HBO series Station Eleven imagines life after a pandemic apocalypse

Sitting down to watch Station Eleven, the HBO Max adaptation of Emily St John Mandel’s 2014 dystopian novel, you may ask yourself whether you’re about to engage in an act of masochism. Choosing to watch a 10-part series about a devastating pandemic might seem needlessly punishing.

The story of a world-halting virus no longer belongs to the realm of sci-fi speculation, and scenes of stockpiling, overrun hospitals, lockdowns and rumours of “that flu in Asia” will prove too raw for some, especially as characters reflect on missed opportunities to say goodbye to loved ones.

But the more apocalyptic scenarios in Station Eleven thankfully remain the stuff of dark fantasy. The ultra-infectious virus takes mere days to wipe out most of the population. People die on the spot, planes fall out of the sky and modern technology is rendered obsolete (for those with Zoom fatigue, that may sound like a blessing). 

We begin with an ominous portent. At a production of King Lear in Chicago, the lead actor Arthur Leander (Gael García Bernal) suddenly dies on stage. In the ensuing chaos, theatregoer Jeevan (Himesh Patel) assumes responsibility for Kirsten, an eight-year-old member of the cast. As he escorts her home, an urgent warning comes through from his sister, a doctor, to barricade himself somewhere immediately. With no time to find the girl’s parents, they hole up in Jeevan’s brother’s apartment.

Series creator Patrick Somerville resists resolving questions too soon. The story of the catastrophe and its aftermath is revealed in fragments that gradually take the form of an exquisite composition. After a context-setting first episode, we jump 20 years into the future, where a sinister cult threatens the post-apocalyptic community now inhabited by an adult Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis). Another chapter centres on Arthur’s ex-wife Miranda (Danielle Deadwyler) and her life before the pandemic struck. Gradually links between disparate lives and incidents across time begin to emerge.

As well as being meticulously executed, what makes Station Eleven so beguiling is that its vision of post-apocalyptic existence isn’t marked by a bleak descent into barbarism. While Javeen’s fate remains yet unknown, we find the older Kirsten thriving as part of a travelling Shakespeare theatre troupe, who turn what remains of the world into a stage. For all the horrors of the premise, you can’t help but be comforted by a series driven by the faith that humanity’s creativity and kinship will always endure.

★★★★★

Episodes 1-3 on Starzplay now in the UK, with new episodes released weekly; available on HBO Max in the US