In this mysterious drama series, a group of teenagers begin to live with a new destiny to survive after being vaguely transferred to a replica of their rich town. These teens try to cope with everything that happens to them in a new life without any trace to their parents in their lives. Over time, adolescents face more mysterious events in their lives and try to explain them.
Even as much as "The Society" spins its wheels... there just aren't many other teen shows that routinely debate the advantages of capitalism versus socialism or democracy versus dictatorship.
The references to canonical literature and moral texts may not help them much as the teens teeter between good intentions and bad impulses, high ideals and dark desires, occasional clarity and murky confusion. Just like the rest of us.
A concoction of hormonal impulses and moral dilemmas, it can be daffy and even a little dumb, but it has some thematic ambition, a talented cast, eventful episodes and a core mystery that may keep you hanging on through its 10-episode first season.
Not the most innovative or boundary-breaking take on the Lord of the Flies architecture, The Society does justice to much of its potential and there's an audience out there, not exclusively in that young adult demo, that will devour it.
Though it struggles at times to logically connect all of its various threads, the series is more interested in addressing bigger themes and asking loftier questions that may or may not be satisfactorily answered.
Even with an episode built around the teens staging an impromptu prom, The Society doesn't have many lighthearted or upbeat moments. It's about as much fun as attending a meeting of a high school debate club.
The series deftly balances its entertainment value with some thoughtful exploration of issues relevant to a young-adult audience. More engrossing than you might expect.
It's easy to sneer at The Society, awash as it is in teen-series melodrama and a perpetually unsatisfying central mystery that only truly serves as a high-concept hook, but there's something oddly seductive about the show as it comes into its own.
