~ Review ~
A series of two distinct halves, what begins as a profound and refreshing perspective on the crime drama becomes a rushed and overwrought mess in the final three episodes.
"Things are gonna get so good... you'll forget they were ever bad."
2024
Australia
Crime/Drama
Written by John Collee
Watch on Netflix
13-year-old Eli Bell is mature for his age, for all the wrong reasons. He and his older brother have lived through their mother's heroin addiction and face the impending catastrophe of their step-father's return to dealing. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Trent Dalton, this is a story that stares unblinkingly into Darra, a suburb of Brisbane (Australia's third-biggest city), and its trauma and tragedy hidden behind high unemployment rates and low household income. Boy Swallows Universe shares a similar intention with the 2008 film Better Things, which explored heroin addiction in rural England: to extend sympathy to a slice of its country that might otherwise be overlooked.
The key to this new series is Eli's perspective. He is talkative, confident, observant and blunt - a child one might find mildly irritating in real life is here the easiest character to root for in any crime drama I can remember watching. Familiar sequences are interrupted by Eli's big heart and loose tongue, reminding us that this isn't a show about organised crime but rather a show about how organised crime affects families and children. For example, when step-dad Lyle meets with heroin importer Bich Dang, she asserts herself swiftly and cruelly, putting Lyle in his place and showing Eli who's in charge. This is immediately followed by perhaps the most touching single moment in the whole series, as Eli and Lyle try to communicate across a gulf - not of malice or distrust, but of the young boy's fears and the adult's desire to love and protect.
Boy Meets Universe rises above a lot of TV drama by bringing understanding and compassion to these adults with good intentions and doomed methods. Travis Fimmel (known for History Channel's Vikings) is captivating as Lyle, imbuing him with contradictions that slowly earn our love - if not our trust. But the show's deep reserves of empathy are perhaps best exemplified by Robert, Eli's dad - played by probably the most recognisable actor in the cast, Simon Baker. Robert pushes us away at first, just as he violently pushes away his two boys. Over time, he emerges along with his own tragedy as yet another loving but troubled adult; he may be a disappointing father but as he grasps at love and care, we gradually accept his imperfections.
Most of the other adult characters are victims of the show's major failing. Right at the end of the fourth episode, a dramatic event is suddenly visited upon the long-suffering Eli with little leading us in aside from a few clunky, expositional breadcrumbs. It's a big emotional beat that feels unearned, and the problem repeats as the final episodes rush through character and plot development, leaving distinct aftertastes of 'rushed production' and 'novel crammed into too few episodes'. Arch villain Tytus Broz is given a speech early on that leaks a subtle sense of menace, but in the final episode is re-installed at mafia-don status with little fanfare. The difference is striking. Phoebe Tonkin as Frankie, Eli's mother, and Bryan Brown as Slim Halliday do their absolute best to surf the choppy waters of poorly-paced plotting but unfortunately get swept under the waves before the end.
Luckily, it's not all adults. Lee Tiger Halley plays Eli's brother Gus, a mysterious and charming mute teenager who communicates by writing in the air and who sees glimpses of the future. This magical element is a light touch that (mostly) avoids the pitfalls of mysticising disability and provides a refreshing tonal shift that mirrors the child's-eye perspective on a mean and gritty life. Eli is played by Felix Cameron for the majority of the series in a mesmerising turn (this being only his second screen role). Cameron bears the greatest weight across every episode, drawing us into emotional moments and supporting us through the grisly ones. It is a shame then, that Eli ages between episodes five and six. Zac Burgess does a good job of carrying the character into young adulthood, but gone is the child's perspective that made the front half so impactful.
Boy Swallows Universe shows great promise for most of its runtime but unfortunately struggles to conclude, becoming preposterous by its finale. Certainly a team of creators that are worth watching, and a couple of young actors who will hopefully find their way onto more complete projects in the future.
