Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has been described as dark high-fantasy, which would of course appeal to me as a long-time fantasy fan. How I stumbled upon it was because I had just completed the final season of HBO's Game of Thrones. Even though season 8 of GOT went on-air way back in April, I didn't watch it then because I felt my life was already dark at that point. I finally summed up my courage to watch GOT in August. After finishing it, I felt like I wanted to remain in the fantasy realm and was looking for something like GOT or some other fantasy-related media to delve into. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance appeared at the right time in my Netflix timeline.
The trailer piqued my interest a little because there was nothing similar to GOT at the time, but I didn't think much of it. A few days after the series dropped on Netflix, I decided to watch the first episode and see how it went from there. The animation style caught me of guard at first because it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I did not know anything about the The Dark Crystal movie that came out in 1982 or about Jim Henson and his team of puppeteers. You may find it hard to believe me but I did not even realise the show was utilising puppets. I just thought the showmakers used CGI animation but in a style that was unconventional. What crossed my mind as I was watching, "Huh, why isn't their animation style more mainstream?" Either I am really blur or it just because I have never been a fan of puppetry.
The first episode introduced the viewers to the world of Thra, the crystal that generates all life on Thra, the Gelflings, Skeksis and Podlings. The premise of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is that Thra is dying because the Skeksis are draining the Crystal of Truth, which is connected to all living beings on Thra. All Gelflings must rise up to save the crystal and their world. This sounds terribly similar to what we Earthlings are going through with climate change. So-called successful and admired businesses are draining the resources of our planet and the governments and policymakers with the power to stop them are powerless either due to greed, apathy, cowardice, sheer laziness, or a stubborn yet misplaced loyalty to the status quo. It is disheartening to note that the only hope we have for the planet lies with NGOs, the public (those that put the environment above profit/self-interest) and children. The school strike on climate change started by Greta Thunberg should shame the adults into tangible action but the jury is still out on that. While they praise her bravery and determination, action is yet to happen. In our world, the Skeksis are the people heading profit-minded businesses that continue to mine resources without a care of nature and the community around it, and the policymakers that give them free rein.
Back to The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistence, I identified with Deet, a Gelfling from the Grottan clan because she loves animals and talks to them. She sets out to meet the All-Maudra, the leader of all Gelflings, about the Darkening, a kind of dark power that turns usually gentle creatures into hostile beings. The Darkening is actually caused by the Skeksis's manipulation of the crystal. Deet wants to save the animal she loves from the Darkening. The first episode pulled me in because you get to see the ecosystem of Thra, the plants and animals that live in it and the breathtaking scenery of the forests, mountains and ocean.
The Gelflings that inhibit Thra are a race of elf-like creatures and are divided into seven clans. The All-Maudra is the leader of all the clans and in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistence, the All-Maudra is from the Vapran clan. The clans are not at war with each other but they are not exactly friendly with each other either. They have stereotypes of each other and some clans may look down on other clans. The Vapran clan is supposedly the most cultured and we see this during the first scene: the Vapran clan's Princess Brea, daughter of the All-Maudra, doing her research in a vast library with a beautiful spiraling staircase.
Ruling above the All-Maudra are the bird-like creatures known as Skeksis. They live in a huge castle with Gelflings as the castle guard and Podlings as their slaves tasked with cooking, cleaning and playing music. The Crystal of Truth is located in a chamber in the castle which only the Skeksis are allowed to enter. We see that the crystal has been corrupted as its colour is purple instead of translucent white. It turns out the crystal was initially in the care of Mother Aughra but when the Skeksis arrived on Thra, they tempted her with adventures across the universe and gifted her with an Orrery that would allow her to travel across the stars. They told her they would take good care of the crystal while she travelled through space. Mother Aughra believed them and has slept for thousands of years travelling across the universe. During her absence, the Skeksis drained the Crystal to prolong their lives. It gives them the impression of immortality which the Gelflings believe.
However, the power of the crystal is finite and the usual draining the Skeksis performed has not been effective. They must find another source and we now turn to castle guards Rian and Mira, who are also lovers. The two Gelflings came across a Spitter, a giant spider in the castle and decide to search for it, together with Gurjin, a fellow castle guard. They found the Spitter and Mira followed it when it descended to the catacombs, which were forbidden to Gelflings. As a female Gelfling, Mira had wings and she easily flew down to the catacombs and Rian followed her by climbing down. As she explored the catacombs, she ran into Skeksis who brought her to the Scientist, who came up with the hypothesis that the crystal might work again if they could find another source of life for it. Mira, unfortunately, appeared at the right time. In a moment of absolute cruelty, the Scientist decided to drain Mira's essence using the crystal, eventually taking her life. Rian witnessed this from a hidden spot and could not do anything. As he cried, a tear fell on one of the Skeksis and they saw him and chased after him. He became a fugitive from then on.
From this episode onwards, things really began to change. The Skeksis felt their dominion was under threat from a single Gelfling who could go on and reveal their true nature. This is huge, considering the Gelflings see them as the Lords of Thra and actually contribute tithes to the Skeksis twice a year. Rian, who had just lost the love of his life, is bent getting justice for Mira and exposing the Skeksis's true nature. If he succeeds, this could spark a rebellion and the Skeksis will not only be able to drain Gelflings but they would be ousted from their long-held position of power.
As I mentioned before, the set pieces and creature designs were weird to me at first but I quickly became accustomed to them and even admired their intricacies and realness (once I found out they were mostly puppets and actually location sets). Some critics have said they didn't like it because the Gelflings couldn't emote (since they were puppets) but I felt their emotions reached me through their eye movements and body language. While I find the Skeksis morally repugnant, I admired the detail that went into their design and costume. It was similar with Mother Aughra, who reawakened from her deep slumber once she sensed something wrong with the crystal. She is supposed to be an entity like Gaia or Mother Nature but her character design was not what I expected. I was surprised at first but she kinda grew on me. The Podlings resemble potatoes and though their character design is simpler than others, they still made me laugh and feel warm (especially Hup).
I felt that the pacing and the dialogue were both good but of course they are those who complained the pacing was too slow and the dialogue too childish. I didn't think any of these. It couldn't be that I like kids show because I'm also an avid fan of Game of Thrones. I even thought a few of Mother Aughra's comments are appropriate for real-life adult situations.
Here are some of the gems:
- When one of the mini-Arathim (spider) tried to control Mother Aughra's mind (Ep. 7): "You dare try to control Aughra! Aughra can barely control Aughra!"
- When Mother Aughra meets Seladon after the fall of Stone-in-the-Wood (Ep. 8): "Some dress to conceal their body, others to reveal their nature."
- After Seladon leaves for the Castle of Crystal despite Mother Aughra advising her not to (Ep. 8): "Brave Gelfling. Lost, but brave. Cannot see past her own rage. But most never do."
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance may be a puppet show but it is definitely not for children. Some have described it as Game of Thrones with puppets. I agree. There were parallels: the manipulations of the Chamberlain was all too reminiscent of Littlefinger's and the moment Seladon appeared with her new crown and dark robe reminded me of the time Sansa descended the steps of the Vale in her own dark getup. The Skeksis, who discard other creatures lives so easily just so they could retain power, are akin to the Lannisters. It was the perfect follow-up show to watch after Game of Thrones.
There were several political and social commentaries that can be applied to our world which makes this show more layered than just your average fantasy drama. How the seven Gelfling clans push aside their biases to come together against a stronger enemy sends a strong message on the importance of unity. The rise of the little folk against big powers shows that even the downtrodden can eventually bring down a corrupt administration. The crystal in its pure state is a representation of nature in balance. Our world is currently out of balance with resources being extracted unsustainably, overconsumption and the degradation of forests and oceans. And with businesses and leaders unable to do anything effective to mitigate climate change, it really appears that it is up to the little folk to save the Earth. The Skeksis's aversion to death and their means to extend their lives are akin to people who would resort to illegal or dubious methods to stay young and healthy. There were also simpler messages of kindness such as better treatment of Podlings who are either treated as lesser creatures or slaves and kindness to all creatures. The world would be a better place if everyone were kinder to all creatures.
I was pleasantly surprised by The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance even though I dove in headfirst. Sometimes its better watch something or read a book without knowing what it's about. I went on to watch the 1982 movie and enjoyed it as well but I prefer The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance because it had more Gelflings in it. When I rewatched The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance after watching the movie, it was like watching a tragedy unfold and whatever the characters did in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance took on a new sense urgency and significance. It was also like reading Leia: Princess of Alderraan when you already know what's going to happen to the people of Alderraan.
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