By Mollie Campbell
Released: March 7th 2019
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural, Drama
Cast: Jake Manley, Sarah Grey, Matt Frewer, Max Martini, Katharine Isabelle, Adam DiMarco.
Rating: 7/10
The Order is a supernatural/horror show focusing on College freshman Jack Morton, and his journey after he is accepted into ‘The Order’, a secret society in which members learn to use magic. Jack, along with his grandfather Pete have prepared for this day for years, due to Jack’s mother dying because of the leader of the Order Edward Coventry, who also happens to be his father. Jack embarks on a mission, but falling for fellow Order member Alyssa, and enjoying his new found powers distracts him from his ultimate goal to bring down his father. If things weren’t strange enough, Jack then discovers that he is a werewolf, and joins another secret society ‘The Knights of St. Christopher’ a group whose sole purpose is to defeat dark magic, therefore the enemies of The Order. He must choose between his legacy and his happiness, residing in the ground between the battle of two worlds, trying desperately to pick a side before the choice is made for him.
I won’t pretend that this show is perfect, whilst I was gripped by the plot, at some points the narrative is slightly messy and the acting is not always up to scratch but compared to some Netflix originals, it is worth it’s imperfections, in fact this is what makes it so good. It isn’t perfect, but it is thrilling and addictive, and it is also a fresh perspective on the whole magic/werewolves kind of show…it is much darker than I expected but also interjects a natural sense of comedy to it as well, giving it a much-needed sense of light-heartedness within all the darkness. Despite us as viewers being thrust directly into the centre of the action from the word go, there is a natural yet exhilarating pace to the plot, some unexpected twists and turns and a good sense of character development. Throughout the series we grow closer to these characters, we become desperate to understand their motives, and we are encouraged to question the characters being presented to us, making us wonder if they really are who they claim to be.
The Special Effects are good, and the show contains much more of a horror vibe than people are led to believe during the first few episodes. At the start, it would be pretty easy to dismiss this show as a throwaway, fantasy/teen stereotype, but if viewers have the patience to stick with it, they will discover it is far more than the show it is marketed as. It is dark, gripping and much more intricate than what we perceive at the beginning. I also like the fact that whilst it does provide us with necessary plot points from the backstory leading up to this moment in jack’s life, it certainly doesn’t guide us through it like some fairy-god mother, it catapults us right into the middle of a deep dark ocean, forcing us to navigate our own way to the shore through a riptide of emotions and surprises, and let me tell you, the shore is much farther away than you would think. This show really deserves much more attention than it is getting, if you really sink your teeth into it, you will not be disappointed, don’t judge the show by Netflix’s poor marketing and promotion for one of its own original series, watch it, every single episode.
Lastly, the soundtrack is the icing on the cake, it really encapsulates the laidback aspect of these teenage lives, contrasted with the life changing decisions they are making, and the sinister situation’s they find themselves in. It contains everything you could imagine and more, it is cliché, but in a good way and the plot is accelerated with each episode, trickling closer and closer to the jaw dropping finale we as a society tend to crave. The only thing I will say about the ending is; prepare to be highly irritated, the kind of plot twist that doesn’t seem obvious until it has actually happened. If Netflix doesn’t renew this series for a second season, I will be left as messed up as that ending. This show is just so easy to watch, it captures your imagination, and drags you into the adventure of your dreams, or nightmares, a world within a world, one which will be hard to leave long after the credits have finished.
Mollie Writes 