In November 2022, Netflix released a new mystery thriller series: 1899. It follows a group of European immigrants travelling to New York on the mysterious ship Kerberos. The show overtook The Crown, placing it in the Top Ten TV Series in the UK. So how exactly have they managed to pull this off?

 

The premise of the show revolves around the passengers of the Kerberos discovering the mysteries of the ship. As the show progresses, we learn that the lower class is prohibited from interacting with the upper class and are confined on a lower level. As their world crumbles, the characters have to learn to overcome the class divide and work together despite the barrier formed by their prejudices. Another barrier is that the members of the ship are verbally restricted as the characters come from various parts of the world and speak in their native tongue. The actors speak a total of nine languages including German, Danish, French and Cantonese.

With a large variation in languages, a diverse cast was essential to the accurate representation of the ship’s many cultures. During an interview with Deadline Hollywood, Jantje Friese (one of the creators) explained, “Being true to the cultures and the languages was really important… language defines so much of your culture and your behaviour.” However, it was difficult to achieve their hope for a multinational cast due to the impact of COVID restrictions. To overcome this, they held the casting auditions on Zoom. Filming was even more difficult - quarantine meant that two days of filming would end up taking the crew around 3 weeks. Being able to surpass the restraints of COVID was important. This is because the series wanted to demonstrate the value of collaboration that extended beyond the constraints of clashing cultural views. Despite all these social, cultural, and verbal limitations, those aboard the Kerberos need to work to unravel the mysteries behind the ship. 

 

The story also focuses on philosophical ideas and concepts such as Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and the question of what reality truly is. The show explored these notions through recurring symbols like triangles and flashbacks, allowing the viewers to have their own interpretation and solve the mystery themselves. The characters are also morally complicated which promotes the idea that there is no “perfect” hero to save the day. A key aspect is the passengers facing their past to confront their mistakes and wrongdoings. There is a consistent theme of accepting their past but also growing from it.

 

These unique perspectives make the show a must-watch for anyone that is interested in sci-fi, period dramas and light horror. It takes us on an emotional journey with these characters as we learn about their backstories and their current realities. It has unpredictable plot twists and, in my opinion, has a satisfying yet intriguing conclusion to the first season which leaves the audience excited for a second one.