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Netflix’s The Boroughs swaps teenagers for pensioners in familiar supernatural mystery elevated by veteran cast, strong characters
FOR the elderly folk that missed out on the Stranger Things bandwagon that the 90s kids got on, fret not, one of Netflix’s new series is catered to their demographic. Executive produced by the Duffer brothers, The Boroughs is Stranger Things, for the retirement home.
Following the loss of his wife, retired aeronautical engineer Sam (Alfred Molina) is moved into The Boroughs, an idyllic retirement community at the behest of his daughter Claire (Jena Malone), who fears the loneliness from the death of his wife would consume him.
At the community, almost against his wishes, Sam becomes acquainted with his immediate neighbours Judy (Alfre Woodard), Wally (Denis O’Hare), Art (Clarke Peters) and Renee (Geena Davis) through Jack (Bill Pullman), a well-meaning but in-your-face neighbour.
Almost as quickly as the seed to their elderly friendship is planted, it is just as quickly ripped out from the ground, as Sam wanders into one of his new friends’ home in the middle of the night and sees an eldritch-looking creature drinking their brain fluid.
Other odd instances at The Boroughs eventually force the group of elderly-paced characters into action and they soon discover the community is not what it is advertised as.
Familiar formula, elevated cast
The Boroughs is Stranger Things all but in name, bearing the hallmarks or easily identifiable formula of Netflix’s hit series, from creatures made for 90s science fiction, supernatural elements, a group of colourful characters, humourous banter, a Stephen King-esque otherworldly mystery that needs to be solved, a nefarious organisation led by a moustache-twirling villain, “the aesthetics” and of course, the Duffer brothers and their production company being directly attached to the series.
Do these things make The Boroughs formulaic in execution? Certainly. However, one of the few saving graces here is the obviously star-studded cast and they certainly carry the series on their elderly backs, from the start right up until the typical Netflix ending – unnecessarily open-ended for a potential second season.
The only other strong part that slightly elevates The Boroughs is the characterisation of not only the leads, but even the villains. Though we can make enough elderly jokes to fill a morgue, the series showrunners Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews treat most of their main characters with the respect.
Sam’s trauma involving his wife, Judy’s relationship with her husband Art and how love becomes “malleable” with age, Wally’s cancer and background as a doctor in relation to the fictional scientific discovery made in the series, along with The Boroughs CEO Blaine’s (Seth Numrich) fixation with the same discovery all develop a complex set of characters that helps The Boroughs not be the typical Netflix let-it-play-in-the-background fodder.
