Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Swamp Thing’ On DC Universe, Based On The Comic About A Scientist Who Becomes One With The Swamp

If you’re a comics fan who doesn’t remember the last time you read a Swamp Thing book, you’re likely not alone. The character, introduced by DC in 1971, has been sporadically popular over the past 48 years, mostly in the ’70s and ’80s. But the idea of an ugly swamp creature protecting his home hooks into environmental themes and just the desire to give people the ickiest shows possible. Read on to find out more about the DC Universe service’s latest series…

SWAMP THING: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A boat with some researchers row through the swamp on the Louisiana bayou. They’re soon attacked by a fast-growing plant that not kills everyone aboard.

The Gist: CDC investigator Abby Arcane (Crystal Reed) is called to investigate the fast-growing vegetation that is getting people sick in her hometown of Marais Parish, Louisiana. When she goes to the hospital of a girl who seems to be coughing up plant matter, she runs into a scientist who managed to get into the girl’s secure ICU ward. When she hears that the plant has been spotted overtaking a local’s house, she goes there with her old friend, sheriff’s deputy Matt Cable (Henderson Wade), and they not only encounter a body completely overtaken by the plant, but the scientist from the hospital, as well.

The scientist, Alec Holland (Andy Bean) has been investigating what’s been causing this incredible growth for Avery Sunderland (Will Patton), who fired Alec when things got too uncomfortable for him. Alec shows Abby what he knows and she’s amazed by how quickly plants grow with a particular additive added — and how deadly they become. He”s pretty sure that the growth chemical he created for Sunderland is being dumped in the swamp, and is also responsible for the virus.

The two go to the local watering hole to meet Abby’s friend Liz Tremayne (Maria Sten), a bartender and local reporter who tells her that someone has been sending boats out at night to look into the plants. Abby also runs into Maria Sunderland (Virginia Madsen), who used to be a second mother to Abby but who now blames her for her daughter’s death when the two of them were still in high school.

When Alec goes to investigate a lead that night, he’s shot by a mysterious interloper and he falls into the swamp. As Alec goes looking for him, she discovers a human-looking monster covered by seaweed (Derek Mears), but no sign of Alec.

Our Take: There were moments during the pilot for Swamp Thing where the show was unbearably dark (literally… there were scenes where we could barely see what was going on) and thuddingly boring. Then, there were others that scared the living bejeezus out of us. So we’re not quite sure what to think of this series, based on a character that has been in the DC catalog for over 40 years, but had its heyday in its early days.

Gary Dauberman (IT) and Mark Verheiden (Ash vs. Evil Dead) adapted the comic for TV, and they’ve been able to revitalize the title without making things too stylized. Unlike some of the other series that have appeared on DC Universe, the origin story of how the Swamp Thing was created is pretty much set up by the end of the first episode, and the story of how that happens is told in a straightforward way.

However, that straightforward manner does cause a few problems, like the overly generic characterization of Abby Arcane and the folks that populate her hometown. It stands out in certain scenes when more experienced actors (see below) make a meal out of what they get while folks like Reed are merely nibbling. We’re also not sure we care enough about Alec to wonder if his consciousness is a part of Swamp Thing or not. And, if Swamp Thing is there to save the swamp, how exactly will he do it?

Sex and Skin: Hard to think about getting it on when there’s a swamp-borne virus around.

Parting Shot: Swamp Thing slowly rises out of the swamp and starts to chase Abby, but she’s too fast for him.

Sleeper Star: Virginia Madsen feels like she’s acting on a different level than everyone else. When Maria makes a speech to Abby about how much she suffered watching her daughter die, we were transfixed and just wanted to see more of the Oscar nominee. In the second episode, we’ll see another veteran, Jennifer Beals, playing Matt Cable’s mother, Sheriff Lucilla Cable.

Most Pilot-y Line: Abby is about to tell Alec about why her relationship with the Sunderlands went south, and a printout spits out of the printer. Ugh. Then she nonchalantly says “I killed her,” and quickly changes the subject. There was barely even a “wait… what?” coming from Alec.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Swamp Thing isn’t the best DC series out there, and could use some tonal consistency and more interesting characters. But it’s scary and gross enough to watch beyond the first episode.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, VanityFair.com, Playboy.com, Fast Company’s Co.Create and elsewhere.

Stream Swamp Thing on DC Universe