‘The Nevers’ Trailer Breakdown 

HBO released its first official teaser trailer for The Nevers, an upcoming Victorian-Era supernatural show. The show was created by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) for the cable TV company. The Nevers stars James Norton (McMafia), Laura Donnelly (Outlander), Olivia Williams (Counterpart) and Rochelle Neil (Terminator: Dark Fate), among others. 

The trailer opens with a high-pitched voice, then the shot of a young woman with a gaze looking like it has a compelling story to tell. Afterwards, there is a transition into  Victorian England. A voice-over introduces us to a power beyond words that affected some people. The narrator himself states that “it is a power that mocks God” and those affected are “the touched”. The subsequent scenes show different people with superpowers (one conjuring a fireball and another walking on water) and a sort of council indicating that “the touched” are a threat to mankind or human existence.

 In the fast-paced trailer, some women are shown who oppose the idea of “the touched” being an ailment or a threat. The scenes that follow unveil a group of women (probably those with the power of the touched) in a war against those who oppose them. The trailer continues with a quick-paced action of something never seen before in a Victorian era— quick-fisted women with extraordinary abilities who are fighting not for their opinions to be heard but for their very existence. I mean a sorority of women defying the will of men in an era that suppresses women’s opinion, that’s some hot stuff. Women dominate the show in this  Victorian England sci-fi action series.

Official Synopsis:

In the last years of Victoria’s reign, London is beset by the “Touched”: people — mostly women — who suddenly manifest abnormal abilities, some charming, some very disturbing. Among them are Amalia True (Laura Donnelly), a mysterious, quick-fisted widow, and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly), a brilliant young inventor. They are the champions of this new underclass, making a home for the Touched, while fighting the forces of… well, pretty much all the forces — to make room for those whom history as we know it has no place.

HBO

Themes of discrimination, violence and marginalisation pervade the teaser. The teaser denotes a much bigger power in play, which suggests that it is more than the hunter and the hunted (the people vs superhumans) kind of show. The trailer looks really exciting and electrifying with a very unique plot. The idea of women having superpowers in a society that represses their voice and view is intriguing. I guess society fears what it cannot understand, women.

The six-episode series will be available on HBO in April although a specific date has not been announced yet.