The Power Season 1 Review – globetrotting sci-fi series hoping to rival Stranger Things

By Adam Lock - March 30, 2023 (Last updated: July 4, 2023)
the-power-season-1-review
By Adam Lock - March 30, 2023 (Last updated: July 4, 2023)
3.5

Summary

The Power is a ballsy sci-fi epic promoting female empowerment within its clever, timely premise. The show may focus too often on world-building and grounding this fantasy concept, but this legwork eventually pays off—a promising series with much scope and scalability from Prime Video.

We review the 2023 Prime Video series The Power Season 1, which does not contain spoilers.

Superhero narratives usually depict epic wars and bloody battles, but they rarely focus on revolution or the roots of what starts all that chaos in the first place. Well, that all changes in the Prime Video sci-fi series The Power, which looks at the origins of liberation and the explosive anarchy that follows in a world where teenage girls discover that they can produce electricity from their fingertips.

This dystopian drama series feels like a Hollywood blockbuster condensed and repackaged for the small screen. Boasting a killer cast, international scope, and an inspirational female-orientated soundtrack, with more fantastic female filmmakers working behind the scenes to promote feminine empowerment.

The Power (2023) Season 1 Review and Plot Summary

The series covers most of the world’s continents, exploring the birth of this electrifying power in teenage girls from America, Africa, England, Europe, and Asia. The American segments center on Margot Cleary-Lopez (Toni Collette), the mayor of Seattle and her family, and wayward teen Allie (Halle Bush) in the deep South.

Margot realizes that her daughter has this special ability and urges the government to reassure others of this complex and confusing discovery before things get out of hand. While Allie seeks out similar outcasts in the Bible Belt of America.

In Nigeria, aspiring journalist Tunde (played by Ted Lasso’s Toheeb Jimoh) captures the infancy of this revolution. He follows the story globally, finding himself in dangerous situations, tracking the women’s progress first-hand as they face military opposition.

While in the UK, Roxy Monke (Ria Zmitrowicz) unleashes her emerging powers within the shady world of London gangsters, with Eddie Marsan portraying crime boss Bernie Monke.

There are controversial politics in Moldova and anarchy in Saudi Arabia to round out this international affair.

READ: What is the Age Rating for the Prime Video Series The Power?

As the women harness and control their powers, they stand up against those who wish to suppress them, leading to an all-out war. The initial consequences of this discovery are deadly and destructive, although there is hope to be found too.

Those who have fought bravely for equality in a man’s world feel liberated for the first time ever. It’s a powerful message that the showrunners are eager to share.

Is the 2023 series The Power (2023) Season 1 good?

The Power is an ambitious and awe-inspiring sci-fi series that has the potential to be yet another sure-fire hit for the streaming giants. The series may spend too long concentrating on world-building and making its fantastical premise appear believable, which distracts from the overall fun factor now and then, but this is an aspirational start nonetheless.

The many subplots feel different enough to be engaging, promoting unique settings and a large, international cast of characters. This allows the show to move along quickly, which never falters, cutting back and forth between the numerous storylines.

They are all connected by the main concept yet feel isolated enough to seem authentic.

Now and again, the series falls into the usual TV tropes of our times, with a few corny moments and some forced plotting, but this can be forgiven when the show is grappling with such scope.

The Power is an entertaining and immersive thrill ride that highlights the possibilities of the streaming format when money seems to be no object anymore.

What did you think of The Power (2023) Season 1? Comment below.

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