What is reality? Is it a construct or the one we happen to see around?
1899 is an intriguing show on Netflix created by the same folks who created another masterpiece, Dark. It is a critically engaging and mind-boggling show the show that you would want to end your 2022 with.
It keeps you on the edge of your seat till the end. You are confused till the last crucial six minutes of the show.
The title is quite interesting because it was in 1899 when the interpretation of dreams by Sigmund Freud was published. Every character at one point gets lost in their past. It adds a background story and it also portrays the fears they are running from. The fears are born out of a traumatic incident. Every character in the show wants to escape reality because of these incidents. They have buried these incidents deep in their psyche (in their unconscious). Every time they are lost in the past, a ‘wake
up’ call brings them back on the ship, which
is the reality (for now). The entire study of ‘psychoanalysis’ deals with understanding
the unconscious mind. It was a thriving
field in the late 1800s. There is a possibility that the entire show is just a psychoanalytic experiment. The opening lines from the series ‘The brain is wider than the sky...The brain is deeper than the sea. For hold them, blue to blue...’ reminded me of the iceberg reference used by Freud to explain the unconscious mind.
Another philosophical angle to the show
is Plato’s cave theory. According to Maura Franklin’s father, she was obsessed with the idea and thus created a reality (simulation),
in which they are all trapped. The entire
show revolves around the question of what ‘reality’ is. Maura Franklin, the protagonist of the series resonates with the character ‘Edna Pontellier’ from Kate Choppin’s Awakening, which was published in 1899. Edna’s dilemma to pursue her passions or fit in as a mother, and wife confused her and led her to assert her freedom in an unfamiliar way. Here, as mentioned in the show, Maura Franklin creates a simulation (in 2099) just so she could save her child, this is revealed in the later episodes of the show. According to me, Maura Franklin uses her role as a mother to save her child as an opportunity to bring her learning interests to life. We all know, learned women were frowned upon in the 1800s.
The show is multilingual. It has Spanish, Portuguese, German, and English actors. Class issue (that is, the rich exploiting the poor) is quite evident in the show. Moral conflict is seen in every character. Trying to fit in what they are not has made them confused, which is portrayed in every scene.
In the 1800s, Europeans saw America as
a land of better economic opportunities. The germ of the ‘American dream’ is quite evident in the show. The folks on the ship want to migrate to America. They are not only escaping their fears but also a restrictive Europe. The show is eerie, creepy, and thrilling. To those who have watched it already, ik you can’t wait for the next season. Even I am waiting.
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