See (TV series)

See is an American science fiction drama web television series produced for Apple TV+ starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard in leading roles. It is written by Steven Knight and directed by Francis Lawrence. It also stars Sylvia Hoeks, Hera Hilmar and Christian Camargo. Executive producers include Knight, Lawrence, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kristen Campo. The series premiered on November 1, 2019, and it has been renewed for a second season, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming has been delayed.[1]

See
Genre	Action-adventure Drama Science fiction
Created by	Steven Knight
Starring	Jason Momoa Alfre Woodard Yadira Guevara-Prip Nesta Cooper Sylvia Hoeks Archie Madekwe Christian Camargo Hera Hilmar Mojean Aria
Composer(s)	Bear McCreary
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Francis Lawrence Steven Knight Peter Chernin Jenno Topping Kristen Campo
Production location(s)	British Columbia, Canada
Camera setup	Single-camera
Production company(s)	about:blank Quaker Moving Pictures Chernin Entertainment Endeavor Content Nebula Star
Distributor	Apple Inc.
Release
Original network	Apple TV+
Audio format	Dolby Atmos
Original release	November 1 (2019-11-01) – December 6, 2019 (2019-12-06)
External links
Website

Premise

In the distant future, the human race has lost the sense of sight, and society is left to find new ways to interact, build, hunt, and survive. Baba Voss, the chieftain of the Alkenny tribe, takes in and marries a woman, Maghra, who comes to the Alkenny seeking shelter. Baba Voss has been unable to father children, and the woman is pregnant when she first arrives. To both the woman and Baba Voss's surprise, the woman has twins who can see. The twins are named Kofun and Haniwa, and their biological father is Jerlamarel.

As word spreads, it gets the attention of a cynical tribe and its queen who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the twins. The queen knows Jerlamarel had the ability to see and wants his children. Jerlamarel was also the queen's favored consort who ran away with Maghra. In order to protect the children, Voss is forced to rely on his instincts and must rally fellow tribes to take down the queen and her tyrannical cult before they can capture the children.

The series is set in the village of Alkenny, protected by a Kanzua Dam. "Alkenny" and "Kanzua" are alterations of Allegheny and Kinzua, real-life locations in present-day western Pennsylvania.

Cast and characters

Main

• Jason Momoa as Baba Voss, a skilled warrior and leader of the Alkenny tribe — adopted father of Kofun and Haniwa, the children born with the power of sight.
• Alfre Woodard as Paris, a wise elder member of the Alkenny who also serves as a shaman of the tribe, and the foster mother to Baba Voss.
• Sylvia Hoeks as Queen Kane, ruler of the Payan Kingdom.
• Hera Hilmar as Maghra, a newcomer to the Alkenny — mother to Kofun and Haniwa, and wife of Baba Voss.
• Christian Camargo as Tamacti Jun, the Witchfinder General and leader of Queen Kane's army.
• Archie Madekwe as Kofun, son of Baba Voss and Maghra, and the biological son of Jerlamarel, who has the ability to see.
• Nesta Cooper as Haniwa, daughter of Baba Voss and Maghra, and the biological daughter of Jerlamarel, who also has the ability to see.
• Yadira Guevara-Prip as Bow Lion, an Alkenny ‘shadow’ warrior with the skill of moving undetected by other blind people.

Recurring

• Mojean Aria as Gether Bax, an untrustworthy member of the Alkenny
• Luc Roderique as Arca, an Alkenny warrior loyal to Baba Voss.
• Tantoo Cardinal as The Dreamer, an Alkenny tribe elder and mother of Bow Lion.
• Marilee Talkington as Souter Bax, an Alkenny tribe member and aunt of Gether Bax.
• Lauren Glazier as Nyrie, Queen Kane's loyal lady-in-waiting.
• Franz Drameh as Boots, a mysterious member of a scavenger tribe. He is also a son of Jerlamarel and has the ability to see.
• Timothy Webber as Cutter, a silk merchant and slave owner.
• Jessica Harper as Cora

Guest starring

• Joshua Henry as Jerlamarel, a heretic and preacher of sight, biological father of Kofun, Haniwa, and Boots.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date [2]
1	"Godflame"	Francis Lawrence	Steven Knight	November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
In a dystopian future where the human race has lost the sense of sight, two babies are born to Maghra — a newcomer to the Alkenny tribe which has settled for generations within a lush forest landscape. She is assisted by Paris — a companion from her past. Meanwhile, Queen Kane — the ruler of the city of Kanzua and the Witchfinder army, has ordered her Witchfinder General, Tamacti Jun to hunt down any so called 'witches' — those who promote the concept of vision or who spread the knowledge of 'Jerlamarel', a man with the ability to see. At the Alkenny settlement, tribe leader Baba Voss — the adopted father of the babies and Maghra' partner — prepares the village for battle. Tribe member Gether Bax betrays the Alkenny by disclosing the location of the settlement to Tamacti Jun, and also mentions the birth of the babies and the rumors that their father is the mythical Jerlamarel. Baba Voss and the Alkenny engage in a bloody battle to defend the settlement and the Witchfinder army retreats. With their location compromised and the Witchfinder army now in pursuit, Baba Voss and Paris follow Jerlamarel's clues and lead the Alkenny to a newly-discovered bridge which provides the tribe passage out of the valley. Baba Voss destroys the bridge preventing their pursuers from following. After many days of travel, the Alkenny find a new area to create a settlement.
2	"Message in a Bottle"	Francis Lawrence	Steven Knight	November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
While hunting in the forest and carrying the two babies, Baba Voss is attacked by a bear but is saved by an unknown man. The man reveals himself to be Jerlamarel. He asks Baba Voss to raise his children and keep them safe until they are older and informs him that he has hidden a box containing "knowledge" at a nearby waterfall as a gift to the children. Baba Voss retrieves the box which contains dozens of books. Meanwhile, Gether Bax continues to stoke discontent towards Voss' leadership of the Alkenny. Together with his aunt Souter Bax, they secretly enlist another tribe member - Bow Lion, acting as a Shadow (a person skilled in obtaining information covertly), to spy on Paris. Maghra, Baba Voss and Paris discover that the babies — now named Kofun and Haniwa — can see, and agree not to speak of the discovery again for twelve summers. Aware of this information, Gether Bax sends a message in a bottle down river. Twelve summers later, Paris goes against Maghra's wishes and informs Kofun and Haniwa that Jerlamarel is their real father and provides them with the box of books to read and learn from.
3	"Fresh Blood"	Francis Lawrence	Steven Knight and Hadi Nicholas Deeb	November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
Several years later, Kofun and Haniwa are on the verge of adulthood and have spent the past few years gaining knowledge and skills from Jerlamarel's books. Meanwhile, having failed in his search to locate them over many years, Witchfinder General Tamacti Jun returns to Queen Kane's palace who approves his request to kill himself as opposed to execution as punishment for his failure. Queen Kane receives Gether Bax' message reporting the location of the Alkenny and has a change of heart towards Tamacti Jun, instead ordering him once again to hunt down the children. At the Alkenny's settlement, Gether and Souter Bax' incestuous relationship results in a stillborn and disfigured child. In response, Baba Voss, Maghra and Paris along with several younger Alkenny seek out a nearby 'festival' to encourage tribe members to seek partners from outside their tribe. Unknown to them, Kofun and Haniwa curiously follow behind. The group reach the festival but discover the Witchfinder's rumors of witches have spread and witness innocent people being burned alive. Kofun is captured by slave traders. Haniwa informs her parents and the group track the slave traders to a former mining quarry. Baba Voss reveals his shame of being a former slave trader himself to his family, before carrying out a violent rescue of Kofun. The tribe return to the Alkenny settlement to discover the Witchfinder army on the verge of mounting an attack.
4	"The River"	Anders Engström	Steven Knight and Hadi Nicholas Deeb	November 8, 2019 (2019-11-08)
As the Witchfinder army invades the Alkenny settlement, Baba Voss, Maghra, Paris, Kofun and Haniwa escape along with Bow Lion. Baba Voss leads the group to a river and a raft he had previously constructed in secret. Gether Bax once again betrays the tribe and leads the Witchfinders to the river in pursuit of the group before tracking them. The group defend themselves from attack before Haniwa fatally wounds Gether Bax and the tribe escape downriver. Meanwhile, Queen Kane's parliament convenes and expresses frustration at the amount of resources being used to locate Jerlamarel's children over many years. Shortly after, two parliament members — Lord Dune and Lady An, conspire to murder Queen Kane however the plot is overheard by the Queen's lady-in-waiting Nyrie who discloses the plan. Back at the river, Paris reveals a final letter to Kofun and Haniwa from their father. The letter provides directions to Jerlamarel's location. The group vote in favor of following the instructions and later settle for the night by campfire. The following morning the group discover their weapons missing as well as a small bag containing an item of value belonging to Maghra. Meanwhile, Queen Kane having been lured into a trap, executes Lord Dune and Lady An with the help of Nyrie. With her followers rising up against her, Queen Kane destabilizes the Kanzua dam causing the structure to collapse, flooding the village, and vows to seek out Jerlamarel herself.
5	"Plastic"	Anders Engström	Steven Knight and Soo Hugh	November 15, 2019 (2019-11-15)
As the valley floods following the Kanzua dam collapse, Queen Kane and Nyrie escape. Back at the river, Baba Voss, Kofun and Haniwa search for the missing items and locate a scavenger settlement nearby. Haniwa infiltrates the settlement and locates the missing items but is attacked by a lone figure. Baba Voss and Kofun come to her rescue. The lone occupant is revealed to be a young man by the name of Boots — another of Jerlamarel's children who also has the ability to see. Boots pledges his loyalty to Baba Voss on the condition he can join the group in their journey. Meanwhile, Queen Kane, Nyrie and her driver are attacked by two Shadow Warriors. Nyrie and the driver are killed while Queen Kane is captured and taken to a nearby silk manufacturing settlement known as the City of Worms where she is presented to its leader, a man named Cutter. Unaware of her true identity, Cutter forces Queen Kane into slavery. At the river, Haniwa returns the small bag to Maghra. The group are located by the Witchfinder army once again and forced to retreat into the forest. Maghra and Paris take shelter while Baba Voss and the rest of the group fight off their pursuers. Maghra comes out of hiding and confronts the Witchfinder General, Tamacti Jun. The item inside Maghra's bag is revealed to be a ring worn only by royalty. Upon hearing the familiar sound of the ring's rattle, Tamacti Jun bows before Maghra and addresses her as Princess Maghra of House Kane.
6	"Silk"	Stephen Surjik	Steven Knight, Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz	November 22, 2019 (2019-11-22)
Maghra reveals to Tamacti Jun that years earlier, her dying father, the former King of House Kane, chose her as his successor over her older sister, now revealed to be Queen Kane. With no proof other than her word, Maghra reminds Tamacti Jun that it was his deciding vote that saw Queen Kane emerge as monarch instead. Meanwhile at the City of Worms, a slave by the name of Cora befriends the captive Queen Kane who later reveals her royal status in confidence. Cora is revealed to be acting on Cutter's orders to gain information. Queen Kane is brought to him before Cutter removes a royal amulet embedded within her chest. Back at the river, Boots falsely claims he witnessed Maghra's death and betrays the group by leading them to a cave where they are held in captivity. A woman claiming to be Boots' mother approaches the group and offers to help them escape on the condition that one of them kill Boots due to his past actions. Baba Voss fights off several of their captors allowing Kofun, Haniwa, Paris and Bow Lion to reach the surface, before Baba Voss himself barely escapes alive. Nearby, Boots allows himself to be taken captive by the Witchfinder army and is taken to Maghra. Shortly after, messengers deliver a ransom note from Cutter to Tamacti Jun informing them of Queen Kane's imprisonment, along with the royal amulet as proof of her identity. Boots requests that Maghra let him serve as her lieutenant and offers to track down her sister.
7	"The Lavender Road"	Frederick E.O. Toye	Steven Knight and Robert Levine	November 29, 2019 (2019-11-29)
Tamacti Jun tortures the messengers from the City of Worms to reveal its location, having captured them with the help of Boots. Leaving behind a small faction of soldiers to search for Maghra's family, Tamacti Jun takes Maghra, Boots, and the rest of his army to rescue Queen Kane. Locating the City of Worms, Tamacti Jun sends Boots to scout the area, then uses the information to infiltrate the site himself. After killing the guards he finds the injured Queen, who has been helped by Cora during the commotion to overpower Cutter and strangle him with her chains. Maghra comes to aid her sister, who deduces her identity. Queen Kane reveals that she destroyed the dam at Kanzua as she fled in order to kill her opposers. Tamacti Jun reacts with anger at her selfish actions and considers whether Maghra would be a more suitable replacement as monarch. Meanwhile the others continue on foot, finally locating The Lavender Road—a path lined with lavender described as a route to Jerlamarel's location. The group meet resistance whilst attempting to cross a mountain pass and Bow Lion is injured. Kofun and Haniwa reveal themselves as the children of Jerlamarel, however only they are permitted by the guards to pass through to a bridge to the House of Enlightenment. Baba Voss insists that Kofun and Haniwa proceed, to continue to their destiny. Retreating out of earshot with Bow Lion and Paris, Baba Voss reveals that they are not leaving and will to continue to stay close. Kofun and Haniwa continue across the bridge, where they are met for the first time in their lives by bright electrically powered spot lights.
8	"House of Enlightenment"	Salli Richardson-Whitfield	Steven Knight and Jonathan Tropper	December 6, 2019 (2019-12-06)
Jerlamarel appears and welcomes the twins to the House of Enlightenment — a former prison converted into a settlement with electricity, hot water and an extensive library. He introduces them to half a dozen other sighted individuals — also his offspring. The pair realize Jerlamarel views himself as a savior of mankind and that he has been chosen by God to bring back vision to the world. Nearby, Baba Voss and Paris leave a seriously injured Bow Lion in the care of another tribe. Meanwhile, at the City of Worms, Tamacti Jun agrees with Maghra that Queen Kane should abdicate or face dire consequences. Boots is approached by Cora and attempts to influence him. Maghra informs Queen Kane of the choices open to her, but that ultimately it will not be her decision. Back at the House of Enlightenment, Kofun wakes and overhears Jerlamarel secretly discussing the handover of the twins to a Colonel from the Trivantian tribe who acts on behalf of a mysterious General seeking the children of Baba Voss. Jerlamarel agrees to only hand over Haniwa, which the Colonel accepts. Kofun is discovered and imprisoned before confronting Jerlamarel who fails to convince Kofun of his actions. Kofun attacks Jerlamarel who then orders guards to execute him. Outside, Kofun is saved by Baba Voss and the two re-enter the settlement. Kofun shuts down the generator, while Baba Voss discovers Jerlamarel handed Haniwa over to General Edo Voss — Baba Voss' brother. Baba defeats and blinds Jerlamarel in combat before he and Kofun escape and reunite with Paris. At the City of Worms, Tamacti Jun and Maghra press Queen Kane for her answer, before Boots appears and seriously wounds Tamacti Jun, apparently working in conjunction with Cora. Maghra and Queen Kane emerge — they address the Witchfinder army as joint rulers and announce Tamacti Jun committed suicide out of shame, before Maghra orders the army head to the Lavender Road to look for her family. Baba Voss, Kofun and Paris come across a large abandoned city and vow to save Haniwa.

Production

Development

On January 10, 2018, it was announced that Apple had given the production a series order for a single eight-episode season. The series was set to be written by Steven Knight and directed by Francis Lawrence, both of whom were also expected to executive produce alongside Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Kristen Campo. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Chernin Entertainment and Endeavor Content.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

The Wrap reported on November 7, 2019 that Apple has ordered a second season of the show.[9]

Casting

A July 2018 announcement revealed that Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard had been cast in series regular roles,[10][11][12][13] followed by news that Yadira Guevara-Prip, Nesta Cooper, Sylvia Hoeks, and Archie Madekwe had joined the main cast a month later.[14][15] On October 18, 2018, it was reported that Christian Camargo and Hera Hilmar had been cast in series regular roles.[16] Oliver Rae Aleron and Spencer Prewett from Archspire appear in a cameo in the first episode.[17]

Filming

Principal photography for the first season commenced on September 17, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and ended on February 8, 2019.[18][19] In October 2018, filming was reported to being taking place in coquitlam eagle mountain,north vancouver(water shed), Rutheford service road, Pemberton, Deroche,Delta at boundary bay, mission, Squamish valley, youth detention center burnaby, Allouette in mapleridge and the Campbell River and Strathcona Provincial Park areas of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.[20]

Filming for the second season was expected to begin on February 3, 2020 and end on July 10, 2020.[21] However, in March 2020, Apple TV+ shut down production on the series due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] Season 2 has been confirmed but filming has not been re-started yet.[1]

Critical response

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 43% approval rating based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 4.95/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though its capable cast is clearly game, an over-reliance on gore and a grimly—and at times comically—convoluted narrative blurs See's bold vision."[23] On Metacritic the series has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100 based on reviews from 20 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[24]

Variety's Daniel D'Addario was critical of the show, saying it: "Wastes the time of Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, among others, on a story that starts from a position of fun, giddy strangeness and drags itself forward at a lugubrious pace."[25]

Ben Travers at IndieWire responded positively: "Steven Knight's action-drama is a strange-but-effective blend" and "the balance isn’t quite there yet, as episodes don’t exactly earn their hourlong run time. Momoa, meanwhile, fits the role well."[26]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Visual Effects Society Awards	January 29, 2020	Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode	Adrian de Wet, Eve Fizzinoglia, Matthew Welford, Pedro Sabrosa, Tom Blacklock (for "Godflame")	Nominated	[27]

References

1. Ani Bundel (10 July 2020). "'See' Season 2 Is Officially Coming To Apple TV+". Elite Daily. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
2. "See – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
3. Andreeva, Nellie (January 10, 2018). "Apple Orders 'See', Epic Drama Series From Steven Knight & Francis Lawrence". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
4. Sandberg, Bryn Elise (January 10, 2018). "Apple Orders Drama Series 'See' From Steven Knight and Francis Lawrence". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
5. "Apple Orders Sci-Fi Drama 'See'". Variety. January 10, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
6. Hazelton, John (January 10, 2018). "Apple orders sci-fi series 'See' from 'Peaky Blinders' creator Steven Knight". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
7. Gillibrand, Abigail (January 12, 2018). "Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is making a new sci-fi series with Apple". Metro. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
8. Trendell, Andrew (January 12, 2018). "The man behind 'Peaky Blinders' and 'Taboo' is creating an epic new TV series - NME". NME. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
9. Maas, Jennifer; Maglio, Tony (November 7, 2019). "'Dickinson,' 'See' Renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV+". TheWrap. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
10. Andreeva, Nellie (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa To Star In Apple Series 'See' From Steven Knight & Francis Lawrence". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
11. Goldberg, Lesley (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa to Star in Apple Drama 'See'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
12. Ausiello, Michael (July 10, 2018). "Jason Momoa to Star in Futuristic Drama Series See at Apple". TVLine. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
13. Andreeva, Nellie (July 25, 2018). "'See': Alfre Woodard To Star In Apple Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
14. Petski, Denise (August 1, 2018). "'See': Yadira Guevara-Prip & Nesta Cooper To Co-Star In Apple Drama Series From Steven Knight & Francis Lawrence". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
15. Petski, Denise (August 3, 2018). "Sylvia Hoeks & Archie Madekwe Join Apple Drama Series 'See' From Steven Knight & Francis Lawrence". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
16. Petski, Denise (October 18, 2018). "Christian Camargo & Hera Hilmar Join Apple Series 'See' From Steven Knight & Francis Lawrence". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
17. "Jason Momoa Recruits Archspire Members for New Apple TV+ Show | MetalSucks". November 2, 2019 – via www.metalsucks.net.
18. Takeuchi, Craig (July 30, 2018). "Filming in Vancouver: Jason Momoa, Seth Rogen, Child's Play, Chesapeake Shores, and more". Inside Vancouver. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
19. Takeuchi, Craig (September 17, 2018). "Filming in Vancouver: Jason Momoa, The Man in the High Castle, First Nations feature, Child's Play". Inside Vancouver. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
20. Goulet, Justin (October 15, 2018). "Television production closes off Strathcona Park campground". My Powell River Now. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
21. "Current Productions | IATSE 873". IATSE 873. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
22. Andreeva, Nellie (March 13, 2020). "Coronavirus: All Apple TV+ Active Series Shut Down, Including 'See', 'For All Mankind,' 'Servant' & 'Mythic Quest'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
23. "See: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
24. "See: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
25. D'Addario, Daniel (October 28, 2019). "TV Review: Jason Momoa's 'See' on Apple TV Plus". Variety.
26. Travers, Ben (October 28, 2019). "'See' Review: Jason Momoa Slashes His Way Through Apple's Weirdest New Series". IndieWire.
27. Hipes, Patrick (January 7, 2020). "VES Awards Nominations: 'The Lion King', 'Alita: Battle Angel', 'The Mandalorian' & 'GoT' Top List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 7, 2020.

External links

• See – official site
• See on IMDb