The Power

The series only covers about a third of the book and would therefore seem to offer time to explore alternatives, even if ultimately they end the same way (electrical power corrupting as inevitably as any other, and all that). So far, however, the adaptation seems to be following the original’s path, which feels like a missed opportunity.

A decently executed and mostly faithful screen adaptation that undermines itself by demonstrating why a novel is the perfect format for this story.

If the broadness of its scope is intriguing, the broadness of its storytelling sometimes comes as a disappointment. Particularly in the first half of the nine-episode season, The Power too often relies on archetypes over complex characterizations, and talking points over nuanced conversations — though by the final installments, it does manage to generate enough sparks to make a theoretical second season look much more promising.

The Power falls short of expectations dramatically. Not for any lack of commitment by the cast, and neither for any shortage of real-world locations, which help to ground the events which unfold. Failure on this occasion feels more fundamental and comes down to originality. Combined with some sluggish pacing and frequently fragmented narrative choices, audiences will be hard pressed to make it beyond the third episode, which is ironic since that is when things start to get interesting.

For now, the series still feels at best like a sleeping giant, one that inspires the reasonable request to wake me when it truly starts getting somewhere.

The show clearly wants to underscore that women, given too much power, would be as bad as men. But in focusing so dogmatically on its central argument, it forgets to inscribe any of its characters with a motivating force.