Classics: A Review of Brave New World By Lauren Ennis

 Imagine a world free of pain, hunger, disease, and conflict. Picture a world in which everyone fits in and no one is ever lonely. This is the paradise of New London, the brave new world  in which everyone is happy because "if you're not happy you're nothing at all". Based upon Aldous Huxley's classic novel, Peacock's 2020 drama Brave New World takes viewers on a journey into a world in which the lines between utopia and dystopia blur and the future might be closer than we think. At once a warning for the future and an apt commentary on modern life this series bravely goes where few series have gone before.

The story begins in the futuristic , eternally tranquil society of New London. New London's citizens are genetically engineered and raised by a social collective to fulfill their designated role in the city's rigid social caste system made up of Alphas, Betas, Gammas, and Epsilons. Residents happily spend their days working at jobs chosen for them and their nights engaging in state-sanctioned casual sex, all while under the influence of state supplied mood stabilizers. As a result, citizens are always happy but never fulfilled. Just outside of the city's limits lies the 'Savage Lands' where people live in a society that is socially and technologically similar to our own. These 'savages' live in grinding poverty while performing for New London tourists, but possess all of the freedom that their seemingly privileged counterparts lack, as well as all of the complications that come with it. When two New London tourists are rescued by a savage during an attempted rebellion the two worlds are set on a collision course that leaves everyone questioning if utopia is really such a paradise after all.

Over the course of its nine episodes the series aptly portrays the central characters and conflicts of the classic novel while adding knowing nods to our own brave new world. For instance, while the original novel portrayed the savage lands as something akin to a Native American reservation the series instead depicts them as a living history museum. This alteration allows the series to offer insight into how people might view our world in the future with a sly critique of the ways in we have already begun to alienate ourselves from our history and culture. Similarly, the series adds a dystopian element of social control through the inclusion of Indra, the digital intranet that keeps New Londoners connected to and visible to each other at all times. Through the characters' use of Indra the series emphasizes New London's oppressive control of its citizens with a nod to such recent phenomena as the rise of social media and reality television, the advent of social credit systems, and the creation of the modern surveillance state. The series particularly shines in the ways that it brings its technocratic society to vibrant life. In its depiction of the by turns dazzling and disconcerting New London the series takes viewers on a journey into the future while foreshadowing the dangers posed by our own society as we increasingly replace such institutions as family, religion, and community with science, technology, and government .In this way the series explores Huxley's central themes while offering commentary on the ways in which those themes relate to the modern world.

The series also uses its nine hour running time to infuse each of its characters with a complexity that they lacked in the novel. For example, Lenina and John are portrayed in the novel as one dimensional representations of their societies, with Lenina personifying the superficiality of pleasure seeking New London and John symbolizing the primitive passion of the savages. In the series both characters are provided with complex personalities and satisfying story archs as they come to terms with the brave new world surrounding them and their place within it. Similarly, Bernard is spared the banishment that he suffers early in the novel, which allows the series to explore his struggle to reconcile the shallow social norms of New London with his yearning for personal connection and a purposeful life. Through the expansion of characters and updates to the plot the series offers an original take on a classic story that is certain to leave viewers bravely daring to ask questions about our own world and what the future holds for it.

Oh brave new world with such people in it

Huxley's 1932 novel is brilliantly brought to life thanks to the expert work of the cast. Nina Sosanya infuses New London's conflicted ruler, Mustafa Mond with a humanity that ensures she is more than a stock villain. Demi Moore gives her best performance in years in her tragic turn as exiled Beta, Linda. Hanna John-Kamen is mesmerizing in her charismatic and slyly comic performance as New London artist Wilhelmina. Harry Lloyd perfectly captures the elite smugness of Alpha Bernard, while aptly highlighting his yearning to belong. Jessica Findlay Brown infuses Lenina with intelligence, depth, and charm as she portrays Lenina's journey beyond the blissful ignorance of her regulated existence. Alden Ehrenreich turns in a magnetic performance as tormented savage John with a vitality that perfectly contrasts the vapid culture of New London.

Brave New World breaks New London's most sacred rules; it makes viewers think and feel and invites them to question the world around them. Through its expert combination of cerebral drama and sly wit the series brings Huxley's classic novel to vibrant life with a refreshing modern twist. The performances capture both the shallow superficiality of New London's conditioned residents and the tortured passions of the savages while infusing each of the characters with depth and humanity. At once an unsettling glimpse into the future and a critique of the present Brave New World makes for some of the bravest viewing in recent television.