These days, Google automatically summarizes our search results without us even asking. Your phone helpfully suggests the next words you should text, and ChatGPT answers any question you can think of. Artificial intelligence feels like it’s seeped into every corner of modern life — but what if it actually did take over the world?
The 2023 Peacock series Mrs. Davis imagines a future where that happens — but instead of creating a dystopia that enslaves humanity, the AI eliminates war and famine.
“Mrs. Davis,” as the AI is known in the U.S., is a benevolent, maternal algorithm who talks to people via their phones and gives them altruistic missions that can earn them “wings,” a much-desired augmented reality status symbol. But Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin), a young nun with a complicated past, is determined to prove that Mrs. Davis is not what it appears to be.
Here are a few reasons why you should watch this Peacock limited series in April.
It Has An Impressive Pedigree
A deadly serious drama that’s also very funny, Mrs. Davis is the brainchild of Tara Hernandez, who is best known for writing on The Big Bang Theory, and Damon Lindelof, creator of Lost, The Leftovers, and Watchmen.
This combination of sitcom-style joke writing and brilliant world-building results in a show that’s genuinely unique. Lindelof said on podcast Into It that “Tara is unequivocally the boss,” but the influence of both creators is obvious and wonderful.
It’s Big, Loud and Unapologetic
Mrs. Davis’ characters and scenarios sound like something out of a comic book. A motorcycle-riding nun, a rodeo cowboy leading an anti-algorithm resistance (Jake McDorman), a mission inside a whale’s stomach and a Super Bowl commercial produced by the Knights Templar are just a few of the larger-than-life elements the series portrays.
Despite the absurdity, Mrs. Davis’ utter lack of self-consciousness makes them all feel real and logical. It’s heightened reality, sure, but it still feels relatable, and its sci-fi elements aren’t too out there to dismiss as pure fantasy.
You’ve Never Seen a Love Triangle Like This One
A nun talks to Jesus in Mrs. Davis. Peacock
Throughout the series, Simone is pulled between her extremely literal love for her “husband” Jesus (Andy McQueen) and her ex-boyfriend Wiley (McDorman). Personifying Jesus allows the viewer — religious or not — to understand a nun’s devotion in a way that’s rarely been shown on screen.
But her relationship with Wiley is full of history, rapport and a secret connection even they don’t know about. It’s a love triangle unlike anything seen in any show currently streaming.
Betty Gilpin Gives a Career-Best Performance
Betty Gilpin in ‘Mrs. Davis.’ Peacock
Gilpin isn’t quite a household name yet — she’s best known for Netflix’s gone-too-soon wrestling series GLOW and the controversial action thriller The Hunt.
But as Sister Simone, she gets to use every tool in her emotional toolbox: wry irritation, religious ecstasy, deep despair and righteous anger. She’s an underrated performer you won’t regret seeing more of, and Mrs. Davis gives her an all-too-welcome showcase for her many talents.
The Themes Are More Relevant Than Ever
As AI continues to grow in prominence, Mrs. Davis invites us to think about what its consequences might be. While the algorithm on the show truly wants to help humanity, can a machine really understand what makes human beings happy? Can it understand love, pain or grief? And what might happen if it tried to do so?
Mrs. Davis juxtaposes technology with religion in ways both blatant and subtle. The AI is worshipped and adored by millions, with a fervor on par with any religion. Hernandez and Lindelof don’t seem to condemn artificial intelligence, but they don’t definitively argue that religious worship is the superior way to live, either.
The show simply asks us to consider what we personally idolize — for better or worse.
Mrs. Davis is streaming on Peacock now.
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