Let’s be honest, a lot of TV shows and movies these days have become predictable. That’s not to say they’re bad—the dialogue and plot in Twisters weren’t exactly revolutionary, but I still list it in my top three favorite movies of 2024 so far—but I remember last year lamenting that it had been awhile since I’d found myself truly shocked and surprised by something. And then I watched the show Mrs. Davis…and I have not stopped thinking about it since.
I Think About This Underrated 2023 TV Show at Least Once a Week (Yes, It’s That Good)
It brings new meaning to the word ‘unpredictable’
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Published Oct 29, 2024
Peacock
Mrs. Davis debuted on Peacock in April 2023 and stars Betty Gilpin (GLOW) as a nun who sets off on a quest to find the Holy Grail (yes, that Holy Grail) and destroy the titular Mrs. Davis, a Siri-esque entity that has taken over the world, bringing peace to everyone. That description alone guaranteed I would at least be watching the pilot—rogue nun vs. artificial intelligence? What’s not to love? But the story only gets more bonkers from there. At the beginning of each of the eight roughly hour-long episodes, I would attempt to crack the mystery of where this story was headed, only for things to take an absolutely wild turn maybe 15 minutes in, before ending someplace so entirely different from where we began that I could never have predicted any of it. In fact, unpredictable is perhaps the very best description I could give of this hilariously weird show.
Peacock
Gilpin is phenomenal as Sister Simone, a young nun dedicated to her faith and yet confused and angry about the state of the world around her. Mrs. Davis also stars Jake McDorman (Limitless, Greek) as Simone’s ex and David Arquette (Scream) as her father, a professional magician. The visuals are colorful and lively, and despite the fact that the plot bounces from 1307 Paris to an underground resistance army run by a German anti-AI hitman to the workplace of Jesus (yes, that Jesus), it all still feels grounded and smartly woven together. The show takes a lot of wild swings, but it also ensures they all make sense, at least within the logic of this AI-dependent world. Yes, it’s insane, but it made me genuinely feel for Simone and the people she meets.
Peacock
And now, more than a year after watching, I still find myself chuckling about the absolutely bananas plot lines, attempting to remember how on earth the story got from point A to B. If you ever watched an episode of Black Mirror and thought, “What if this was less harrowing and more wacky?” you’ll likely get a kick out of Mrs. Davis.
You can stream Mrs. Davis on Peacock.
