STATION ELEVEN - The Limited Series

Lori Petty lives? And still works, whaddya know.

Was it filmed in Toronto? I recall the book being set in Toronto -- it would be nice to see Toronto-as-Toronto on camera for once.

Loved the novel, this looks intriguing although I just cannot anymore with the awful covers of pop and rock music standards that now must grace every single trailer for anything.

I really liked the novel.

I don't know how well it would translate into a movie.

I’m quite curious about this adaptation. Because it is HBO (Max), I’m cautiously optimistic that they will knock it out of the park.

R4 The good news is that it isn’t a movie, but a limited series, so it has plenty of room to breathe and unfold as the story should.

Not seeing a successful transfer from page to screen as probably here, but . . .

First reviews are emerging and it drops soon!

Dear ails aboutfirst episodes.

This gives insight about how the art direction frames the story.

Mackenzie Davis is a les girl or what? Certainly gives some chilly energy like that.

In Rolling Stones 20 best TV shows of the year, they given Station Eleven the number 5 slot even though it has yet to air and won’t conclude until 2022.

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Sick of hbo showtime trying to replicate the success of the sopranos in every crap sreies they put forth.boring. give it up

That book was a complete piece of shit.

I read the book, but I don’t remember a thing that happened. Guess it didn’t impress me that much.

I’ll probably tune in and watch, especially if it gets decent reviews.

R3 I hear you. Especially when they are re-arranged to be plaintive: “I’m.(Pause) Walking. (Pause) On. Sun. (Pause) Shine.”

"Sick of hbo showtime trying to replicate the success of the sopranos in every crap sreies they put forth"

How is a speculative series about a pandemic-driven apocalypse and the small sliver of humanity that survives in any conceivable way like a family drama about the Jersey mob?

SylviaFowler, the city stuff is Chicago, not Toronto. The more rural stuff is supposed to be Canada, though, I think.

I went to a screening of the first two episodes last night in NY. There was a Q&A afterward with three of the leads. I thought the flu epidemic catastrophe stuff was very compelling but am concerned the “post flu” stuff will be a bit too much like Y: The Last Man. The acting’s wonderful, though. The little girl who plays the younger version of Kirsten is remarkable.

Another practically glowing review, and they mention something from the eighth episode, so they must have seen almost the whole series. Can’t wait to see this child actress who performance sounds flawless, it’s such a tough part, but it sounds like they nailed it in casting which for a series is needed in the first episode to set the tone and capture the audience.

She really is fantastic, R20.

I can’t wait to watch this. Just have the last episode of Succession to finish.

Ugh, the first three episodes are so good, and while the child actress is incredibly cast, I was really blown away by this heretofore unknown actress Danielle Deadwyler. You can tell right away that she has an extensive theatre background in the way she carries and uses her body, but she also has remarkable screen presence and is given a few powerful monologues that she delivers flawlessly and with great restraint of emotion, but pitched to an explosive level.

Overall it’s been about a decade since I read the book and I remember it more as a fever dream of emotions and feelings, so I don’t have any sense of book vs. screen or what they chose to adapt or tinker with. It does look great and I’m looking forward to the airport section to arrive, especially the plane on the runway.

LOVED the book and cannot wait to watch this!

Saving all the articles here to read after I've watched a few episodes....no spoilers, please!

I can’t wait for this! I wish I had read the book when it came out and not a month before the pandemic started (lol).

[quote]Station Eleven Is a Profound Television Experience

That's just laughably trite. People who think like this fail to recognize that such excessive commentary about a tv show just makes them look silly.

I enjoyed the book. It was a solid book, but it won't be remembered as great literature, nor will it likely stand the test of time and be remembered even 10 years from now beyond the tv show.

I'm not so sure about that, r26. If the mini-series is wonderful - and all reviews thus far seem to indicate it is - it will bring a lot more attention to the book and thousands (millions?) more will read it and be as amazed and impressed by its prescience as current fans. We shall see.....

So glad to hear that Matilda Lawler (the little girl) is getting so much praise here. She’s remarkable but I’m also a little biased.

She’s my very good friends daughter! She was on Broadway in The Irishman and has a movie on Disney+. So proud of her!

The trailer makes it look like adults coming to terms with their childhood trauma with a post apocalyptic world as backdrop. Is that it?

R28 She reminds me a lot of young Kiernan Shipka in that she has a real presence and intensity, but there is a naturalness there that does come off as child actorly. One of the funniest moments among the bleak is when she introduces herself as a Shakespeare actor and the person she’s addressing asks who she trained under and when she states the name the person says oh well, we can get past that.

I've watched the first 2 episodes and loving it but can't imagine anyone who hasn't already read the book getting into it. The constant jumps in time can be challenging.

I wonder how they came up with Gael Garcia Bernal as the Shakespearean actor.....he's way too young......I's always imagined Christopher Plummer.

[quote]I'm not so sure about that, [R26]. If the mini-series is wonderful - and all reviews thus far seem to indicate it is - it will bring a lot more attention to the book and thousands (millions?) more will read it and be as amazed and impressed by its prescience as current fans. We shall see.....

Even if the show adaptation is remembered, the book won't likely be - some of the best adaptations are remembered for the show while the book is often just a sentence in the discussion "adapted from...by..."

Look at Brideshead Revisited, Friday Night Lights, Roots, Lonesome Dove, I, Caludius, MASH, Mildred Pierce - few people remember the books or authors.

We remember the adaptations of stuff like Pride and Prejudice because they succesfully capture the books that are remembered.

I endorse the idea that terms like "profound television experience" should be banished. I've watched and loved plenty of TV in my day but I'd consider very, very little of it to be profound. Highly entertaining, sure. Excellent, some of it. But profound?

r32, speak for yourself if you truly think most of those source books are forgotten. You're sounding illiterate.

How can people not be sick of this kind of stuff? The husband has already said he wants to watch it. But, with The Walking Dead, COVID, and all the other maudlin, morose, dark stuff on television and in the movies, it's hard to understand why this would have much of an audience.

[quote][R32], speak for yourself if you truly think most of those source books are forgotten. You're sounding illiterate.

Sure, the books are well-regarded, but the fact of the success of the adaptations do not contribute to that - THAT was my point. The books are remembered and regarded based solely on the merits of the books. The adaptations don't contribute to that as the poster to whom I was replying suggested.

Is that Mary-Kate or Ashley in the OP?

R37 If any of them I’d say Elizabeth. Mackenzie Davis his played lesbian in two widely discussed projects that were explored on DL. She’s in what some believe is the best Black Mirror episode so far, and if not at least the most optimistic one San Junipero and she played KStews girlfriend in That Lesbian Christmas Movie from last year,

Very weird posts in here by people who seem jealous of the book’s success. It’s a good read, no need to implausibly claim no one will remember it in 5 years. And this -

[quote] Look at Brideshead Revisited, Friday Night Lights, Roots, Lonesome Dove, I, Caludius, MASH, Mildred Pierce - few people remember the books or authors

is just nuts.

Sadly, I'm becoming disenchanted with the mini-series after watching 3 episodes. Not happy with the way they're telling Arthur (why is he cast so young?) and Miranda's story lines. But it is making me want to reread the book.

[quote]is just nuts.

Exhausting. It was a reply to a specific point. Try to follow. I've already clarified.

[quote]Sure, the books are well-regarded, but the fact of the success of the adaptations do not contribute to that - THAT was my point. The books are remembered and regarded based solely on the merits of the books. The adaptations don't contribute to that as the poster to whom I was replying suggested.

Gael Garcia Bernal really is terrible casting for Arthur.

I already can't stand the Indian guy who's the lead male actor. I'm only on the first episode and am confused why he rushed to aide the actor on stage when he's not even a doctor. Then he tries to comfort the child actress when, unlike him, she has a right to be backstage. Was his character Indian in the book? His presence indicates heavy-handed diversity casting, because he's a void of talent and charisma.

Mackenzie Davis was great in and played straight girl to Lee Pace in “Halt and Catch Fire”. Terrific series if you haven't seen it yet. About the early days of the web and personal computers.

The third episode was wonderful - Danielle Deadwyler as Miranda was just perfect. I was watching her thinking that she’ll be a huge star someday.

I thought I wouldn’t want to watch or read anything similar to what we’re going through with Covid, but I’m the most interested in the scenes of the plague starting and what everyone chose to do.

R43 One time during the early 90s I managed to drag my best friend out to go see an opera, which was one of few things he really enjoyed in life. He had just come off a particularly bad cycle of caring for his partner who was dying of AIDS and hadn’t left the house in months and this is after taking care of him for years. We were in the balcony and mid first act someone nearby had a medical emergency and the person they were with shouted out for a doctor and immediately the singers on the stage stopped. My friend bolted up out of his seat and I had to physically grab his hand and pull him down and remind him that he had no real medical training and could not really be of any help. Because of what he’d been through over the last years he was so tightly wound to react to a medical emergency that it was second nature at that point.

Hang in there, the story is unfolding and has many layers that will be peeled back like an onion slowly. And yes, the character in the book is South East Asian American.

I liked the guy in the first episode—he was cute. The brother character is a bit strange, but I assume we’ll get another episode with at least one of them to explain how Kirsten survived the first month and then walked across Lake Michigan, and how the first guy died or separated from her.

It's OK series, some great casting decisions which elevate the material for me. The female cast is great. I do not like any of the male cast members so far though.

The writing and direction at times is too pretentious. The time jumps and editing of some scenes are unnecessarily non-linear and not sure serve any purpose except for pleasing the high brow art critics.

I will keep watching but my expectations are very low.

I know nothing about this series but seeing this woman’s mopey face in all the ads doesn’t inspire me to watch.

Shirtless, butt, frontal nudity?

I really laughed at the inclusion of the Independence Day speech in episode 2.

Wow, we got two episodes today, wasn’t expecting that!

The show is drawing me in and the lead actress is lphenomenal (as is the child actress playing the younger version of her character). I also think the direction is exceptional and the time jumps are handled well enough.

However, the writing isn't as insightful or clever as it tries to be. The dialogue between characters always manages to miss despite trying so hard to make an impact. The absolute best scenes are those in which individual characters react to an unfolding situation.

This show has so much potential and is worth checking out, but if it were a little better it could've been one of HBO's must-watch Sunday shows. I guess HBO Max shows (as opposed to HBO shows) are meant to be released in waves....but it's not a sign of confidence when a show perfect for week-to-week revelations is dumped 3 then 2 episodes at a time.

I loved the book and like all the actors involved, but this series is boring me. Maybe my brain is just too distracted by Omicron.

The music in thes3 last two episodes was phenomenal, it felt like another character.

Jesus Christ, the episode 4 was one of the worst things I've seen in years. Can believe some shot this and then put it out for the world to see. It was embarrassingly bad. Especially coming after the great third episode. They should have kept the same writers and directors that did the first three episodes.

Yeah, episode 4 was pretty bad. Ugh, it's so frustrating because this show has all the ingredients to be great: talented actors, a beautiful score, amazing direction. Unfortunately, the writing is trash. Also, in episode 3, in which Miranda was the stereotypical "Angry Black Woman" from beginning to end, I noticed it's completely lacking in humor. I've been in a active war zone and one thing I've learned is people will always find an opportunity to laugh.

Episode 5 was terrible as well. This show went down fast.

I love the book too much to watch this and didn't even care for episode 3.

I thought the plot twist in episode 5 was handled well. I'm usually not a fan of bottle episodes and find the Kirstens (older and younger) to be the best part. However, toward the end I was on the edge of my seat--even though I figured out the big reveal mid-episode.

As much shit as I talk about Station 11, it has managed to do something The Witcher, Wheel of Time, Gossip Girl (Reboot), Mythic Quest, and What If? have failed to do: convince me to watch each episode and look forward to those that follow. I wanted to love all those other shows, but had to give up after 2 or 3 episodes.

Gawd, #4 was a painful episode to sit thru. Only saving grace was intro of Wendy, played by none other than by gay dance diva Deborah Cox, who appears in rest of season.

I didn’t realize that was Deborah Cox! She was good, but I hadn’t realized she had taken up acting.

This raises some interesting points and good discussion.

Two more episodes, but I might be the only one watching here.I find it tragically magical, the art direction, music and performance are astounding.

R64 I don't know what show you are watching. This is some of the worst writing I have ever seen in my entire life. And I've see a lot of terrible shows/movies.

I am 30 minutes into it and am hooked.

WTF?!!! The first episode was great but what is this Shakespeare shit in the second episode? I am about to turn this off.

Who asked for Lori Petty? She is so annoying.

I liked her in Orange is the New Black. She’s fine in small doses.

The child actress is the best thing about this show. She is fantastic.

What is Lori Petty's accent? She talks like she a black woman from Mississippi

I love Gael Garcia Bernal too....he is so dreamy.

My least favorite story line is the Shakespeare group

David Cross and Lori Petty are both in their 50's but look like shit, they both look older.

I stopped at E04. Does this series get better & does the Shakespeare troupe get less insufferable?

r74 no and no but I am a glutton for punishment and am going to finish the series out

Thanks R75. I'll opt for better time worthy fare.

Everything went to shit with the Shakespeare group. Boring.

I read the Wikipedia entry about the novel. It sounds like it's just the Shakespeare group and then a religious cult operating somewhere.

Maybe this would have been more interesting pre-covid.

The best part of the finale was JEEVAN!

I read the book the year it came out and didn't really care for it, but I loved this series. I thought it started slowly and wasn't really sure about it, but loved episodes five through ten. I agree that the actress playing Miranda is fantastic and I also have loved Daniel Zovatto in everything I've seen him in, including this. The last episode is very touching.

*Spoilers*

I enjoyed it and thought it was well done but some things didn’t hang together for me. For example, the graphic novel’s hold on Kirsten and Tyler. We see Kirsten reading it over and over and it seems portentous as to Tyler but it isn’t fleshed out enough to explain why it’s that engaging, what the little kids becoming the Undersea means or why it cost Miranda and Arthur their marriage. The airport people never really felt like a threat, and their numbers were vague - why were only a handful of people watching the play at the end?

I really enjoyed the scenes with Frank and Jeeven - they were the best. I couldn’t stand the Conductor and her dying when she did just seemed contrived.

I haven’t read the book so can someone explain:

1. Why Kirsten dressed like a little kid?

2. Why the Shakespearean actors wore stupid costumes?

It felt sometimes like they couldn’t decide if this was post apocalyptic (after mass destruction, clothes etc are scarce) or post flu (there’s tons of appropriate, new clothing laying around.

I don’t know. I liked it but it didn’t deliver. My favorite episode was the one with Miranda and the tall guy at the hotel. And I thought the guy who played Arthur was captivating.

One question, at the end, what are the bags the people dropped as they left, are those landlines?

Tyler stole those kids from their families so he is still not a good guy. And how long will his pampered mother last out there with him?

Jeevan looks and sounds so much like my brother in law so I couldn't help but like his character. I was bummed we didn't get more time with him and Frank as they interested me more than the airport people and the annoying Shakespeare crew. I did think the actress that played Miranda did a good job.

The finale was stunning. The music is amazing. The soundtrack was released last week to streaming outlets.

Deborah Cox is also in the second season of The First Wives Club.

Just finished. Loved it so much.

The girl who played young Kirsten was incredible. So talented for someone that young and made that relationship with the two brothers so moving. Thought the way the flashbacks were interwoven was beautifully done. Loved the soundtrack. Just thought it was really fantastic.

I loved the book too.

[quote] The best part of the finale was JEEVAN!

I was somewhat neutral about the series but have to say the actor who played Jeevan made me want to watch the rest of the series. I have seen him before like in the movie, Yesterday. He's a very good actor.

The story of two strangers--- Jeevan and an 8 year old girl---partnering together to survive the apocalypse was the heart of the story. The ending was satisfying, it made up for the whole series (I kinda didn't care for the other stories like the Irish guy who ran the airport). I was bawling like a baby.

I just finished it and the ending got to me too. 🥲.

I watched the first four episodes, but I had to stop. On the heels of just watching Y:The Last Man and Search Party, I just couldn’t handle another show about a collapsed USA. I will probably finish it at some point.

I am late but just finished it and really liked it.

The finale was great!

I didn't read the book but finished the series yesterday (liked it, didn't love it). I just read the Wikipedia summary of the book and it appears except for some characters and the basic premise the series didn't really follow the book's plot.

Deborah Cox singing Midnight Train To Georgia was moving!

It's a beautifully done story. The apocalypse as an emotional story instead of an action sci-fi or whatever.

The ending is really moving. But I did laugh when Jeavan suddenly yelled “SO PRETENTIOUS!” at one point because a lot of it really is pretentious. And Gael Garcia Bernal was miscast in every possible way as Arthur Leander and had zero chemistry with Danielle Dedwyler (or whatever the fuck her name is) and Caitlyn Fitzgerald.

I’m not really buying this relationship between Miranda and Arthur. She seems completely immune to his charms.

It wuz robbed. How could that piece of shit Inventing Anna get nominated for Best Limited Series and not this?

That little girl should have been nominated for supporting actress. She was fantastic.

I found so much of this fascinating. The butterfly effect of it all. I really appreciated the restraint of it, where they never capitalised on the more gruesome aspects of a post-apocalyptic world, y’know, with dead bodies everywhere or stuff like that. There were no jump scares (except that wolf). I loved the idea of this book becoming a kind of scripture, open to interpretation, empowering good and bad alike. The importance of art, something I wish we would embrace more in opposition to the rise of fascism in our own society (for the precise reason Clark initially did not want to let them perform Hamlet - art acknowledges and informs the experience of being human).

I thought the production design was terrific, it was never more than what was needed to tell the story. I had some minor quibbles with the series and there were times when the actors were telling the story rather than being given, frankly, playable immediate scenes of human interaction but the series did mostly locate its own sense of drama enough to make it a compelling watch. I was moved by the ideas more than the characters, i.e., I was satisfied by the reunion at the end rather than fully emotionally moved by it; I admired it and the things that were said and that was fine.

I thought this handled the timelines a lot better than Dopesick which I just gave up trying to keep track of (because I knew the story).

The powerful things going on in Station Eleven had little to do with plot; it really allowed space reflection. It is a story about attachment, letting go, moving on, saying goodbye, time, unresolved relationships and things like that. I felt like there were relationships in my own life that were as much a part of this story as any other. I’m from Michigan and lived in Chicago; I binged this in London during the two-day heatwave this week and it felt a little bit like the world was ending or given our recent shared history and the possibility of what we're facing in our future, like it could end. It was a good watch.

I just binge watched the whole show. I found it very moving and can’t believe it wasn’t nominated for the Best Series Emmy.

Loved the series. I was thinking of rewatching it.

I’m curious if anybody is watching this alongside The Last of Us and how does it compare.