What truly matters in life? How do you discover and fulfill your potential as a human being? If all technology suddenly were to be destroyed, if 99% of the population were to inexplicably vanish, what would you do with your life?

The web-based series Afterworld confronts these questions within a haunting, vivid and purposefully portrayed post-apocalyptic world. That the story unfolds, and is integrated, across multiple layers of media further demonstrates the craft that went into making this epic tale.

The narrative of Afterworld follows the exploits of Russell Shoemaker: an ad executive from Seattle who was on a business trip to New York City at the time of The Fall – the disappearance of almost everyone on the planet, as well as the sudden loss of technology. As the series unfolds, we follow Russell’s lonely, and often dangerous, trek across the country in the hopes of finding that his wife and daughter survived. As a premise, it’s wonderfully conceived and, more importantly, the manner in which the premise is executed deserves nothing but praise.

The story itself is told primarily through webisodes, averaging 2-3 minutes in length. It may seem counterintuitive to attempt constructing an epic story in a manner which might seem to break the narrative just as it is beginning to build momentum. But in truth, the opposite happens. Because each episode is so short, it provides an opportunity for an unparalleled attention to detail. Indeed, the format allows the series to deeply explore themes of character, morality, philosophy – and even to simply have a lot of fun with sci-fi elements, action, and plot twists. In fact, each installment is more like a poem – a distinct entity which has a specific purpose within the overall narrative framework of the Afterworld story. And considering that season one encompasses 130 episodes, there’s no lack of opportunity for depth, as well as breadth, of storytelling.

More importantly, the depth of each installment, coupled with its relatively short length, allows viewers to choose how they want to experience the show. You can either breeze through the webisodes, simply taking in the most basic plot and character developments, or you can stop after each installment and explore the precision with which it was constructed. There are a handful of shows that deliberately put a high level of thought into creating episodes which are truly self-contained experiences. But so far, I haven’t come across anything that has the attention to detail that can be seen in Afterworld.

Another element that Afterworld contains that most shows do not is a separate, yet nearly vital story layer. Adding to the opportunity for viewers to choose the manner in which they experience the story, Afterworld offers a text-based journal, written by the main character, Russell Shoemaker. In this journal, Russell shares thoughts, reflections and anecdotes that, had they been included in the webisodes, would have weighed the main narrative in minutiae. Instead, pulling these ideas out of the primary story vehicle, and providing them in a journal, allows one more option for viewers who want a more immersive experience. And the journal itself is almost as compelling as the video-based story.

If there is any drawback to Afterworld, any hindrance to viewers allowing themselves to be immersed in the story, it is in the deceptively simplistic animation style with which the series is presented. Afterworld is told through a succession of computer-generated images – but it’s not true computer animation, either. Instead, the story is often told through a series of “still shots” that contain people who share more in common with the look of characters graphic novels, than the more detailed and emotive characters created by, say, Pixar.

It’s enough that viewers might get hung up on the style, without allowing themselves to be immersed in the style – but this is by no means an error. In an interview with series creator, Brent Friedman, he explained that the visual presentation was inspired by the innovative, 1962 short sci-fi film, La Jetée — which used a series of photographs, rather than motion pictures, to tell its own post-apocalyptic story. The result is a style that, once viewers get past the surface layer, is truly evocative and surprisingly effective in conveying emotion and suspense. All of which means that the visual style of the series is just as purposeful as the construction of its episodes.

Because the story is told through static images, an important part of Afterworld’s success is the set of performances from the actors.  Without being able to physically move or emote, these actors are responsible for conveying almost all of the emotions and thoughts of their characters simply through the inflections of their voices.  Voicework rarely gets its due credit (I suppose it’s a case of “out of site out of mind”) but Afterworld boasts voicework that is just as precise and well-crafted as the story elements.  Russell is voiced by Roark Critchlow who manages to portray a character who is often lost, confused, and disheartened — and yet also possesses an inner strength, drive and determination that, no matter the circumstances, will allow him to continue his journey.

From start to finish, Afterworld is one of the most purposefully, creatively and solidly constructed stories out there. Indeed, it offers an in depth, moving, and profound viewing experience. And with the short length of each webisode, it’s a story that viewers can easily leave off and pick up as time constraints warrant. Add in the extra layers of storytelling – from the journal, to the Wordwall, to the music and music videos and downloaded images, to even the concept of the “satellite imagery” of the site itself – and there’s more than enough content to allow viewers to customize their experience to whatever their tastes may be.

Overall Grade: A+

All told, Afterworld just might be one of the best stories no one (outside of the small, but fervent webmedia community) has ever heard of. I rarely heap this kind of praise onto a series, but Afterworld deserves its accolades.

As it deserves being given the chance to tell its story to you: afterworld.tv

*Please note: this is Part 1 of a two-part article exploring Afterworld. The purpose of this article was to provide a series overview and review. Part 2, which will be published in the near future, will provide a more in depth analyses of the themes, characters, and overall plot of the series.

Topics: Sci-Fi, Web Reviews
Filed under: Afterworld

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