As if this past year wasn’t already Black Mirror-y enough, we’ve got another dose of dark, techy drama in this latest six-part series from Amazon Prime.
The premise surrounds a test that determines who your soulmate is by looking deep into your eyes – we admit this bit is kind of obvious, but still refreshing to see a test that isn’t a swab shoved up your nose to tickle your brain. This means those who are lost and longing for love can skip the swiping and go straight for the love of their life. Sounds great, right?
Well, unless you’re an already contentedly married couple. In this case that’s Nikki (played by Sarah Snook who you’ll recognise as Succession’s Shiv) and Franklin (Kingsley Ben-Adir). They did it the old-fashioned way, meeting in college, getting shacked up, married and pregnant. But now all their pals have found their Soulmates, and are sickeningly in love. So the pair start to question, are we really that happy?
From here we are thrown into a world of uncertainty surrounding a quickly crumbling marriage, the temptation of the test, plus questions over what happens if your soulmate is already dead, or if they’re a gender you have never been with before.
Admittedly, it’s more of a distressing dance than a cheerful caper, but for people who like their telly to come with a side dish of existential dread, then this is an entertaining watch with a cracking cast.
When the show first aired across the pond in October 2020, it was immediately renewed for a second season, and The Telegraph’s Michael Hogan says “You can see why. Soulmates hits upon a new way to explore an age-old subject.” However, for Variety’s Caroline Framke “the chapters that work best, by a mile, are the ones that remain as firmly grounded in reality as a futuristic series can.” And the Independent’s Ed Cumming agrees, saying that in these more intimate episodes, Soulmates “gives space to emotions and people instead of technology.”
First shown February 2021. You can watch the trailer by pressing play on the show image, or by clicking here:
