Sweet Tooth: A critic about the ambitious Netflix production
April 29, 2023
Released in July 2021, the first part of this story soon became one of the public's favorites in the famous platform. Two years after the premiere of the first season, we can confirm the phenomenon that the series caused only by taking a look at the high expectations that have formed around the premiere of the second season this year. The series has one of the highest budgets and promises to become one of the most watched productions so far this year.
The story is an adaptation of the homonymous comic by Canadian Jeff Lemire, published in 2009 on DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. Although it is an adaptation that tries to keep the main core of the story intact, changes are inevitable when it comes to bringing a story based on written material to the screen. Even though the original story experiences some small modifications, the essence of it, in general, remains intact.
Sweet tooth follows the adventures of a hybrid half-deer, half-human boy (Gus) and a grown man (Jepperd AK “Big Man”) in a post-apocalyptic world. Both must discover the truth behind the origin of these "hybrid" children and what connection exists between them and the great plague that hit the planet, killing almost half of the world's population.
The protagonists must embark on an adventure in search of some answers about what happened in the past and, eventually this trip will lead them to face the reality about their own existence in the current world.
Their adventure in general is quite entertaining, mixing elements of comedy accompanied by dramatic situations in which they are on the brink of death. These are scenes that appeal to the viewer's empathy, since it is very difficult not to put yourself in the place of these two protagonists. The premiere of the first season takes place one year after we have all experienced one of the most serious crises that has hit the planet in this century. We are referring to the crisis caused by the Covid-19 virus. The first season undoubtedly challenged us in the deepest, by using the classic narrative of a dystopian world, at a time when we barely finished believing that everything would return to "normalcy".
With a shocking and dark narrative, the story moves into the bowels of the viewer and manages to delve into the depths of the audience, using both protagonists sometimes to cause tenderness and other times to reveal the darkest secrets that these two characters can keep.
First season
The first part of this story can be described in a few words as very sweet and adorable. Well, it is something to be expected, we are talking about a protagonist who does not exceed 8 years old. But we must stay alert during every episode because the story takes many turns that can leave us with our mouths open at any time. In fact, this is one of the main characteristics of this show, it has a dynamism that does not allow us to take our eyes off the screen for a single second.
This is a season in which the producers have tried to mix the dark elements of the original story with the warmth and tenderness that both protagonists offer us. As the chapters progress, the protagonists will get to know each other better and form a very special bond, creating a very pleasant family atmosphere. In this way, despite the fact that the story is narrated to us by an adult man who, apparently, has gone through a lot in life, the series also gives us the innocent optics of a child, giving a more optimistic perspective to the events that unfold. presents them both in a post-apocalyptic world.
Basically, in this season the story revolves around the adventure of Gus and Jepperd in search of the truth. A truth that will lead them down dangerous paths and malevolent villains. Both must learn to trust each other to go through the great difficulties that can exist in this dystopian world. Only then can these two unexpected buddies become the heroes of history.
Second season
The second season comes after congregating high expectations and created a large base audience that was expectant at any notice of its premiere. The first part had left us expectant and with several unresolved issues. We have waited for them, and all the answers are finally available in the second season of this exciting story.
Unsurprisingly, season 2 basically picks up where its predecessor left off. Gus is in jail with his hybrid friends, now he will have to learn to deal with other hybrids, while Jepperd is recovering from his injuries with a new ally. Although the nucleus that united these two adventure companions has been momentarily broken, the marked family component of the series is still there, since Gus has not forgotten his friend, nor has the latter abandoned him.
One of the very abrupt changes that the story experiences is the situations that both friends must face, escalating in complexity and danger. Indeed, the dangers are becoming more and more concrete, thus raising the importance of the villains of the story. And it is that, without a doubt, the one who steals important minutes of history this season is the fearsome General Abbot.
Much of the narrative in this second part is based on delving into the depths of this character, who, although he was already presented to us in the first season, the fundamental element now is to understand his true intentions and to know what is behind all his plans of expansion and conquest. Something that in turn serves to get to know the societies that have been formed around this post-apocalypse world a little better.
A purely aesthetic aspect that is important to mention and that makes us believe that perhaps this second season would have needed a higher budget. We are referring specifically to Gus's cellmates. It may just be the difficulty of bringing some characters from the original comic to the screen. Some designs, inspired by the original comic, just don't quite work as well when transferred to the real image. In our opinion, it is nothing serious, but it is an aspect to consider, especially for those of us who do not enjoy extremism in fantasy stories.
For the rest, what is really important is that the story flows in the narrative. This is the fundamental thing in this season; the deepening of the motivations of the characters, which until now we only knew very partially.
To achieve this deepening, it was necessary to see each character separately, that is, presented as individuals with quite heterogeneous and dissimilar thoughts and motivations. In that sense, the personal journey of the characters is what makes it possible to delve into each one of them. This allowed us to see a clear evolution in the character of the "Big Man". It seems to be going through some kind of redemption, already present in the previous season but here it goes even further, or its true motivations are simply known in more detail.
So, it seems like season 2 is a clear step forward that confirms this show as one of Netflix's essentials. Netflix has been having trouble lately trying to rank new releases. But 'Sweet Tooth' could be the exception and become one of the great successes of the platforms. Maybe we are rushing but this series promises to be at the level of previous hits like "The Umbrella Academy" and "Stranger Things."
For now, it's just conjecture, and only time will tell if 'Sweet Tooth' really has the power to stay among these cult, fan-favorite sitcoms. But with a lot of new competition like Marvel on Disney+, it won't be an easy task for Gus and his friends, anyways we're sure this little hero with adorable fluffy ears will progressively gain ground in the platform and people's hearts.
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