If you knew the world was going to end, how would you spend your final days? Carol & the End of the World is a refreshing apocalyptic story, offering a profound perspective on the seemingly mundane. The everyday occurrences we take for granted might be viewed differently if we had a collective expiration date.
This ten episode limited series might test your patience with its extra-dry humour and lack of narrative momentum. While it doesn’t always seem like much is going on, the show is quietly making observations and serving up thought provoking commentary. Your disposition going into this show will greatly affect what you take away from it. It’s usually subtle, occasionally a little more obvious, but always asking questions that require a bit of self-reflection.
Loneliness, friendship, community, depression and finding one’s purpose in the world are among the many themes the show thoughtfully explores. It smartly frames ordinary situations through the lens of the world ending, giving everything a lot more weight and finality. What might be a thrilling “seize the day” type of moment for some might seem uninteresting to others. It’s a fairly simple idea, but the apocalyptic countdown adds profound layers of meaning.
While I did find something to appreciate in each instalment of the series, not every episode is created equal. I realize the same can be said for pretty much any show, but here I feel there were a few episodes that were out of place. Ones that took a detour from the main narrative to explore more standalone stories and themes. They aren’t bad, by any means, but in a limited series with only ten episodes, that time could’ve been better utilized.
Carol & The End of the World offers smart and thoughtful insight through a very ordinary looking life. The ticking clock of the apocalypse strengthens the many themes this series explores, making what could’ve been a mundane workplace comedy anything but.
3.5/5
Review by: Benjamin Garrett