Carol & the End of the World

Greetings, ‘Carol & the End of the World’ is a 2023 animated miniseries consisting of 10 episodes which was created by Dan Guterman for Netflix as part of their Original line up. Guterman doesn’t seem to have much in the way of a previous filmography before coming up with this series but he had worked in some capacity or other on several noteworthy shows including Dan Harmon programmes such as ‘Community’ and ‘Rick and Morty’ as well as Shion Takeuchi’s ‘Inside Job’. Among the voice talent for the series is comedienne and actress Martha Kelly as the titular Carol, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Mel Rodriguez, Michael Chernus and Sean Giambrone. The music was conducted by Joe Wong who had composed scores for other Netflix Originals such as the surreal comedy-drama series ‘Russian Doll’ and the quirky animated podcast ‘The Midnight Gospel’.

The plot begins with the revelation, as can be gleamed by the title, that the world is coming to an end. A planet called Keppler is hurtling towards Earth and the catastrophic impact will wipe out humanity in the same manner the dinosaurs had met their sudden end. It is apparent nothing can be done to avoid this fate and with only a few months left until the impact causes its extinction, the human race has devoted itself to the principal of ‘Carpe Diem’. They have abandoned the notions of the everyday mundane routines that had been expected of them like work or household chores, embracing all manner of hedonistic acts and adrenaline-filled adventure seeking instead. As everyone seemingly does this without any qualms, the timid and socially awkward Carol struggles to adapt to her new reality. Carol, a 42 year old former middle-school secretary, attempts to hold on to her past life by consistently writing to her bank who brush her off by telling her all of her debts have been cancelled and advise her to enjoy the rest of her days. With another thread to the old world severed, she routinely visits an abandoned Applebees by herself as it had once brought her contentment when the world was still structured.

Her sad choices concern her elderly parents who have since become nudists and entered a three person relationship with their carer with whom they are going to travel the world via a cruise. Carol lies to ease their concerns by suggesting she has taken up surfing which relieves and assures them that she will be okay. She does attempt to join in the revelry of the chaotic masses by going to wild parties but finds herself more isolated when attempting to participate. One morning a dejected Carol spots a woman smartly dressed in office attire boarding a train. With her interest piqued, Carol stealthily follows the woman who leads her towards a supposedly abandoned building. Carol is shocked to find upon entering that there is a full floor of office space being manned by busy clerical workers. As she tries to find out what is happening, her questions are ignored while Carol is quickly brought to a room where she is photographed and handed a work pass. A confused Carol is brought to a work station and is instructed on what duties to fulfil. Finding solace in the admin work that she had been missing, she happily works away at her new found job.

I really enjoyed this show which I found to be very unique and narratively experimental in certain episodes. The short duration of the series means it doesn’t overstay its welcome and it is brought to a satisfying conclusion by the time the last episode comes around, making the audience resonate with the characters before long. The cast did a great job in bringing their characters to life and Martha Kelly in particular is very well suited to the role with her monotone voice capturing Carol’s personality perfectly. I don’t believe a second instalment is being planned for this show and, if there were such designs, I think it would most likely undercut the bittersweet finale it went out on. This one definitely gets a recommendation from me if you are looking for a bit of escapism and a refreshing take on the apocalyptic genre.

Plot=9/10

Characters=8/10

Special Effects=7/10

Overall=9/10

Quote of the Day

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Ash Williams

Army of Darkness