The series literally attacks toxic work culture, an attack carried out with a style that's both appropriate and sophisticated.
The folks at Apple TV+ know how to spend money on screen. I could be wrong, but I don't think any other streaming service cares so much about computer-generated special effects (CGI). Most shows and even movies these days lack that visual polish, and by "visual," I definitely mean green screen images. But an Apple TV+ series always looks stunning. In fact, I've yet to see an Apple TV+ original series with horrible graphics.
Creators: Jon Bokenkamp, Richard D'Ovidio
Stars: Simone Kessell, Jason Clarke, Haley Bennett
The Last Frontier, created by Jon Bokenkamp and Richard D'Ovidio, continues this tradition of keeping the streaming service's image high. It doesn't take long to showcase its splendid CGI through an adrenaline-fueled opening scene. The Last Frontier opens with a plane crash sequence that immediately announces that the action here would be ambitiously crazy. As bodies fall from the sky, it feels as if real people are taking their last breath before meeting their maker.
The first episode is directed by Sam Hargrave, who brings to the series his charming, video game-like choreography, the one that gave power to his Extraction films. I think of the scene where Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke) and his men fight convicts who are getting a taste of freedom thanks to the plane crash that opens the story. This entire block of action is reminiscent of a survival minigame and gets you pumped. Take this as a promise of more similar offerings for audiences. Just wait until you get to the episode where a helicopter takes a truck for a joyride.
The Final Frontier, however, doesn't rely solely on these moments to evoke emotion. It hides clever twists that do more than just embellish the series with superficial flourishes. The story seems basic from the outside: a CIA agent, Havlock (Dominic Cooper), goes rogue, and one of his colleagues, Sidney (Haley Bennett), is sent to "take care of" him. Sidney desperately needs to complete this mission because her reputation is on the line. The agency, for reasons I'll let you discover, no longer trusts her, and after they take care of Havlock, they'll take care of her too.
This is what Sidney tells Frank, a U.S. marshal in charge of the snowy, sleepy, and almost barren town of Fairbanks, Alaska. Frank was talking about spending more time with his son, Luke (Tait Blum), and his wife, Sarah (Simone Kessell), when the plane crash suddenly put a stop to all his plans. The criminals who survived the crash are now running rampant in Frank's jurisdiction, so it's his responsibility to catch them as quickly as possible. The Final Frontier, in a way, is like a game in which chickens, horses, or sheep escape from their confinement and the player must return them to their original positions. The chickens, horses, or sheep in the series are various types of criminals: some die, others make a deal, and others are arrested. The best video game consoles. Online TV streaming services.
These criminals range from con artists to Yale graduates, who use their ingenuity and skills to evade law enforcement. I wish the series had explored this aspect in more depth. The bad guys devise plans, yes, but there's something generic about the execution. Except for one con artist, no other criminal contributes anything substantial, even superficial, to the story. Their capture seems preordained: there's no tension or suspense.
This is where the video game format reveals its limitations. Even Havlock's last-minute escapes initially border on the familiar, but they're simply expected (Sidney doesn't pull the trigger, and Frank retrieves a gun too late, giving Havlock enough time to smash a car's windshield and escape). But The Final Frontier has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. Eventually, it all starts to make sense. The series, like any other mystery thriller, relies on elisions and distortions to then throw the audience off. But unlike those other mystery thrillers (or at least some), its repertoire of tricks doesn't just scratch the surface. The spider breaks it and colors the story with more nuance, turning it into a Mr. and Mrs. Smith-style couples' game.
There's something else going on here. The Final Frontier is about actions that have significant consequences. Frank does something with evidence from the past, and it leads to tragic consequences. Sidney and Havlock build a weapon for the CIA, which backfires. The CIA makes a decision about a Ukrainian agent, triggering its disintegration. What's more, both Frank and Sidney are portrayed as people who have dedicated their lives to their careers, constantly submitting to the exacting demands of their profession.
This dedication has often come at the expense of their personal lives. However, more often than not, they have prioritized their work and pushed beyond their comfort zones to achieve their professional goals. One could argue that candidates like Frank and Sidney are particularly valued by employers and corporations. But what happens when their job doesn't love them with the same fervor and intensity? What if there's something deeply wrong with your workplace? What if you've prioritized the wrong people, the wrong agency? The Final Frontier, then, is an attack launched by heartbroken and frustrated workers against their cruel and ruthless bosses, who consider them disposable chess pieces, valuable only as long as they generate some kind of profit. The series literally attacks toxic work culture, an attack carried out with a style both appropriate and astute.
All the actors deliver solid performances, but The Final Frontier truly belongs to Bennett, whose skin, like a chameleon's, changes with the events of the story. I've always admired the softness and fragility of her face, which glows with beauty. Here, that fragility becomes both a mask and a weapon: it takes you by surprise. Bennett's face is the face of this series. Its luminous delicacy blinds you, disarms you, and stupefies you. She gives The Final Frontier the vitality it needs.
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