Few things have so dominated the zeitgeist recently like artificial intelligence (AI) — the extremely cool but extremely concerning technology with the power to create images that supersede reality or even compose works of art without human guidance. Of course, tensions between man and machine, and fears that tech could become too dominant and replace us, go back for generations, fueling cautionary tales from John Henry to I, Robot. But in the new series Mrs. Davis, about a nun who goes to battle with an all-knowing AI algorithm, those age-old existential questions get a refreshingly modern update in what’s one of the most enjoyably strange releases of the year.

From Damon Lindelof, purveyor of odd but compelling shows like Lost, The Leftovers, and Watchmen, and Tara Hernandez (The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon), Mrs. Davis stars GLOW alum Betty Gilpin as Simone, a nun tasked with taking on Mrs. Davis, an omnipresent, omniscient algorithm Simone blames for killing her father. There’s way, way more going on in the story — a head-scratching mash-up of sci-fi, drama, comedy, action, and more — that would be impossible to synopsize and would ruin the fun if one tried.

“I had worked with Damon Lindelof on the movie The Hunt, so I knew that he majors in crazy s–t,” Gilpin tells Shondaland in a recent interview. “So, I was expecting some form of crazy s–t. I didn’t know it would be this. I was in from page one; he and Tara have created a wholly original, absolutely insane, ever-changing world.”

Indeed, “insane” seems both accurate and not sufficient enough to summarize how wild Mrs. Davis is; it’s one of those shows you have to see to believe … and even seeing it might not be enough to brace you for what’s happening. But Mrs. Davis’ staggering visuals — epic fight scenes, futuristic machinery, breathtaking landscapes, plus lots of blood and gore — are matched by its equally robust, complicated narrative, which has Simone on a quest for the ages.

When we meet Simone, she’s spending her days in a convent making jam. Yet she can’t shake the feeling she’s being hunted — and she is, as Mrs. Davis keeps sending less-than-subtle messages that she wants Simone for a mission. Simone finally relents, meeting Mrs. Davis and accepting her assignment: find the Holy Grail, and in exchange, Simone requires that Mrs. Davis will be shut down for good. Naturally, Simone encounters all kinds of unbelievable obstacles on her way and, not for nothing, ends up in a love triangle with her ex and … an important historical/Biblical character who won’t be spoiled here.

If all this sounds bonkers, well, it is. And while there are moments when Mrs. Davis goes so off the rails, it makes following the story tough, its moments of lucidity outnumber its perplexing ones. Underneath all of Mrs. Davis’ over-the-top, WTF twists and turns is a clever and thoughtful rumination on religion versus technology, free will, and, yes, the increasing, sometimes scary role machines play in our day-to-day lives.

“When we were shooting this show six months ago,” Gilpin says, “AI wasn’t even as much a part of the zeitgeist as it is this second. It’s all happening so terrifyingly fast. Some of the questions that our show poses are ‘Is this a good thing?’ I don’t know. Should we stop and slow down and ask ourselves, ‘What do we want to accomplish here?’”

It’s bold, inspired TV that raises a lot of the big questions about life itself — is religion just a ruse to comfort us from the mysteries of life? Is AI just us playing God? — and spits them out in a messy, can’t-look-away pool. Gilpin says that playing Simone forced her to sit with some of the big questions the show posed, and the ways our obsessions with tech pull us away from ourselves.

“I have a complicated relationship with the church,” she says. “And I have a complicated relationship with the internet. I tried to take a step back and think, ‘Okay, why were these things created?’ They were both created because humans have the instinct to ask why and to connect to each other. But then they end up doing the opposite. AI can’t give us [human] interaction, and it’s never going to have a memory or connection like this. I think that Simone thinks about these things like, ‘What are we gambling? What are we giving away?’ I think we’re maybe risking the best parts of being alive and the purpose of being alive.”

Peacock airs four episodes of Mrs. Davis on April 20, with remaining episodes released every Thursday.

Source: Shondaland