Review: ‘Scavengers Reign,’ from montage to award-winning series
“Scavengers Reign.” When first viewing the thumbnail for this sci-fi series, something in that title enticed me. I’ve always had some fascination with vagabonds, voyagers traversing large expanses of land or nomads that venture into new territories as their everyday activities. Such a simple yet dissonant title providing so much figurative weight — it hooked me.
Little did I know it would become my highest-rated TV show and potentially one of the best pieces of media I have ever consumed. Created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, this beautiful single-season HBO Max original aired Oct. 19, 2023. Being two years after its release, I am surprised I haven’t found anyone else talking about the craftsmanship and details that went into producing the whole series. And I know I am not alone in its appreciation, as it has 4.5/5 on Letterbox and 8.6/10 on IMDb. It seems to have eluded pop culture, as I don’t run into any casual conversation around the show. Maybe I just have to reconsider who I am surrounding myself with.
Fragmented in orbit around an alien planet called Vesta, the damaged freighter Demeter 227 jettisons several escape pods toward the surface. Many malfunction and burn up in the atmosphere. A few surviving crew members are distantly scattered across Vesta, plunged into the vastly different and mysterious biomes of the planet. This is where the story begins.
“Scavengers Reign” follows the journey of three separate parties. Each plot displays the dazed crew members of the Demeter surviving, exploring and understanding the strange world they were dropped into. Throughout the series, as viewers, we feel we are discovering this world alongside the characters — and sometimes even separate, on our own personal journey — watching the ecosystem unfold in front of us. Aside from the visuals, the most compelling quality of this series is the contrast between each crew member’s experiences on the planet and how their backgrounds influence their direction.
One plot I liked in particular was with Azi Nareen, a cargo specialist on Demeter, and a robot called Levi. Together they learn to acclimate to the surreal life forms that inhabit the planet’s surface. Being stranded in a particularly desolate biome, Azi is frustrated with her situation and often finds herself fighting with the environment and struggling to navigate the terrain efficiently. Meanwhile, a strange fungus slowly fuses itself with Levi, giving the once mechanical and utility driven droid human-like qualities. Levi begins to think outside its directive, conjure feelings and even physically feel its surroundings. Azi is mostly disturbed by this to begin with but slowly learns to love the robot through its personal development. Towards the end of the series, Azi becomes attuned to the environment and learns to coexist with the complex life around her.
These themes of adaptation and resistance are what carry the story forward as we see each of the crew members take different paths interacting with nature and acting on their own attitudes around the situation. Despite each characters’ deep and complex modes of existence during this series, we aren’t actually told a lot. The majority of the viewing experience is without any dialog. This was in fact the intention of the creators, especially Bennett, who even considered pitching the series without any dialogue at all. Our relationship with the crew members is primarily developed through action and inaction.
This series prioritizes scenic, surreal action over dialogue, creating an experience driven by visual storytelling. Intricate processes and systems of life visually unfold before us — bringing the most uniquely fabricated plants and animals under our investigation. I found a great admiration for the animation of “Scavengers Reign.” Closely resembling the style of French illustrator, artist and writer Jean Henri Gaston Giraud — also known under the pseudonym Mœbius — scenes from this show are made up of highly intricate linework and vibrant pastel colors.
With all the astounding scenery we witness in this series, you’d think this series was inspired from an animator’s field day in the studio. Which, in part, it actually was. “Scavengers Reign” was originally pitched as an Adult Swim short, mostly viewed on YouTube as a post from Huettner titled “Scavengers.” After catching the attention of Adult Swim higher ups, this eight-minute short was transformed into a 12-episode series spanning almost five hours.
How I wish I could spend those hours over again. Above all, “Scavengers Reign” is a quality experience. It is my favorite style of storytelling, where the narrative becomes the characters’ experience of the world around them, placing the viewer and plot as byproducts of the universe and its natural forces. I find that style so compelling because something feels so real about it — almost reflective of my experience every day.