The Peripheral (TV Series) The Creation of a Thousand Forests (2022) User Reviews

Such an abrupt ending

[joris_van_eyck · 6/10 · 4 December 2022]

To be honest: I wasn't expecting to write this. I hate having to wait every week for an episode so I skipped 1 so I could watch 2 in a row. I didn't know those would be the last two episodes. What a buildup to NOTHING.

It felt like there finally could be an explanation of sorts and some more info on the deeper storylines. But in stead, there were two very rushed episodes. The season was over before I knew it and I'm still at loss for understanding everything.

A lot of the loose ends were left untouched and the 'ending' was a 10 minute buildup to season 2. The show could be amazing but it missed a crucial deep dive into the story for me.

Episode 8

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 17 December 2022]

The Peripheral is a strange beast because I feel like there was plenty of story left to tell at the end of this and yet they were kind of dragging their feet at times in the middle of the season. Overall I liked the experience of this show and overall I thought this episode was fine, but I just feel like they never really pulled the trigger on how deep this thing could go.

Chloe Grace Moretz and Jack Reynor are good in their roles and they have something with that family. But some of the supporting cast is shaky.

I also don't like them giving us a post-credits scene that didn't really accomplish anything.

Joy and Nolan know how to end a first season

[paulmac-32825 · 8/10 · 2 December 2022]

Well paced, suspenseful episode where the players are repositioned (very well imo) for the second season.

Slow, set, eye opening moments help give a glimpse into the minds secondary characters in this episode, showing their growth and giving hints at their involvement in the next season.

Future London's past (?) is explained to an extent, giving a glimpse into how the controlling parties took power and are keeping it.

The ending (no spoilers) flips the board of The Peripheral in a way not too dissimilar to Westworld S1 finale.

A fitting ending for an above average sci-fi that has me looking forward to the next season.

Consistency

[mykkaelokuva · 3 December 2022]

In the series: the topics mentioned, the technologies used, the big picture, seem very extraordinary to a person. And like most science fiction, he makes his biggest mistake and fails to logically reflect this excellent subject on the screen. Everything is very complicated, and when it becomes impossible to get out of it, there is only one thing that the series does...

FAIT ACCOMPLI

I have never seen a series that deals with such a topic as mind uploading, body swap, time travel, human extinction, so absurdly. The material you have is huge. But you're trying to sell it in a cheap way. Value the audience.

You want to play god, but you messed up. Don't make everything so simple anymore.

As I suspected...

[songod-95003 · 6/10 · 4 December 2022]

...there would be an end but not an ending. A whole lot s dependent on the show getting a second season. By this time a renewal would have been announced. However... no news as of yet.

If indeed there is no new season then we indeed have an end. Not one seen coming, at least by me. Nonetheless the series\story ends.

If it gets a second season, then a nagging question arises. Maybe this is already answered and I do not understand the meaning of creating another "stub" (or sub as I still am not sure what the word is!).

Without Flynn to be alive and upload herself into the "robot" in the future, then how is that happening?? Or is her consciousness in the stub? She is dead physically, but lives on in a stub which she can then send her consciousness into the bot, yes? Is that it? In her world, she is dead. No more need to wipe out the state and everyone she loves\knows all to eliminate the data in her brain. Cherise is aware of what has happened and thus the book is closed. Her life can move on it's dastardly way... not knowing that Flynn is alive and plotting her revenge!

What happens in her world once she is dead? Will Boone figure out what happened and how and set out to kill Conner? If he accepts the hit was from the future, well then half the narrative vanishes. BUT when he knows the full truth (which is a given after some eps of him trying to end Conner), he then will attempt to reach Flynn in the future and of course complicate\screw up her plot against Cherise!

No doubt said season two will end with a lot of question marks but indeed will have an ending... just in case. I feel this will always be a "bubble show", as in always on the verge of cancellation. Eventually the bubble bursts but perhaps not until after season two.

Or if this is it? Its been a good ride.

More Inspector PLEASE!

[Galtwotwenty · 9/10 · 4 December 2022]

I rarely write reviews but I was so astonished at all the tripe complaining about the most interesting character in the whole series I felt someone MUST come to her rescue. It was only when she appeared that I finally felt entertained for once. I was already engaged but the witty dialogue we got out of Lowbeer and the crisp manner in which it was delivered was high-brow, fun, and apparently do not fall into the category of misanthropic dolts who are posting reviews here. Do I want the series to continue? Only if she is front and center as a driving character and it appears as that might be the case. The relationship with her Koid alone tickles my snarky soul !

Season 1: Compelling Action/Adventure/Tech Show That Teases Some Great Depth (If Not Fully Delivering On It)

[zkonedog · 8/10 · 6 December 2022]

I was initially drawn to watching "The Peripheral" due to its production company-Kilter Films-being the same creator of "Westworld". While this show struggles more with nailing the over-arching philosophical and plot-heavy machinations of that predecessor, it generally makes up for it with an engaging action/adventure-oriented presentation.

For a very basic overview, "The Peripheral" is set in the 2030s and tells the story of Flynn Fisher (Chloe Grace Moretz), a young lady who happens to be as good at "sims" (virtual reality games) as her military-trained brother Burton (Jack Reynor) and his buddy Conner (Eli Goree). But when a new piece of hardware shows up on their doorstep, it proves to be more real than anything previously imagined. As Flynne is introduced to it via Wilf Netherton (Gary Carr), she comes to learn that she is actually in the future-well, at least a version of the future. In meeting more nefarious types like Lev Zubov (JJ Feild) & Cherise Nuland (T'Nia Miller), Flynne realizes that the past, present, and future are mixed up in ways she could not have possibly imagined.

I'm actually going to start with the show's greatest weakness here: the heavier, timey-wimey concepts are not as fully explained-or even understood-as they probably should have been. While it is clear the showrunners don't want to go "full sci-fi", as the episodes tick on there are moments when more plot exposition is required for basic understanding and that groundwork hasn't always been built. It is the type of show that loves to tease really interesting concepts and then sort of hand-wave them away with a wink-and-nod "don't think about it too much" approach. The show's excellent pacing mitigates this a bit, but such muddled concept-explanation truly does limit the ceiling of "The Peripheral" thus far.

While normally the above critique would cause me to drop a show even lower in the star-rankings, I can still give "The Peripheral" a solid 8/10. Why? Because it features an engaging, action-packed, adventure-oriented presentation that leaves little time for boredom or mind-wandering. The phrase "well-produced" could easily be applied here-a great mix of concepts (even if sometimes falling by the wayside) and interesting character machinations. In short, I was always invested in what would happen next and that "next thing" was usually entertaining.

"The Peripheral" also introduces many quirky/interesting characters and casts solid actors to inhabit those roles. Perhaps the best example of this is Corbell Pickett (Louis Herthum), a supremely entertaining character that expertly provides equal parts levity and real-world menace. Field's Zubov is particularly strong, as is a late-season performance from Alexandra Billings as Inspector Ainsley Lowbeer. Basically, across the board this show features great and unique performances.

My final comment on Season One of "The Peripheral" would be that for this 8/10 star ranking to "hold up", the show needs to continue. If this is all viewers get, it likely won't hold up as well because of its extreme breadth and little matching depth. But as a jumping-off point for further adventures, this first spate of episodes is solid. It is certainly a universe I would return to and I hope viewers get that opportunity.

Amazing End to an AMAZING First Season!

[jseph1234-262-617488 · 10/10 · 30 March 2023]

Just watched Episode 8 of The Peripheral and I am definitely intrigued by all of the plot twists. I am going to read the AMAZING Novel by William Gibson while I am waiting for Season 2 to be released

I love the fact that some major players are still in the game and how the ending definitely had me thinking. Also, I see that there are some additional twists after the credits roll. I am not going to spoil it but be SURE you watch past the credits.

Moreover, I think it Magnificiently showed off all the benefits of the future and the usage of A. I. technology in Robotics as well, seamlessly!

Looking forward EAGERLY to Season 2 of The Peripheral!

Loved it!

[duleewopper · 10/10 · 3 December 2022]

Lost me when they pulled a sad rendition of brad pitt and making a caricature of his acting, where Pitt is actually more entertaining. Destroyed the feel. But the show still stand up and if you havent read any of the author's books. Okay. This is still pretty good.

Enjoy this show. Take the time to see it. For me this came from out of nowhere. And I usually dont do weekly episodes on a season anymore. Was pretty good. Just hate the cliffhangers and have to wait for a new season.

The idea of this is pretty creative. And non-conventional. Where the original is actually a genius. If you don't read books. Put on subtitles bc it has a few situations where you may say n to watch it. But really if you get the idea of it all. It makes pretty good sense for the author has always been exploratory and seems to show a prediction of what may come in the future.

Awful Finale to Cap off a Mediocre Season

[henrychen-52204 · 4/10 · 4 December 2022]

The show bit off more than it can chew and delivered an absolutely blank of a finale. There were so many storylines that made no logical sense nor served any purpose and just as many that were plot devices that barely made sense. Particularly, the scene where Flynne casually strolled into an RI ancillary outpost, discharged 5 peripherals, and with a few taps created a whole new stub prompted this review.

The show was already hanging by a thread then, and that scene just convinced me not to bother with season 2 if there even is one. You're telling me the RI which is so important and so protective of their secrets has a particular room that allows you to literally alter the universe, and all it takes is to disarm a few robots and pick up the key nicely placed on the floor to access the system? The careless writing and shameless deviation to any "realism" and world building in prior episodes just to drive a growingly uninteresting plot is honestly pathetic for a show that advertised "from the creators of Westworld."

Speaking of Jonathan Nolan (and Lisa Joy for the latter two shows), Person of Interest was marvelous and really blossomed at the end, Westworld slowly went downhill after season 2, and now the Peripheral can't even pull off a good season. I came in expecting another Westworld type sci-fi mystery, but instead got another generic Netflix sci-fi show that I could've just binge watched instead of waiting every week for a finale this weak.

Coda of an unfinished sentence

[h_pt_1 · 2/10 · 5 December 2022]

The acting and storytelling continues appalling as usual. Furthermore, consistency went through the roof.

Aelita (a dreadful character, not much better than Cherise or Lev), in less than ten seconds (1st episode), managed to transfer not only a key to the II quantum super computer but the entire amplituhedron to Flynne DNA via electromagnetic stimuli through the helmet. Couldn't be more silly. Oh, wait, judging by Westworld season 4 it really could.

Flynne goes to a location disclosed by Lowbeer in which it is possible to create and maintain information links to the past (parallel pasts). However, despite its importance, that facility is less guarded than the next door mall. All she needs is some awful jujitsu (and someone else retina, again - it is symbolic, we know) to get through. Future London confrontation is subsumed into hand to hand combat.

At last, as if it was not enough, Flynne sacrifices herself (ambiguous, the actual "death" is only implied - everything is nothing more than a mindless videogame by now) after creating a link to another parallel past.

Miraculously, "a" Flynne returns to Lowbeer in future London ready to battle Cherise and Lev and the dreadful Aelita. Which Flynne it is we do not know - couldn't be a parallel Flynne judging by the amount of time and number of episodes that took the original Flynne to grasp what she was doing.

Cherise has it coming, a multitude of parallel Flynne(s) eventually pitted against her mischievous intentions.

This first season seems like a painfully long sneak peak into some sort of story, a pageant of mostly unremarkable scenes, silly dialogs, and abusive use of technology concepts.

It is the kind of thing aimed at short attention spans and propensity to feel amazed. Nothing has to make sense or maintain a modicum of internal consistency. It is magic with the scent of sci-fi.

Worse, it is Westworld season 4 all over again.

Amazing how they managed to perform so badly.

Insufferable.

Utterly lacklustre

[markwha · 3/10 · 2 December 2022]

As of right now there are a little over 171,000 words in the English dictionary. While that's enough words to make the English language one of the "wordiest" of all the worlds recorded languages, it's still not enough to adequately describe just how incredibly anticlimactic, lacklustre and underwhelming this season finale really is. My sentiments are mostly the same for the whole season as well.

Despite a couple of really great episodes and some small, short flashes of brilliance here and there, this boils down to little more than a reasonably well acted, over budgeted, sci-fi slog with some above average cinematography and some suspiciously padded reviews that gave it a kickstart.

Could not care less for season 2 if it gets renewed but I do hope someone one day makes a movie based on this book - that seems like it would have been a better type of adaptation for a story like this.

3/10. One point for acting, one for cinematography and one for effective scores.

Absolute disrespect with viewers

[jeanadam · 1/10 · 24 December 2022]

There is no ending at all. Another TV series that tries to get a lot of questions and twists to take our valuable time and delivery nothing more than just keep pushing for more mystery and totally unbelievable SciFy plot. There is really no big point.

This is worst than western world, that raised some great questions in the first seasons regarding reality, this show, however haven't achieved anything. It feels like that might be something great, the actors and beginning sounds cool, but soon enough, it becomes a total mess of disconnected reality, impossible to relate to or learn something from.

The final episode is a disaster.

I won't be wasting more time with this serie or any other product of same producers.

Hopefully that's the end?

[Rob-O-Cop · 3/10 · 3 December 2022]

This series went off the rails very quickly. The first episode was at least visually interesting with it's visages of London and towering statutes, but that wasn't enough to hold it.

It quickly devolved into silly villains and thugs (Corbell Pickett and his team were so cartoon like they might as well have been wearing sill hats and driving model t fords) and unnecessary intrigue that lead nowhere and had no motivation (don't tell my brother I'm doing this, don't tell my sister this etc, yawn).

Cherise was a truly terrible creation, with the actor trying hard, and failing to develop some sort of menace and an accent that she just couldn't seem to get her teeth around. It didn't help that she was dressed as a ridiculous couture fashion model. Where did she find the time to be evil with all her clothes shopping and long morning ritual to look 'just right'.

Then 'Lowbeer', messes it up even more, what's she supposed to be? There was no explanation as to why a manly looking middle aged female character was held in such fear by some pretty nasty characters. We'd seen no examples of the almighty power of the authoritarian regime that she must have fronted. It made no sense.

Far to many carefully choreographed meandering fights with average martial arts and gymnastics delivered like we should be impressed, but the bar has been moved much much higher than this show delivers at. It all ended up being like a 1 second attention span instagram post or something you flick through in a magazine between ads, or even the ads themselves.

And the the baddies on 'our' team. Ash and Ossien are creepy, and suddenly the silly named Lev Zubov is a sadistic jerk who thinks slashing staff across the face is normal behaviour?

And then pretty much everyone turns out to be duplicitous.

The Viewer very quickly stops caring about any of them.

The show ended up exposing itself as a shallow, meaningless, meandering thread of nothing, and then we (the viewers) all disappeared.

Ps - Whoever is vetting Chloe's scripts for her needs to be fired. This is just another in a string of duds she's starred in that have failed to deliver. I'm starting to think that she's the problem. She's the jinx.

Expensive looking junk food. Please don't renew this for a second season.

What happened?

[wnteyixqa · 2/10 · 3 December 2022]

Quite simply one of the worst final episodes of a series I've ever seen. It almost seems like they ran out of money or time to finish the episode? Giant gaps of story, characters, motivation and explanations of anything. I understand writers not wanting to explain everything but this was almost like several scenes just weren't even finished?

Never could figure out how this little town in North Carolina had a population of under 100 people but yet had a giant drug operation either. On the plus side, the main actors do a good job with the limited material and the VFX are good for the budget. Definitely a lot of the same wide shots used over and over in all of the episodes though.

And here I thought episode 5 was bad

[sd-lister · 1/10 · 11 February 2023]

Having just finished binging the 1st season, I'm sitting here shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it all. It feels as if the writers were either magnificently lazy, or simply wrote themselves into a box they couldn't get out of. This ending makes no sense within the constraints of the lore already established. Without adding any spoilers, there has been nothing presented in the show that supports a complete transfer of consciousness from human (pilot) to avatar (peripheral). In fact, if this were possible, episodes 1 to 7 could have been quite different entirely as apparently there were other options and choices at play the audience didn't know existed, yet somehow the protagonist spontaneously figured out in the finale. I didn't realize (still not sure how I missed it) until this last episode that the show was a product of Kilter Films-I now have very real concerns for Amazon's upcoming Fallout. I sure do hope the writing is much better than what we see in this ridiculous episode 8.

Biggest dissapointment since westworld

[gareth-75442 · 1/10 · 4 December 2022]

"Given the extreme destructiveness of the Jackpot, a multi decade global environmental/political/and economic crisis which killed most of the human population and has resulted in, even decades after it began to abate, a London which is almost entirely depopulated of people, the world of 2100 would not have the highly advanced technology and apparent prosperity depicted"

The above is a slice of trivia taken from the IMDB page of this very show and is all the explanation needed for why this show is so bad, forget the money spent on sets, costumes, actors and everyone behind the scenes that are obviously very good at what they do, the show is built on a bedrock that is flimsy and quite simply absurd.

Set in an impossibly silly future where technology is so advanced it seems anything is possible yet there is still the need for badly choreographed hand to hand fight scenes, obviously used simply to punctuate the tirade of verbal Diarrhoea.

I quite simply don't & can't believe that this adaptation is faithful to the book, I have not read that book & I won't read that book, simply because I don't want my worse fears revealed, that quite simply there are enough people in this world that made this story a best seller, and that surely must be the start of this preposterous "jackpot".

I love science fiction, whether it be used to tell the story of horror or romance, heroism or family & friendship or all of the above mixed into a complex story but "The Peripheral" is simply garbled, random rubbish, so the wait for a decent sci-fi TV show is still ongoing.

Season 1 was just a pilot for future seasons.

[berkinet · 2/10 · 5 December 2022]

Rubbish. Other than the name and characters, this had nothing to do with the book. And now we are all setup for the future "adventures of Flynne and Lowbeer fighting villains past, present and future. Not much more than Batman (before he became "the" Batman) and Robin unglued in time... To quote Kurt Vonnegut, "so it goes."

It is saddening to think that William Gibson would allow his name to be used with such drivel. Does he really need the money that badly? The worst part is this isn't even science fiction any longer It has devolved into something with less chops than Captain Kirk. The "vast wasteland" has escaped the airwaves and entered the cyber world.