Created by married couple Michelle and Robert King as a limited summer series in 2016, BrainDead serves up a mix of alien invasion thriller and political satire set in Washington D.C., where an infestation of ant-like insects from outer space colonize the brains of politicians. Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as bleeding-heart liberal documentary filmmaker Laurel Healy, a political outsider who grudgingly takes a job on the staff of her ambitious senator brother (Danny Pino), and stumbles across an unexpected explanation for the suddenly aggressive polarization between the two political parties. Tony Shalhoub costars as her brother's nemesis, a boozy career senator who transforms into a right wing extremist and engineers a government shutdown, and Laurel finds an unlikely ally in his top aide (Aaron Tveit) as she tries to stop the invasion with the help of a conspiracy-minded speed chess genius (Johnny Ray Gill) and hospital CT scan tech (Nikki M. James). The series takes a few episodes to find the right balance between satire, lampoon, conspiracy, and lighthearted sci-fi thriller (which is helped immensely by the clever episode recaps delivered in musical form by Jonathan Coulton). And the real-life election drama from 2016 plays in the background, which makes the increasingly absurd fictional story seem less parody than minor exaggeration. The show only lasted a single season but ends with a satisfying wrap. Compiling all 13 episodes—with extras including behind-the-scenes featurettes and a gag reel—this entertaining, intelligent, and timely (although not well-known) series is recommended. (S. Axmaker)
BrainDead
Paramount, 4 discs, 561 min., not rated, DVD: $64.99 Volume 32, Issue 2
BrainDead
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