Ambitious Seattle mayor Margot ( Toni Collette) and her rebellious daughter Jos ( Auli'i Cravalho) find themselves at the forefront of the events, even more than they were in the original story. While no character knows this when it all begins, each will soon get swept up in and try to make sense of this new world they are on the precipice of. Some of this is more grounded in social interactions, but there is a growing sense that the very power structures themselves could soon be upended. There is some awe to be found in what is uncovered, but this initial introduction can only hold a candle to the full scope of the story it is drawing from.įollowing an ensemble cast of characters just like the novel, the series traces the way the modern world could be forever reshaped by these new abilities. Over the eight episodes of the nine-episode season shared with critics, it feels like it is only just scratching the surface of what made Alderman’s work so gripping. Unfortunately, many of its alterations and expansions feel simplistic, crowding out the more complicated reflections that made the book so incisive. Based upon the 2016 novel of the same name by Naomi Alderman, the show captures many of the broad aspects of how this all plays out while exploring some new elements of its own. In Prime Video's science fiction series The Power, there are glimpses of this throughout it tells the story of what would happen if women and girls gained a power that allowed them to emit electricity.

At the same time, there is the potential for the ideas first introduced in its source material to be given new life and energy on screen.

Obviously, the visual language of television is vastly different from the written word and must operate with the tools that are available to it. In any discussion of a series that attempts to adapt a beloved novel, of which this year has already seen several tries to mixed results, a balance must be struck between comparing the two versions of the story and evaluating them on their own distinct terms.

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