Y: The Last Man TV Review

PLOT: Traverses a post-apocalyptic world in which a cataclysmic Event decimates every mammal with a Y chromosome except for one cisgender man and his pet monkey. The series follows the survivors in this new world as they struggle with their efforts to restore what was lost and the opportunity to build something better.

REVIEW: There are a select few comic books that I have anxiously awaited for the world to see as a feature film or television series. From Watchmen to Sweet Tooth, The Walking Dead to Snowpiercer, most of these have become truly excellent interpretations. The one series I have been desperately waiting to see is Y: The Last Man. Developed initially as a feature film to star Shia LaBeouf, the project was shifted to FX six years ago where it languished in pre-production. Now, COVID-19 notwithstanding, the wait is finally over and this inspiring story is hitting your screen. But, is it too late? With zombies and post-apocalyptic tales hitting a little too close to home, does the fictional side of Y: The Last Man now feel contrived?

I am happy to say that showrunner Eliza Clark has found a way to keep the core story of Y: The Last Man intact from the 2002 comic and has updated it for the intervening events of the last two decades, namely the #MeToo movement as well as COVID-19. By shifting the story from that of the last man on the planet to an ensemble about the women who survive this apocalyptic scenario, Clark and her all female team of writers and directors manages to tell a unique story in an overcrowded genre of post-apocalyptic tales. Thoroughly engaging, Y: The Last Man carries a lot of hefty baggage that belies some of the lighter moments that made the comic book a lot of fun to read. There is fun to be had with this show but you have to wade through the heavy subject matter to get there.

While the comic spanned a lot of time over it’s 60 issues released over six years, the first six episodes made available for this review barely scratch the surface. Instead, the first episodes focus on the mysterious plague that wipes out every living person and animal with a Y chromosome and how the survivors fare in the aftermath. While women make up 51% of the population, the massive disconnect between which genders performed fundamental tasks like truck driving, flying airplanes, and maintaining infrastructure immediately becomes apparent. This is especially noticeable in the expanded role for Jennifer Brown (Diane Lane) who is thrust into leading the United States. Lane is an accomplished actress and she is given a lot to work with here despite her character being fairly minor in the comic book.

You would think that Yorick Brown, played by Ben Schnetzer, would be the main character in the show bearing his namesake, but this Yorick is revamped for this storyline. He still is an escape artist and the last human with a Y chromosome (along with his male pet monkey) and is a bit more relatable than the smug comic book version, but his story feels less vital on-screen than it did in the initial comic run. Now, his sister Hero (Olivia Thirlby) and Agent 355 (Ashley Romans) get a lot more focus. Romans is pitch-perfect as the spy sent to protect Yorick and Thirlby does her best work since Dredd. We also get a standout role from Amber Tamblyn as the far right-wing daughter of the late President in a villainous turn that skews everyone from Ann Coulter to Ivanka Trump.

There is also an added focus on what masculinity actually means. Elliot Fletcher portrays Hero’s friend Sam Jordan, a trans man who survives the plague. This explores what the concept of gender means as compared to sexuality. Trans rights have been at the forefront of the news and social reform in recent years but this is one of the few genre series to really address it head-on. The series also focuses on how, despite the gender disparity of the world, how other constructs such as social class, economic status, and race remain at the forefront. With a cast and crew comprised almost entirely of women, this series faces these topics in front of and behind the camera.

And yet, Y: The Last Man still feels a decade too late. While I appreciate the changes made to reflect our contemporary social culture, the show comes on the heels of The Stand, The Walking Dead, Sweet Tooth, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Snowpiercer. Those are all series that premiered in the last year or are currently airing today. That takes some of the immediacies away from this series. Those shows are also, with the exception of Sweet Tooth, very dark and dreary. Y: The Last Man had a chance to inject a bit more fun into the material but instead opted for a dead-serious story. It may sound like I am trashing the show which is far from my intention. This is a very well-acted series and one that really deserves an audience for the story alone. It just doesn’t feel quite as revolutionary as it should be.

Y: The Last Man premieres on September 13th on FX on Hulu.

Brian K. Vaughn

GOOD

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