Peacock just dropped its official trailer for Mrs. Davis and it’s utterly underwhelming. And it’s not like I hate Damon Lindelof. I devoured Lost when it came out and still sometimes want scenes to relive that emotional resonance. The same thing goes for the lead. Betty Gilpin was my girl in GLOW. But Mrs. Davis made me feel nothing besides missing Warrior Nun.
This isn’t me saying there isn’t room for multiple badass nun shows. I’m down for all the baddies. But there is nothing badass about Gilpin’s character Simone. If anything it seems like she stumbled into this job and those around her are going to do the heavy lifting. And I understand that teamwork makes the dream work. But you can’t drop a synopsis like: “Mrs. Davis” is the world’s most powerful Artificial Intelligence. Simone is the nun devoted to destroying Her. Who ya got?” and then give us nothing of Simone being the actual badass.
And yes, women can be badasses in other ways that are outside of the literal kicking ass with their bodies. But Peacock sold me on this nun who was throwing herself completely into destroying this artificial intelligence by ripping out the AI’s wires or whatever. They made it seem like there would be a physical fight for power. But there isn’t. It’s just Gilpin on a motorcycle, angst, and people with wireless headphones in their ears that feel very “Rise of the Cybermen” from Doctor Who.
Now I just miss Warrior Nun. I miss Ava’s smile, Beatrice’s epic takedowns, Lilith’s complexity and transformation, and Camila’s optimism. And don’t even get me started on the fight scenes. They were masterful and showed the true strength and training these young women went through. So…I’m going to give Mrs. Davis a chance. But I’m definitely going to rewatch Warrior Nun because that show knew how to write characters, storylines, and more right from the very start.
Watch the trailer for Mrs. Davis below:
Mrs. Davis premieres April 20, 2023 on Peacock.
