by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Social media gives us the ability to connect with people all over the world. It helps people find like-minded individuals and feel a sense of belonging and community. For a lot of groups, it’s helpful as long as community guidelines are enforced by strong leadership. Like everything on the internet, though, there’s always another side to the coin. Fandom, particularly on social media, is at a crossroads. It is becoming increasingly toxic in a few different ways. Fandom is being hijacked by review bombing, racist opinions, and misinformation, and is becoming obsessive, leading to deadly consequences. With so many different social networks for people to keep up with, it’s never been easier to get close to celebrities and prominent figures in both positive and negative ways.
When I saw the trailer for Swarm, it felt a little like a Jordan Peele movie. It has a lot to say, but also has a lot of striking and intentional imagery. It wasn’t until I saw who else was involved that I became more interested: Janine Nabers, whose credits include Watchmen, and Donald Glover, who collaborated on Atlanta, both add instant credibility to Swarm. Atlanta is one of my favorite shows of the last few years, mainly because of the mix of comedy and social commentary. So when tackling a topic like how destructive fandom has become, Nabers and Glover are two showrunners who I have on a trusted shortlist.
I wasn’t really prepared for what I would see, though.
Swarm introduces us to Dre (Dominique Fishback), a devoted fan to pop star Ni’Jah (Nirine S. Brown). She lives with her sister Marissa (Chloe Bailey), and we immediately know something doesn’t feel right about their relationship. There’s a co-dependency between the two that feels off. Dre also spends a lot of money on concert tickets for Ni’Jah, which cost more than my monthly student loan and mortgage payments combined. That level of irresponsibility and recklessness on Dre’s part is the tip of the iceberg for how obsessed she is with Ni’Jah, and it sets a foundation that only goes downhill.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been rattled the way that Swarm’s first episode did to me. Dre’s downward spiral starts with a tragic incident that she feels responsible for. The guilt she feels knocks a wire loose in her head, until she zeroes in on a specific thing related to Ni’Jah: Dre feels the need to protect Ni’Jah from everyone. The first incident involves someone connected to the tragic incident that catalyzes what’s to come. Dre uses what happened earlier in the episode, and previously said comments about Ni’Jah, as a springboard for what’s to come. It escalates quickly and is raw, as well as violent.
Fishback gives an A+ performance. This is career-defining stuff, and Dre is a challenging role that not everyone could pull off. Fishback manages to help us empathize at first, but then cringe at everything else that happens throughout the rest of the series. Every episode showcases how Dre’s humanity keeps slipping away. The beauty of the character, though, is that not all the information is presented in the beginning, so by the time the fifth episode comes on as a crime thriller reality show, Dre’s context and backstory make the picture a little more clear. But it still doesn’t tell everything about how disturbed and dangerous she is. Swarm is Fishback’s show through and through. She made me so uncomfortable throughout it, and she makes sure the little things are accounted for, like the crazy look she has and the little ticks when she deals with people who don’t like Ni’Jah.
From a technical perspective, the scenes are well-shot and the music is outstanding. I also have to give props to the editing too. There’s a scene at the beginning of the season where we see Dre dealing with her loneliness after the incident. It’s all quickly cut together without the camera moving in any direction. It feels like a metaphor for her brain, filled with thoughts trapped inside a room and tension that continues to build. Technically, Swarm is really strong.
Almost every aspect of the story works for me except the ending. I feel like there are some ideas left on the table to be worked on, but since we establish pretty early that Dre isn’t a reliable focal point, it’s jumpy and disjointed. I’m assuming that was part of the point, in which case, mission accomplished by the cast and crew. The story escalates throughout the course of the season, only to be semi-hijacked for the final two episodes.
No one in Hollywood does a random standalone episode in any television show like Donald Glover. Atlanta shows audiences that you can still have an episode that doesn’t have a specific connection to the overall story as long as it works. The final episode is one of the only true criticism about the show. Dre feels like she was off the hook and gets to ride off into the sunset. Then again, believing her is a slippery slope, and she proves throughout the whole series her perspective can’t be trusted.
The greatest thing Swarm has going for it is the commentary littered throughout the entire series. Proceed with caution on this one, especially if you can’t stomach violence, trauma, and other mental hardships. But if you’re looking for commentary on topics like fandom, mental health, unhealthy eating habits, and the effects of trauma on someone’s decision, this is for you. The parts about fandom are the most pronounced. Coupling fandom with social media is what makes it the most toxic. Once everyone feels like they have a voice on social media, that gives people the chance to interpret things the way they perceive them, which eventually leads to terrible things. Fandom has a shiny spotlight on it, specifically regarding how people take fandom way too hard.
I’ve read a few articles about how Dre’s fandom parallels Beyonce’s fandom, where she can never do anything wrong, nor can anyone have any opinion other than that she’s amazing. This type of fandom is the most troubling, as it puts someone on a pedestal that can’t possibly be met. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see a lot of how Dre became such a rabid fan, nor do we really see anything Ni’Jah does to cause negative opinions. It’s mainly trolls and people’s opinions that Dre comes across, which makes her disturbing behavior more troubling because it’s not grounded in any facts.
The last thing I’ll say is I’m very conflicted about the ending. The final episode is a great way to conclude Dre’s story. Her relationship with Rashida (Kiersey Clemons) feels like it would help Dre turn the corner. I was nervously waiting for an opinion about Ni’Jah to see how Dre would react. It was truly a turning point moment for Dre, which is weird considering it’s the final episode. At the end of the episode, Dre goes to a Ni’Jah concert. I wasn’t a huge fan of what happens there, even though I understand that Dre is a very unreliable narrator.
Swarm is a cautionary story, but one that probably happens to a lesser extent all the time. The disturbing imagery, along with outstanding performances, make Swarm a solid limited series. I do wish they would have released this week-to-week, because I think it could have captured more of a national audience, and I hope it doesn’t get overshadowed during awards season, because there’s a lot to like, even if the ending doesn’t really do it for me.
Score: 8/10
Swarm is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video
You can read more from Mike Hilty, and follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Serializd