Philip K. Dick’s, Electric Dreams. Episode 1, The Hood Maker.

Hello, and welcome to my very first review of Electric Dreams. The ten episode series is inspired by Philip K. Dick’s renowned short stories. In England, the series was shown on Channel 4. The channel pushed the boundaries of creativity, when it first began its transmission in 1982. Electric Dreams is reminiscent of their early achievements. I am only just discovering the work of Philip K. Dick, so I have no preconceptions, or expectations from this show. I am very curious to learn how some of the best American and British writers and directors, and a cast of talented actors bring this unique writer’s visions to life. 

 

Director, Julian Jarrold. 

Written by Matthew Graham. 

Starring, Richard Madden as Agent Ross, Holliday Grainger as Honor.

Production and Design. 

First of all, I will be honest and say it took me quite a long time to imagine this as a Philip K. Dick story, as I always imagined his work to be set in America. However, this is my fault alone. Instead, I placed myself into a world where there are many different cultures, living side by side. I was impressed with the production value of this episode. The sets are realistic, the costume design is fantastic and Electric Dreams is a moment where cinema and television are pulled closer together. The visualisation of the world was a mixture of victorian and futuristic landscapes, bringing together the old and the new. There are a lot of wonderful scenes, bringing emotion and beauty to the screen. One great moment comes as a projector reel catches fire, and the image is projected onto a wall. Another, is when Honor is standing in a river, watching a young Ross fly fishing.  The hoods that people wear to block out the telepathic thoughts are frightening, and set the mood and anxiety for the episode. I still feel anxious, as I think about them, but I guess that’s what the director set out to achieve. The look and tone of Electric Dreams is beyond satisfying, and I couldn’t have asked for more.

Story.

We all have those moments. When you can feel someone close by, or have a feeling something is about to happen, and it does? This story reminds me of those times, and I do believe that humans will be able to read each other on a much higher level in the future. My vision of that future is a little less chaotic than Philip K. Dick’s, but he understood the human condition far better than me. The Hood Maker begins with a group of people with telepathic powers. The Teeps help the Free Union control the political landscape. We are introduced to Honor, who  is recruited to work with Agent Ross. Ross wants to seek out the hoods that have been manufactured and distributed to people to help block out telepathic thoughts. Without the hoods, the Free Union will be open to attacks. A political member who uses the hood  is later attacked by a group of telepaths. Agent Ross and Honor end up sharing a romantic encounter together, and Honor finally works out where the hoods are being produced. This leads to the pair coming face to face with the distributor, and the telepaths. James Cutter explains that he made the masks, because everyone has a right to their privacy. And in time, we will learn how to block out all thoughts without the mask. Ross already has those powers, and is already using them to manipulate the telepaths, including Honor. The telepaths take care of James Cutter, but it’s the confrontation between Honor and Ross that now takes centre stage. The factory used to produce the hoods is on fire. Honor is locked in a room, safe and away from danger. Unfortunately, Ross is locked out. Honor, who is still coming to terms with Ross’s abilities, asks him if she can read his mind. The memories are now clear, as she watches Ross fish with his father as a child. However, she begins to see that she has been used all along. Ross pleads with Honor, and tells her that he never expected to fall in love with her. He begs her to trust him, but the fire creeps closer. The episode ends, and I guess we have to decide what happened next?

Conclusion.

My conclusion is pretty simple, we as a society are already wearing masks. Nobody really trusts our World’s leaders, but we don’t need telepathic powers to work that out. We can feel it, but we do nothing.The story of Ross and Honor hits me a little closer to home. I block people out, and I don’t think it is a good thing for me. I think everyone is a little scared to let people into their lives, and you just have to hope you can see the sincerity in people once you do. I enjoyed The Hood Maker, and it is a great way to start the series. Fantastic story, amazing actors, and a feeling that the show will become something great. It’s early days, but I am having fun and I hope you can join me for episode two.

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