The following actually began as a Facebook post, but halfway through, I decided it was far too detailed not to share with a larger audience. And after all, most people I know skip over lengthy Facebook posts anyway; so due to its length (short for a blog post but too long for FB), this article is tailor-made for the web. Anyway, here goes...
Early this morning, I finished watching the series, “Damnation,” after seeing its trailer on Netflix just a few short days ago. For me, the completion of the season finale was a bittersweet moment.
Damnation – The writing: brilliant; the acting: masterful. Even the music, sound, sets, lighting, costume design: all the supporting elements that combine to make for a great movie or television production, were Emmy-worthy. With those things said, you may ask, “Matt, why was finishing Season 1 bittersweet for you?” The answer, is simple. You see, in the space of time that it took for me to turn off the television, pickup my tablet and hit Google to find out when Season Two premieres, I learned... that there is to be... NO SEASON TWO.
Sad.
Well, without playing spoiler, I will tell you that in my opinion, it seems that when all is said and done, perhaps the “strikebreakers” won after all (you’ll learn about who they are once you delve into the episodes), in that with the show’s cancellation, the message being carried by the story’s protagonist was in reality, muffled... his and his cohorts’ efforts – squashed.
Even still, perhaps there is a silver lining to be found in all of this...
Perhaps the brilliance and magic of the show’s undoing, is that it sort of plays into the central theme of it all; and that the real life cancelling of “Damnation,” is the very completion of the fictional, on-screen drama. Clever, be it by design or not.
And finally...
To the producers, directors, cast, camera/lighting/sound/set/costume design/makeup & hair crews... and anyone whom I may have missed who had anything to do with this wonderfully entertaining production (whose title could be considered a play on words), I applaud you for your work on what I consider to be, quite simply, both a literary and theatrical masterpiece.
All the best!
–MT
Check out “Damnation” on Netflix
Matt D. Talford is a writer, narrator, and the author of "From Fear to Faith: A Survivor's Story" – a memoir about overcoming a rare form of what he calls "the C-word." The book is currently available in paperback on this website—click the "Products" link in the menu—and at Amazon.com. It is also available in eBook format on Amazon Kindle and Apple iBooks, and in audiobook (narrated by Talford himself) at audible.com, and at many other sites where audiobooks are sold.
Enjoyed your review! I will be watching this show.