1899the latest TV show from the creators of Dark, is a mystery from the start. From the start, the show is clearly toying with a larger mystery, something that will remain utterly opaque for even the first handful of episodes. As the characters – all trapped on a steamer sailing from London to New York, where reality seems to distort – they circle each other understandably cautiously. Nothing on Kerberos is what it seems, and reality seems to be slipping away at any moment.
But in the world of 1899 there’s at least one thing that’s incredibly simple: the music selection. And in this case, that’s not good.
Each chapter of 1899 ends the same way: a steady beefing up of the show’s puzzle, a small reveal (though not particularly revealing of the show’s central or even additional mysteries), and a classic rock-needle drop. They’re distractingly annoying across the board.
Part of that anger is that it doesn’t feel like anyone is reaching out for anything beyond the most obvious choices. Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” is a classic for good reason, as its methodical drumbeat balances the chaotic madness of the Wonderland metaphors. And that’s why it will end up used in everything, the whole time, always. You can make the same argument against Episode 6 “All Along the Watchtower” (edited by Jimi Hendrix)or “The Killing Moon” in episode 3 and certainly “(Fear Not) The Reaper” in Episode 4. The other pindrops from the early season are Deep Purple’s “Child in Time” and Black Sabbath’s “The Wizard,” which are less obvious villains, but no less annoying. The songs played at the end of the last two episodes are spoiler-border enough not to mention the titles, but trust us: they’re considerably worse.
You don’t have to know every time a song was featured on another TV show or movie to know that these just aren’t deep cuts. And unfortunately, 1899 feels like a one-trick pony in that regard, and relies heavily on the anachronistic song choices (at least they’re anachronistic, if the title year is to be believed — possibly part of the show’s larger mystery, who knows). feeling at odds with the times and underlining the characters’ break with reality.
But as each episode comes to an end, the notes they hit don’t add up to much. While mysteries swirl around and questions clog the experience, the music seems simple to easy. Especially when compared to the eerie and industrial score by Ben Frost (who also collaborated on the work Dark and Raised by wolves).
Ultimately, it all goes to show how much of the show isn’t cohesive around her. At the end of the six episodes distributed to critics, 1899 has done little to truly advance its mystery and less to make its passengers feel like they’re anything but in on it. gave away Dark went – weaving its confounding storylines into a larger tapestry where it all makes sense upon rewatching – there’s certainly room for 1899 to develop these ideas a little further. But the soundtrack feels like a hint that the main interests in this show are misplaced.
When the only thing that drives a show is mystery, everything will start to rely on shock value: compelling characters wash down in favor of setting up the next twist. Storytelling decisions are too encased in subterfuge to appear to mean anything. All that’s left is the vibe – and when that’s carried without much artistry to songs we’ve all heard a million times, there’s not much to groove about.
