Set roughly 100 years in the future, Moonhaven explores whether humanity can save itself and the Earth from self-imposed destruction. In order to protect the future, an artificial intelligence, coined IO, has been developed, enabling the colonization of the moon and the subsequent creation of a kind of Garden of Eden. It’s an idyll in which three generations have constructed a peaceful community, and where IO can learn lessons from the inhabitants via an implanted “mark.” Now, the time is approaching for the third-generation Mooners to travel back to Earth and teach the rest of the world how to repair the planet.
Dressed in colourful, long frocks, the lunar community emits a whiff of cultishness, and it becomes clear from the outset of this slow-burning, character-driven sci-fi series that long-supressed resentments are beginning to bubble to the surface. Despite the high stakes, though, Moonhaven plays out at a pleasant, almost meandering pace, which, while it no doubt reflects the passiveness of the community, clashes against the seriousness of the mission at hand.
Reluctantly dropped into this environment is Bella (Emma McDonald), a pilot whose past is, unbeknownst to her, linked to Moonhaven. Bella is partnered with Paul (Dominic Monaghan), a detective who’s unaware of how to detect a real mystery since, until now, crime is something that this community has rarely faced. Early on, Bella’s street smarts predictably bump up against Paul’s naïvete, and while this dynamic is familiar, McDonald and Monaghan’s emotional commitment makes their characters’ interactions feel believable. As Paul grows increasingly aware of the flaws evident in his reality, his initial innocence gives way to frustration amid the realization that what be believed to be paradise may indeed be a dystopia.
As intriguing as its central premise may be, Moonhaven is undermined by an overreliance on sci-fi tropes, like its changing of the names of everyday things. The Mooners have, during their estrangement from Earth, adopted a distinct way of speaking, their dialogue appearing to be a curious blend of older English and text-like speech like “grats.” It’s a clear attempt to distinguish the colony’s inhabitants from those on Earth, but it feels forced and gratuitous.
Predictably, there’s a shadowy corporation, Icon, pulling the strings in Moonhaven, but there’s little background offered for the company’s existence or motivations. Though it obviously represents the corporate negligence that caused the potentially catastrophic events depicted in the series, Icon remains largely peripheral to the central narrative.
Perhaps that will change in later episodes of Moonhaven. And while the series doesn’t offer the grand statements of similarly themed shows like Foundation, or the high-stakes terror of Invasion, its cautionary tale about humanity’s inevitable self-immolation is disturbing enough to overcome its obvious and familiar narrative deck-building.
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