Stars: 4.5/5
“Maniac” manages to balance an absurd premise with realistically flawed characters as it guides us through a study in just a few of the ways our families can mess us up. We follow Owen Milgrim (Jonah Hill) and Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone) through an experimental drug trial that hopes to fix the problems you can’t take a hammer to.
The show takes place in a near future cyberpunk setting with a distinct Windows ‘95, old-school aesthetic. It’s distinct and comforting to those who grew up with that style of tech, but if you couldn’t get into “Altered Carbon,” odds are getting into “Maniac” will prove difficult as well.
One of the first things we learn about Owen is that he’s schizophrenic, and throughout the show this internal conflict endears him to the viewer. We’re supposed to believe what we’re seeing because this is a show, but through Owen’s eyes it could all just be a trick of the mind. It’s easy to understand his unease as the real and internal worlds within the story get more and more fantastic.
Annie is a drug addict. She’s been abusing the “A” pill, an experimental drug she’s just run out of at the beginning of the show. Taking the “A” pill forces her to relive the worst day of her life. We learn during the trial that this is the first step in the process of recovery.
A supercomputer who can feel presides over the more ethereal aspects of the drug trial. The lead scientist is in love with her, and if it weren’t for all of the issues floating around the lab, it would be cute. As it stands, the fallout from their affair ends up driving conflict of the entire show in a way that’s impossible to predict.
Family is at the heart of “Maniac.” Owen is trapped by the actions of his family, Annie is haunted by her own actions toward her family and Dr. Mantleray (Justin Theroux) feels the shadow of his mother wherever he goes. There is no reaching the end without facing the people who made them who they are.
This series gets weird — there’s really no way around it. But once “Maniac” has its hooks in, it’s hard to tear your gaze away. Nothing quite makes sense until it does, at which point you realize the answer has been looming in the background the entire time. Don’t think too hard, or you’ll look down and miss it.