There are some TV shows that, no matter how long you might sit with them afterward, defy easy description. In that sense, sometimes it can be all too simple to draw comparisons from one show to another — convenient shorthand that makes it clearer for a viewer to know exactly what they’re getting into. When you hear about a new sci-fi show from the likes of Tara Hernandez (The Big Bang Theory) and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers, Watchmen), you might already be convinced about what kind of series Mrs. Davis is. The best thing to do, however, is to set aside all previous expectations and go in as blindly as possible — because when I say there’s really nothing like Mrs. Davis on television so far this year, I mean that in every sense of the word.
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From the logline alone, you might believe that Mrs. Davis is a series about the fight against artificial intelligence, but it’s also about much more than that. Yes, it is a show about an algorithm, but it’s also a series about humanity and connection and finding ways to thrive in spite of an app that professes the best intentions but ultimately manipulates lives. Yes, it is a show about technology, but it’s also a series about faith — and, by extension, trusting in something bigger and more powerful than ourselves.

In fact, to call it a science-fiction show in the first place is more than a little misleading, a grand summarization that barely scratches the surface of the journey that Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin) finds herself on over the course of the series’ eight episodes (all of which were provided for review). With a nun at the center of things, you wouldn’t be wrong if you guessed that religion makes up a strong component of the story, but the ways in which Simone both grapples with her belief in God and stands up to an all-powerful AI with a convincingly kindhearted chokehold on humanity never end up taking the easily guessable route.

Image via Peacock

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In fact, Simone, when we first meet her, is someone who has set herself apart for the sole reason that she outright refuses to plug into the AI at all, referring to the titular Mrs. Davis as an “it” rather than a “she” and looking down on those who have made themselves its users with barely disguised disdain. It’s not an unfair criticism, and even more apropos when you think about how glued most of us are to some sort of screen these days. Although Mrs. Davis claims the “quests” she sends her users on are ultimately for the betterment of humanity, Simone remains skeptical, especially since her individual feelings are wrapped up in a deep personal loss that she still blames the algorithm for to this day. As we discover over the course of the season, her early years were anything but easy; given that she just so happens to grow up with David Arquette and Elizabeth Marvel playing her parents, two professional connivers who constantly operate from a place of trying to outmaneuver each other, it’s no wonder Simone eventually runs from her former life in favor of a convent.

Things also become more complicated when Mrs. Davis herself(?) tasks Simone with a quest of her own — to find the Holy Grail, and, in return, Simone will get anything she wants. The conditions that the nun reluctantly agrees to might not be a surprise, but the journey that unfolds from that first episode on is packed to the brim with twists and turns, including an underground resistance group dedicated to taking down the algorithm themselves, a secret society that has devoted itself to the care and feeding of the Grail (sometimes literally), lots of globe-trotting, an event referred to as “Excalibattle,” and several grisly decapitations. Remember when I mentioned this show defies any easy description?

Image via Peacock

Simone doesn’t have to go it alone in her quest, however, with allies popping up left and right to provide life-saving assists and valued insight seemingly right when she needs them. Among her helpers is the mysterious Jay (Andy McQueen), who she’s been working with for several years now and, in addition to making Simone yummy falafel, hands her names to watch out for, figures of interest that might need a helping hand or a discerning presence to get them out of algorithm-manipulated situations. The exact nature of their relationship unfolds over the course of the season, leading to the series’ most complex, audacious, and fascinating portrayals of love on-screen, especially as Simone and Jay navigate all the ups and downs that accompany her difficult quest.

On the other side of the line is Wiley (Jake McDorman), Simone’s ex-boyfriend who has his own personal motivations for wanting to take down Mrs. Davis and has acquired an impressive number of technological resources in order to see it through. The rest of the cast is rounded out by several actors who are, quite frankly, doing the best of what they are capable of, and then some — Margo Martindale makes a set of very welcome bookended appearances as Simone’s kindhearted but ultimately discerning Mother Superior, while Chris Diamantopoulos hilariously chews up the scenery and then spits it out in every scene he shows up in.

There are so many more cast names to mention and so much more that warrants going in unspoiled, but suffice it to say, everyone in Mrs. Davis is firing on fascinating cylinders — chief among them all is Gilpin. A show of this nature needs a unique type of leading lady to hinge on, someone who can navigate through a myriad of emotions in just one scene whether they be hysterical laughter or slowly-brewing fury. Once again, Gilpin proves just how incredible she’s always been at bringing her all to a performance and leaving no scraps behind. This isn’t a series that demands overt seriousness without any moments of levity through which the characters (and us) can breathe; instead, there are plenty of instances where it’s unclear if the tears shining in Simone’s eyes are from crying or laughing.

Image via Peacock

Even with Peak TV hopefully at its peak, it’s become increasingly harder for a new series to cut through the chatter and claim its own space. Mrs. Davis, refreshingly, isn’t operating on the same level as any other show out there. In fact, it’s playing in a league all its own. The only potential drawback to that is whether audiences will be able to meet it where it is, because, for better or for worse, it’s a series that doesn’t readily offer up answers for anything, at least not right away. Those looking for immediate gratification in their television would be better off looking elsewhere since it really does require fully watching through the season to truly understand what Hernandez, Lindelof, and co. are getting at. However, those who are willing to settle in and enjoy the ride — wherever it takes them — will discover that Mrs. Davis, for all that seems messy and bewildering at first, is making a name for itself nonetheless, and the result is compelling, fearless television.

Rating: B+

Mrs. Davis premieres with its first four episodes on April 20, exclusively on Peacock, with the remaining four episodes released weekly every Thursday.