BrainDead

Whether you love it or not this show had great acting and writing. i guess its ratings were low to warrant cancellation but the execs should have seen the potential. everyone i've recommended this to have loved it and had never heard of it when first mentioned. badly marketed i guess. political satire meets invasion of the body snatchers with an impressively great female lead and the funniest Michael Moore cameo you'll ever see!

what more do you want?!

I watched this series when it first aired in 2016 and rewatching it again this year because it became relevant again in many different ways.

The premise? Alien mindcontroll ants invade Washington D. C., and the real horror isnt the invasion but how much humans ignore it or a completely oblivious to it.

Laurel Healy played wonderfully by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, stumbles into this mess while trying to fund her documentary career. What follows is a chaotic mix of exploding heads, political backstabbing, and an annoyingly catchy use of The Cars "You Might Think."

It has good cinematography, a great concept, a good plot and the acting is great aswell. Plus, ants as villains? Thats both ridiculous and terrifying in all the right ways. I love the concept of ants as intelligent aliens.

There were 4 seasons planned subsequenty taking place in different cities with a new focus on different aspects of American culture. S2 would be about Wall Street S3 about Silicon Valley and S4 Hollywood.

But CBS cancelled BrainDead after just one season. Reportedly the cancellation was due to low ratings.

They should see it now with a solid 8.

For me tho on rewatching this series is about a 6.7.

A comedy? A drama? Horror fiction? "BrainDead" is described as all three in IMDb, but I never referred to the website before watching the first three episodes. I expected a comedy, based upon television ads, so I watched episode one waiting for the moment when it diverged into that genre, but that moment never came. There were bizarre happenings that suggest a writer with a dark sense of humor, but the episode played like straight horror/drama, like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

Still, I felt there was an undercurrent of something political. Would the show reveal itself to be left-leaning (like most everything from the west coast) or would it use Trump l'oeil to sway viewers to the right side? I watched episode two in anticipation.

Although the main character, Laurel Healy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), seems somewhat apolitical, she works for her brother, a Democratic senator, so much of the story originates from that point of view (and I think that's why some viewers think it espouses a left-of-center political viewpoint). But the barbs were evenly distributed on both sides of the aisle, I thought. I noticed that when Laurel didn't like the right-leaning political commentary on one channel, she switched to a left-leaning channel. This appears to be a more objective commentary that skewers the simplistic assertions of both extremes (and I use that term in a non-pejorative way).

So now I consider the show a mystery. What will it reveal itself to be? Will it remain a sci-fi/horror/centrist commentary about American politics and culture? I hope so.

The cast is excellent. I especially enjoy Ms. Winstead, who I had not seen before. She has an every"man" appeal and Laurel seems like someone you'd like to know. She is more than the token "person of conscience" in D.C. that the first episode painted. Tony Shaloub plays a meaty role as Red Wheatus, the colorful Republican opponent of Laurel's brother. Johnny Ray Gill plays Gustav Triplett, a quirky genius who struggles to understand the odd happenings around him.

Update 8/2/16: More than a handful of episodes in, this show has shown itself to be consistently interesting and adorable and intriguing--an unusual combination. I am raising my grade to "9".

Update 9/15/16: From the musical reminders of what happened in the previous episode to the way the show perfectly captures the BS that passes for activity in government to the insightful lampooning of PC-inspired nonsense, this show is forcing me to give it a "10" because it is one of the best in recent years. Besides, there's a nagging voice in my head compelling me to up my grade...and have a kelp shake.

This show is amazing! It's an entertaining mix of satire, suspense, sci-fi, horror, and of course, the possibility of romance, with the story set on a political stage. And did I mention ants? No need to be into entomology or politics to enjoy it, but for the political tragic, there are appearances from wannabes Clinton, Trump and Bernard someone or another, with plenty of wheeling and dealing along the way.

Don't be put off by the stupefying title of the first episode, ("The Insanity Principle How Extremism in Politics is Threatening Democracy in the 21st Century").

Give this show a go!

Braindead bites the jugular as a science fiction satire of the US political vascular system in a way that leaves the viewer with a disturbing lust for blood. The mercilessly savage portrayal of the current chaotic culture which holds the world's number one power in its thrall is populated by finely chiseled deeply flawed characters who exude privilege, narcissism and cunning as they wrestle each other for every breath in the unannounced fight to the finish. And just when it couldn't get any worse, an alien insect invading force inveigles its way into the brains of the protagonists and they have their own agenda. It is unimaginable and yet it is real. The CGI intentionally positions us at a distance so that we knowingly suspend our disbelief and in this way we consume a product of that very culture we are watching and as we do so we know ourselves to be consumers.We are consuming ourselves. The message is clear. Braindead is the actual truth disguised as satirical allegory. The horror is here, dribbling down from your open mouth down your shirt front. Watch Out! Your brain isn't your friend.