Amazon’s animated new series “Undone” is fresh, mind-blowing and getting a lot of buzz. Created by BoJack-Horseman mastermind Raphael Bob Waksberg and BoJack-Horseman writer Kate Purdy, Undone can’t be square-pegged into what you’d call your basic new TV series. It’s bold, audacious and visually astounding.
In her late 20s, Alma (Rosa Salazar) is depressed and basically marking time through life. After nearly losing her life in a car accident, she becomes untethered from reality, experiencing time and space in ways that are impossible to define. Grounded in the mythology of indigenous peoples, she is guided to use her new powers by the ghost of her dead father Jacob (Bob Odenkirk). Jacob, we learn, has some unfinished business he wants Alma to resolve.
What sets Undone apart from the pack of newbie TV shows is its rotoscope animation. We encounter live actors and sets artistically rendered, turning basic dialogue scenes into static images that suddenly come alive. Three-dimensional and two-dimensional scenes dovetail seamlessly, immersing you in a reality that’s visually arresting.
Undone’s first episode unites drama and comedy, revealing a melancholy young woman, her upbeat sister, and a ‘helicopter’ mother. Her dead father is ever-present. The show honestly deals with life, the bad choices we make and the inescapable consequences of those choices.
In the second episode, Jacob breathes some ‘haunt and scare’ into “Undone.” At this point, we embark on Alma’s complex journey to explore her past, one that places her on the threshold of solving her father’s mysterious of death.
Check out the UNDONE trailer.
Alex A. Kecskes is a published author of "Healer a Novel" and "The Search for Dr. Noble"—both now available on Amazon. He has written hundreds of film reviews and celebrity interviews for a wide variety of online and print outlets. He has covered red carpet premieres and Comic-Con events for major films and independent releases.
