'Omniscient' Review: This Brazilian show opens doors to a technological world that is still a dream in 2020
Spoilers ahead for Netflix's 'Omniscient'
Can a bee-shaped drone control your life? With the Omniscient Surveillance System, everything seems possible in this futuristic city. Netflix's 'Omniscient' or 'Onisciente' is a Brazilian sci-fi series that will make you marvel at the miracles of technology, only to realize it can never stump the brilliance of the human mind.
A 'Black Mirror' twist stares you right in your eyes as a young woman, Nina Peixoto (Carla Salle), comes home to find her dad lying in a pool of blood and is clueless why the drone didn't raise an alarm. The system that boasts of zero crime rates utterly fails at its promise. Alone in her mission to find the truth, she must get to the bottom of it for the sake of her father.
Right at the beginning, the series turns into a murder mystery but adds much-needed charm with bits of scientific know-how sprinkled all over its intelligent script. The credit goes to Pedro Aguilera of '3%' fame, who pieces a gripping tale together from an idealistic idea. With sharp performances, swift pace and immaculate direction, the show makes for an intriguing watch.
Like a slithery snake, the plot wiggles its way into dark tunnels and keeps you at the edge of your seat. While Nina tries to investigate the crime with her hacking skills, her brother Daniel is indifferent and steps out of the drone-infested world to hunt down a hitman. Nina, meanwhile, stumbles upon her father's dark past and befriends a city hall worker, Judite (Sandra Corveloni).
She also gets into a complicated relationship with one of her colleagues, Vivi (Jonathan Haagensen). She suspects her bosses, Ricardo and Caroline, could have a hand in the crime. But who really is the man behind the veil? The plot will try to mislead you into thinking about different prospects and ultimately, leave you with the unsolved enigma!
Broken into six parts, the episodes have captivating names like 'I committed a crime', 'A good person who's done a horrible thing', 'This is our Pandora's box', up until the last one, 'Don't forget that I'll keep my eyes on you!' In all, 'Omniscient' is a clever attempt. The one message it carves in your head is no matter what, the human mind will always be smarter than robots, computers or technology.
What's disappointing is that the story rounds out into a hollow mystery with an open ending. To find the answer, you need to count the days until another season is greenlit on Netflix. For now, you can wrack your brains to try and solve the riddle as you binge-watch this sci-fi drama that merits three and a half stars out of five.
