TV Review: SURVIVE: Season 1, Episodes 1-12 [Quibi]

Survive Season 1 Review

Quibi‘s Survive: Season 1, Episodes 1-12 is an addictive series that takes an unexpected twist, but leaves the audience calling for more.

Suicide Prevention

This series’ mission and purpose is to raise awareness for suicide and mental illness, and it does a great job at that. Because it brings us the perspective of what it is like to be hurting, how people deal with this hurt, and how with the help of others that pain can be uplifted, it offers everything needed to connect with Jane (Sophie Turner). After watching, I really got the message that was trying to be sent; there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and you are never alone.

Plot

The plot took an unexpected turn, at least for me. I’m not exactly sure what I expected, but I for sure did not sense the surviving a plane crash route. At first, I was skeptical at this choice, but in the end I came to the conclusion that it couldn’t have been better. Jane is clearly in a tough spot in her life, and this journey has changed her outlook on life, on why she is alive. Jane fights along the way and learns more about herself then ever before, and this crash in hindsight is the best thing to ever happen to her.

Destiny

This series leaves the viewer with the question: What is your destiny? Whether it is Jane being in the bathroom when the plane is going down to her meeting Paul (Corey Hawkins), these events changed her life. The reason she goes into the bathroom is to kill herself, but it is also most likely the reason she survives the crash. Moreover, Paul later admits he switched his seat to sit next to Jane, which looks to be the only seat on the plane that left a surviving passenger. What if Jane and Paul never met? Would Paul be alive? These things happen all the time in real life, with the same questions, and no definitive answers. Survive does as good of a job as possible to convey to the audience the best idea and understanding of destiny, that everything happens for a reason.

Characters Changing

Jane and Paul are both as dynamic as characters can get. In the beginning, Paul is the one who pushes Jane to survive, to not give up. Jane didn’t even want to embark on the journey, but Paul motivated her to do so. Furthermore, Jane mentions the idea of suicide as an “exit plan”. As the journey goes on, Paul makes Jane realize that she needs to fight with what is given to her. As Jane becomes more confident, Paul starts to lose what he has left, and even he wants to commit suicide. Jane talks to him, and it is powerful to see how far Jane has come from her time at the Life House.

Cave Scene

The cave scene is in my opinion the most influential and substantial scene in the series. In this scene, Paul reveals he changed his seat to sit next to Jane, Jane reveals why she cut herself and her father’s suicide, and Paul tells the story about his mom’s battle of cancer. What makes them who they are in that moment is revealed, and it is probably the most help they have ever received. This scene not only connects the two characters, it gives them the strength to move ahead.

Memories

Another theme brought up in the series is the idea of memories. Both Jane’s father and Paul say the line that memories lie in your heart, which is one of the most powerful lines of the series. Representing to use your past to make you stronger, it is an essential part to the plot.

Final Thoughts

There is so much to say about these episodes, all of which are positive. I didn’t have the highest of expectations for the show, but after watching I am blown away with the amount of emotion and meaning that was demonstrated throughout. One last thought is how both Jane and Paul tell each other to not blame them for their death, furthering the point of the series that what happens, happens for a reason.

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