Follow Us
Join Us
Cast: Marthy Kelly, Beth Grant, Lawrence Pressman, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Mel Rodriguez, and Laurie Metcalf.
Creator: Dan Guterman
Director: Erica Hayes
Streaming On: Netflix
Language: English
Runtime: 10 Episodes, Around 30 minutes each.
Carol & the End of the Word Review: What’s It About:
Netflix keeps cementing itself as the place to find profound and entertaining adult animated series by bringing to life Carol & the End of the World, a series that tells the story of Carol, a middle-aged woman who now lives in a world condemned by the apparition of a planet that will destroy Earth upon contact. Now, with less than a year to live, humanity has freed itself from all responsibilities and has set itself to enjoy what little life is left, except for Carol, who wants to keep living the life she had before.
Carol & the End of the Word Review: Script Analysis:
Carol & the End of the World is a genuinely existential animated series in ways we haven’t seen on Netflix since the end of Bojack Horseman. Just like that show did before, Carol & the End of the World tells our main character, Carol, through a journey of self-discovery where she will find out what it means to live the good life. Many live-action series try to work out existential themes, but only shows like Carol & the End of the World say something meaningful about them.
The series, created by Dan Guterman, who has worked in shows like Community and Rick and Morty, still maintains much of the absurd humor that made those shows unique; however, in this opportunity, he steps back a bit and focuses on Carol as a character, and how she will influence the people around her with her shy and mundane essence. The fact that Carol is the most ordinary and uninteresting person you could imagine, and yet she becomes such a light without ever-changing who she is, really sets the story apart from others.
Right now, an entire part of the culture is focused on searching for more and being more and more every single time. Productivity has become a metric of how much worth you are as a human, and in many ways, such thinking is destroying our souls by dedicating all our energy and lives to something that won’t matter once we are gone. Some people will always want more, but some people like Carol are happy with who they are, even if their lives don’t amount to much from the productivity and impact point of view.
The show also focuses a lot of its runtime on how work becomes such a meaningful part of life and what would happen to the people who have made work their life when such a responsibility ceases to exist. It is a fascinating question that is answered unexpectedly on the show, but that gives the apocalypse depicted in the play a unique taste.
Carol & The End Of The Word Review: Star Performance:
While there are many characters in the show, they are mainly secondary to our main character, Carol, played by Martha Kelly, a comedian who has perfected the art of sounding downright boring, making Carol a unique character in today’s fiction landscape. We are told that characters should be proactive, always make decisions, and be driven, and Carol is just like that but more subtly and genuinely.
Carol is not there to save the world at all; she is there to live her life in the way she wants, even when the rest of the world tells her that way is wrong. Seeing the character coming out of her shell is truly beautiful, and while Carol never really changes throughout the season, we do discover more about her, and the journey is worthwhile as she is someone who might teach us a thing or two about life.
Trending
Carol & the End of the Word Review: Direction & Music:
For a moment, when it comes to the show’s visual presentation, it seems like Carol & the End of the World will go the way of Rick and Morty. Still, it ends up being something closer to an animated version of Severance, another show that explores human relationships with each other and the impositions of society. Carol & the End of the World maintains itself grounded even when a giant planet is about to crush Earth.
Carol & the End of the World also goes for a more cynical score, which fits perfectly the situation at hand, and yet, many needle drops will raise your spirits once you identify the song. Joe Wong serves as the composer for the show, and this is his sweet spot: music that touches the heart in subtle but meaningful ways.
Carol & the End of the Word Review: Last Words:
Carol & the End of the World is one of Netflix‘s most compelling and exciting shows in recent memory; the story takes the end of the world concept, which has been explored countless times in many mediums, and gives it a twist that feels fresh and more realistic than we might want to admit. Carol & the End of the World is another excellent example of how Netflix can genuinely support the niche of adult animation all on its own.
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Telegram
