After the debut, Supacell was only original Netflix series in the top 10 in the US. He also won huge viewership in the UK and a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. While its pacing struggled at times throughout its debut season, it ended strongly with its final episode.
Combining the stories of five black Londoners with superpowers, Supacell explores the concepts of community division and unity, the necessity of alternative economies, and interpersonal relationships with the added pressure of superpowers. Characters with superpowers have the ability to band together to save the lives of their loved ones or fight each other to see it all fall apart.
These themes also reflect the current socio-political climate in the U.S., where messages of unity are permeating the 2024 election landscape following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement four years ago and ongoing threats to human rights. Supacell may be tough to watch, but it’s crucial that we do it.
After separate episode 5creator Rapman managed to successfully tie the storyline together in a thrilling finale that left the series clamoring for more seasons.
Supacell is activating
In this episode, we finally see our heroes begin to employ their powers in a unified and combined way to take on the mysterious, electricity-wielding, hooded enforcers who are trying to stop them and kidnap them, but they have to lend a hand each other get out of their own way.
For example, Tazer (Josh Tedeku) remains hot-headed and irate over the death of his mother. When Michael (Tosin Cole) stops the enemies in time, Tazer rushes into action without consulting the team. To stop him, Michael transports him to another time and place, but this releases the enemies where they were, leaving the remaining members of Supacell to deal with them. In this scene, we see how this lack of unity is a substantial detriment to the remaining members of the team, as Rodney and Sabrina are left to fight two on four, and Andre is nowhere to be found.
When the enemies set Rodney (Calvin Demba) on fire, Sabrina (Nadine Mills) becomes enraged and uses her powers to push all four away.
Sabrina’s heroic moment doesn’t end there, as Rodney is badly burned. She assesses him, stating that he needs to go to the hospital, but Rodney then heals right before their eyes, revealing that his superpowers also grant him some kind of regenerative ability. As the de facto leader of the group, Michael uses his leadership skills to protect the three other heroes while they recover from their fights. But you can see how much stress this adds to his life, how constantly taking care of everyone else in his life adds even more stakes to his day. This is the Michael I wanted to see more of in the final episode, not someone struggling to tell the truth, but someone whose living truth is about protecting others. It’s refreshing to see the OG Michael back and finally telling the truth to Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo). To be a hero, Michael has to be motivated by more than fear, and he eventually accepts that.
Critique of Surveillance Culture
While the symbolism of a shadow organization run by white men who keep black people with superpowers imprisoned and under surveillance is obvious, there is another insidious motive behind the organization’s actions: surveillance. They are able to track and confront Supacell thanks to their ability to eavesdrop on publicly placed surveillance cameras.
The idea that an organization — representing both misguided governments and real-world substantial tech companies — could be watching becomes increasingly disturbing when we see how it uses the information it collects. The public is becoming increasingly aware of the problem as governments potentially change because the data helps foreign governments influence choices on social mediaand as tech companies sell our data to the highest bidder. Supacell is largely unaware that they are being watched, even though they know some nefarious group has them in its sights.
Not all surveillance systems and technologies in Supacell is bad though. We also learn that Jasmine’s father used a tracker on her bag, not out of malice but out of overprotectiveness, and was able to determine that she had been taken to a facility called “The Estate” or Ashington Estate. Dionne reveals that she used to serve clients there, but the facility is being torn down and is currently devoid of people. Jasmine’s father plays a recording of his last conversation with Jasmine, in which he says that they are hurting her by forcing her to employ her powers all the time, and that she wants to go home.
As the (white) man in charge of The Estate walks past several superpowered black inmates, he deliberately ignores their pleas. The guards mistreat Jasmine as they drag her to a larger cell containing an injured black man with a deep laceration across his back. Jasmine uses her powers to heal him, and we then see that the injured man is Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa), who has also been given an injection to silence his powers.
At the center, Andre learns that the “supercell” is a mutation of sickle cell anemia, which is why these superpowers, like the disease, are common in black people. And naturally, the organization wants to control it and offers Andre what he needs: a stable job with a steady income. The director explains that being near other people with superpowers can activate the power of a given person (cell).
Two major players in this episode employ threats to exert power. The first is the CEO of The Estate, who suggests that his son AJ will be protected and cared for if Andre agrees. The second is Krazy (Ghetts), who threatens to hurt Tazer’s grandmother if he doesn’t show up for the meeting – meanwhile, Sabrina is ready to confront Krazy about Sharleen’s disappearance.
Women’s victory
I’ve criticized the way the show handles its female characters, but Sabrina’s character arc is satisfying. By day, she’s a nurse, caregiver, and healer, but as someone with superpowers, she does a lot of damage with her power when it’s triggered by rage.
I appreciate how this all comes together in the final episode of the season and I feel like it represents the role that society expects women to play and the anger that we are supposed to suppress because we are expected to be the caretakers all the time despite all the stresses in our lives. It took a while, but I am glad that Rapman did a good job with this character.
The death of another female character mainly serves to motivate one of the male leads, and while it didn’t happen at the beginning of the season, it’s frustrating that it’s its primary plot function.
Without giving away any obvious spoilers, the final battle is epic. Michael learns that sometimes no action will yield the desired result. This reinforces the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” nature of living in a society built to reinforce your failure, not your success. Michael follows the rules. He’s special. He tries to change all that’s wrong and take care of his fiancée, his infirmed mom, and his newfound Supacell family. But ultimately, there are too many systems and points of power working against him. It’s a tough lesson, but a realistic one that many superhero shows try to sidestep in favor of wrapping everything up in a hopeful bow instead of acknowledging the reality of the world superheroes have to function in.
Future Supacell
Supacell fans can hope: Netflix has not canceled or renewed Supacell. While the series functions satisfactorily as a standalone season, Rapman revealed Radio Times that it has plans for three full seasons of the show — and the season ends with a clear direction for the recent season. The creative and expressive concept provides a lens for depth and exploration that other superhero shows lack.
While some episodes of the first season were much better than others, Supacell is a refreshing take on superheroes, exploring black identity in a way that mainstream superhero series don’t. The show is also set in London, and while I love American superhero movies and shows, watching a well-voiced show from another culture broke the monotony of superhero shows for me.
Supacell is about sophisticated characters whose stories could fill more seasons and voices that deserve more time and space on Netflix. Since we don’t have Michael to lend a hand us with that in real life, it’s up to the fans to watch the show and advocate for more seasons.
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