Yahoo Lifestyle 15 Reasons Why "Swarm" Will Have You Hooked From Beginning To End
Swarm is a MUST watch!
Swarm premiered on March 17 and has been the topic of discussion ever since. If you're still not sold on Janine Nabers and Donald Glover's new buzzy Bey Hive-inspired limited series on Amazon, I'll give you 15 reasons you must watch right now!
WARNING: OBVIOUS SPOILERS AHEAD!
1.The show features a pop star, a pop star's protégé, and the child of a pop star.
From what we can tell, Beyoncé's fan base is the inspiration behind this series. The pop star released her highly anticipated seventh studio album Renaissance last year and is back on top of the music industry after a 6-year solo release hiatus. Beyoncé has been running the game for 25+ years, and what's a better way to get new stars in the spotlight than having them featured in a series about a pop star.
The series features Beyoncé's protégé, Chloe Bailey, seven-time Grammy winner, Billie Eilish, and Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson.
2.#THAT scene with Damson Idris
Within the first five minutes of the series, we see Chloe Bailey and Snowfall's Damson Idris in a sex scene that quickly went viral once the show premiered.
Chloe is always critiqued on social media about the sexual image she presents to the public, but when asked about this scene during the SXSW premiere, she said: "When I first read the script, I was like, 'Oh, this is insane, this is incredible,' and I cried, and then I realized, you gotta do that sex scene, girl. And as open and liberal as I am about my body, I was very scared because I haven’t had that many partners. I’m not like that, like that sexual and open..."
The discourse surrounding this scene made me wonder how Twitter would have reacted if Halle Berry's Monster's Ball scene dropped today.
3.Dre's reaction to #THAT scene
So, what intrigued me the most about the sex scene is Dre staring at Marissa and Khalid having sex. That stare opened up a can of worms in terms of Dre's sexuality that we see explored more throughout the series. For a main character and a Black woman who is so disinterested in sex and loses her virginity in the manner she did, Dre's character really makes the viewer question the humanity aspect of her life; something I believe the writers did on purpose. We don't see characters like Dre often from a serial killer stand-point, but how her sexuality is portrayed throughout deserves its own article and breakdown as well.
4.Dominique Fishback's acting has me obsessed
Fishback plays a very awkward girl and former foster child named Andrea; Dre for short. Dre is a devoted fan/antihero who commits heinous acts and goes to the extreme to defend her favorite artist's prestigious name. Swarm can be pretty disturbing to watch at times and that only plays into how well Fishback portrayed her character. I had to watch her in Judas and the Black Messiah to get Dre's twisted persona out of my mind.
5.The Beyoncé references
It's pretty obvious that the Beyoncé references were intentional in this series, so being able to spot them became a fun mini-game I played while watching the series. From the similarities to Bey's OTR II tour and Black is King, to the comparisons made between Beyoncé and Solange, Swarm didn't skip a beat.
6.Loretta Greene!
Detective Loretta Greene needs her own spinoff! What she brought to that one episode she starred in was amazing lines, stylish looks, and a humorous but real take on crime dramas. Greene stole the show by simply piecing the story together and answering all the questions the show was refusing to give us the answer to. Can you imagine if the Det. Loretta Greene spinoff had her teaming up with Denise Hemphill from Scream Queens or Benoit Blanc from Glass Onion? Epic!
Overall, actor Heather Simms needs her flowers for this performance!
7.The dramatic editing style and cinematography were visually beautiful
Accolades should be given to the directors, editors, and costume designers. The color grading sold me the spooky feel the series has. With such an enigmatic lead actor, the editing is almost claustrophobic, making certain scenes stand completely out in terms of intensity. I loved the series visually.
8.The sound of the buzzing bees
I'll keep this one simple; every time you hear the bee's buzzing, just know some stuff is about to go down! The anticipation will you keep you on the edge of your seat.
9.The series also served serious Atlanta vibes, which made me love it even more
If you read my piece that dropped after the Atlanta series finale, you would know I loved Atlanta deeply. This felt like an Atlanta spinoff and filled a void that the show left in December 2022. The episode in this series that perfectly shows how both shows are in the same universe is Episode 6 of Swarm: "Fallin' Through The Cracks." If this doesn't remind you of Atlanta's "The Goof Who Sat by the Door," I don't know what will. This doc/mockumentary-style episode is outright genius, and in comparison to both shows, we see how the "villain" is also a "victim" in a very genuine way to their demise.
Donald Glover's dedication to newness in his art is inspiring. Would love to see Nabers and him continue putting out works like this every year.
10.The stan culture read
Swarm is a brutally honest read about the exploration of celebrity worship and how those fans/supporters can quickly turn their adoration into obsession due to the attachment they have to the celebrities. Celebrity worship is hollow and provides enough social commentary worthy of conversation after watching.
11.The satire is unmatched
Some call satire and sarcasm the worst form of communication, but when done right, I call it art! Dre was deeply disturbed, but if you think too hard about what's going on, you will miss moments that would make you laugh, and more importantly, the underlining message that Nabers/Glover are trying to show us here.
12.REAL horror-thrillers still exist and this is proof
Swarm is best looked at as a slashing psychological thriller. Dre's triggered rampage makes for riveting television with monologues from her that truly spook me at times. The horror caused by a Black woman through social media watching and celebrity obsession leads to spellbinding performances all over.
13.Billie Eilish makes her official acting debut and kills it (no pun intended)
Billie Eilish played a queer cult leader, and in my opinion, possesses the best scene of the series in her one-on-one sitting with Dre. I strongly believe Eilish will be nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for this role, and it'll be exciting to see if she wins.
14.The fusing of Marissa and Ni’Jah
Toward the end, we see Marissa's face on Ni'Jah's body when Dre runs up on the stage, and that moment made me decipher how big of a role delusion played in Dre's motive. Para-social relationships are not healthy, y'all.
It ultimately makes me question and rightly believe that Dre killed Marissa. We see with Dre/Tony's last killing that it's a very similar situation to what happened to Marissa. Because of that, does she just text herself as an alibi and continue the messages after the death just to make herself feel better about her biting Ni'Jah, and her inability to handle rejection? I guess we can only speculate.
15.And lastly, the ambiguous ending leaves room for conversation and a possible Season 2
In my opinion, the ending of episode six provides the "real" ending of the series after telling Dre's origin story. The last scene we see is Dre in Ni'Jah's van when in reality, it's a police car. It's very interesting Swarm decided to end the series with this episode as opposed to episode six. There are questions that I need answered ASAP!
Okay, now I want to hear what you thought of Swarm! How would you rate it? Let me know in the comments!
Swarm is currently streaming on Prime Video.
