geek'd
Maniac is a dark humored psychological Sci-Fi, two strangers, Owen Milgrim (Jonah Hill) and Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone), hoop through their own mental mazes when they individually decide to take part in a pharmaceutical trial.
Maniac takes an ambitious crack at visualizing and exhibiting the human subconscious mind. With that complex subject matter at hand the series can come off as confusing or just not making sense, much like human thought process. The travels within the trial participants mind’s can come off as confusing or off-topic, but adds to the charm and humor of this series and alludes to the human psyche. The conscious endeavors of the characters are well thought out and seem to cover all bases, even with the complicated antagonist.
On the other hand, the series’ humor can be a little distasteful but that is just what you get from creators like Netflix and Jonah Hill. Maniac also feels a little full of concept and subject matter at times, given how complex information can come from the study of psychology.
Overall, the series kept me interested and made me laugh at unsuspected times. The Black Mirror-esque sci-fi did a great job at keeping this serious while simultaneously complimenting the story-line with it’s humor.
Final Grade: A-
