent.
However... despite all of its many and varied shortcomings, it somehow manages to deliver charm in spades.
I'm not sure I can put my finger on what makes this after-school post-apocalyptic teen soap opera "work" but I can point at a few things.
Firstly, the young actors really buy in to their roles. Sure, it's a mixed bag of talent but they all give it a proper go. And, the more talented actors rise to the top by the end to become more than passable. There's a lot of schtick and often very little sense in how the characters are written, but the actors give them some life and while they rarely become compelling they do become reliable.
The show is high concept. This is a rarity for shows that target this demographic. Sure, it often does a disservice to the concept but it's still fun. Why is there an infinite supply of makeup, hair gel and hair dye in the apocalypse? Who knows. How did society descend into anarchy in a couple of months? No idea. How do people living in a clearly sub-temperate region seem to always have ripe bananas? You tell me.
Finally, almost everyone in this show is a psychopath. They rarely show common decency let alone empathy for their fellow humans. Lex, a central character, is a braggard, attempted rapist, serial-adulterer, scheming conman, who would abandon his dearest friend at a moments notice for little to no reason. Yet, everyone just accepts his behaviour as if it's normal. Why? Because they are all equally as horribly flawed and oblivious to the utter horrorshow that is their personality.
So, yeah. I watched the entire series. As an adult. I don't regret it. I also don't recommend it.
However... despite all of its many and varied shortcomings, it somehow manages to deliver charm in spades.
I'm not sure I can put my finger on what makes this after-school post-apocalyptic teen soap opera "work" but I can point at a few things.
Firstly, the young actors really buy in to their roles. Sure, it's a mixed bag of talent but they all give it a proper go. And, the more talented actors rise to the top by the end to become more than passable. There's a lot of schtick and often very little sense in how the characters are written, but the actors give them some life and while they rarely become compelling they do become reliable.
The show is high concept. This is a rarity for shows that target this demographic. Sure, it often does a disservice to the concept but it's still fun. Why is there an infinite supply of makeup, hair gel and hair dye in the apocalypse? Who knows. How did society descend into anarchy in a couple of months? No idea. How do people living in a clearly sub-temperate region seem to always have ripe bananas? You tell me.
Finally, almost everyone in this show is a psychopath. They rarely show common decency let alone empathy for their fellow humans. Lex, a central character, is a braggard, attempted rapist, serial-adulterer, scheming conman, who would abandon his dearest friend at a moments notice for little to no reason. Yet, everyone just accepts his behaviour as if it's normal. Why? Because they are all equally as horribly flawed and oblivious to the utter horrorshow that is their personality.
So, yeah. I watched the entire series. As an adult. I don't regret it. I also don't recommend it.