Swarm series

Her Houstonian character Dre is willing to max out credit cards for concert tickets, just as much as she's ready to murder online trolls to defend the ...

[The King of Comedy](/reviews/the-king-of-comedy-1983)"), Patrick Bateman (" [American Psycho](/reviews/american-psycho-2000)"), and Arthur Fleck (" [Joker](/reviews/joker-movie-review-2019)"). [Night Comes On](/reviews/night-comes-on-2018)" to " [Judas and the Black Messiah](/reviews/judas-and-the-black-messiah-film-review)." [Dominique Fishback ](/cast-and-crew/dominique-fishback)as Dre [Chloe Bailey ](/cast-and-crew/chloe-bailey)as Marissa [Nirine S. ), [Ibra Ake](/cast-and-crew/ibra-ake), and [Stephen Glover](/cast-and-crew/stephen-glover), establish a sound idea of this grounded but bizarre tone, complemented by a rich soundscape. Much of the show will become about Dre navigating different living spaces, passing through the country like Henry in " [Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer](/reviews/henry-portrait-of-a-serial-killer-1990)." And the show's irascible course of events becomes all the wilder when "Swarm" riffs on the

Swarm stars Dominique Fishback as Dre and Chloe Bailey as Dre's sister Marissa. Dre is obsessed with the R&B artist Nijah and her love for the singer takes a ...

[Another ironic aspect of Swarm](https://screenrant.com/spiderman-donald-glover-villain-role-miles-morales-mcu/) that relates it to real life is casting Jackson as Hailey. The warning in the show is mocking real-life Beyoncé fans for taking their love for the singer too far, showing them where they might be headed if they don't calm down. The popstar's loyal Swifties have their own saying, "Tayvoodoo," which they believe is the cause for the fall of Taylor's haters like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. The show seems to focus less on the artist herself and more on the wild behavior of her followers. The show can also relate to some other massive fanbases like those of Korean pop band BTS and There have been countless times when criticism of the singer has been met with death threats and bee emojis.

The first series from Glover following the conclusion of 'Atlanta,' 'Swarm,' obviously aims to provoke—or, in a more on-theme metaphor, pack some sting.

[actual](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_incidents_involving_QAnon) [examples](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack) we have of virtual movements turned violent that aren’t related to pop stars, the would-be warning lacks urgency. (For a show that sneers at social media, Swarm certainly speaks its language.) As compelling as its main performance may be, though, Swarm is still a missed opportunity for insight into the allure of modern idol worship—lots of noise, but not much melody. The premise of Swarm is a clever riff on an established idea. As the season goes on, the show starts to imply that her fixation on Ni’Jah—and indifference to sex, especially with men—is the result of repressed queer desire, an explanation that plays into some [ugly tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PsychoLesbian). Along with her sister, Halle, Bailey is a [protégé of Queen Bey herself](https://people.com/music/beyonce-gifts-chloe-bailey-flowers-after-her-bet-awards-2022-performance/), increasing Swarm’s connection to its all-but-explicit subject. After her breakout out in projects like David Simon’s Show Me a Hero and Fred Hampton biopic Judas and the Black Messiah, which won her costar Daniel Kaluuya an Oscar, Swarm is her first stint as a series lead. Swarm switches to that of an obsessed ultra-fan: Dre (Dominique Fishback), a Houstonite who’s been part of the Beyhive—sorry, Ni’Jah’s “Swarm”—since she was a teenager. (New additions to the roster include a former First Family member who goes by the pen name Malia Ann.) As such, Swarm retains the stylistic trademarks of Atlanta’s uneven, often [online cliché](https://www.tiktok.com/discovery/Bought-beyonce-ticket-or-rent?lang=en), especially ubiquitous after tickets for the Renaissance World Tour went on sale last month, Dre spends thousands of dollars she needs for rent on a pair of concert passes for herself and Marissa. [overall deal](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/donald-glover-sets-rich-amazon-overall-deal-exclusive-4134497/) with Amazon; future projects include a [reimagining](https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/maya-erskine-donald-glover-mrs-and-mrs-smith-series-amazon-1235227485/) of Mr. There’s no need to bother with the pretense that Ni’Jah, the pop star at the center of the new Amazon series Swarm, is “a Beyoncé-like figure” or some other euphemism. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.” (The emphases are mine, though they’re strongly implied.) Ni’Jah—a mononymous musician whose fans call her “queen” and “goddess,” who surprise drops visual albums that take over the internet, and whose husband and sister are public figures in their own right—doesn’t resemble Beyoncé.

The show also features Paris Jackson, Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris, Rickey Thompson, Rory Culkin, Kiersey Clemons and Byron Bowers. All seven episodes of the show ...

“I really wanted to stretch myself as an actor,” said the 31-year-old actress. “What color was the milk?,” Eilish’s character asks with a sweetly sinister look on her face. milk spilled on the carpet,” Dre says.

The Atlanta creator is clearly targeting Knowles obsessives in this menacing series about the dark side of music fandom. But its point is obvious and its ...

Dre is a slightly patronising cartoon of a lonely outcast, her naivety and awkwardness constantly pushed to the max as she glowers stroppily at everyone. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events, is intentional.” In an episode falteringly styled as a true-crime documentary, following the only cop in the US who has identified Dre as the likely culprit for a string of murders, Swarm goes archly meta, with Ni’Jah defictionalised and replaced by the real Beyoncé, her name bleeped out when characters say it but easily lip-readable. She works in a strip club, bonding uneasily with her fellow dancers and initially frightening off punters with her clunking gait and insistence on dancing to sad Ni’Jah ballads. She gets a new credit card to buy front-row Ni’Jah tickets she is nowhere near being able to afford, and is devastated when Marissa – who used to be as keen a member of the Swarm, the Ni’jah fan collective, as Dre still is – does not want to accompany her to the gig because she is well into her 20s now and has moved on. [Watchmen](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/21/watchmen-review-the-perfect-superhero-story-for-our-tattered-times-hbo-alan-moore) and [Atlanta](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/jun/29/donald-glover-atlanta-season-three-review-this-peerless-shows-impact-will-live-forever) – sets up a mood of flickering menace. If that doesn’t make it a must-watch, or at least a must-try, Glover’s parallel career as the rapper Childish Gambino increases the intrigue: Swarm is about the dark side of music fandom, and if anyone can turn that into art, you would think Glover can.

The producers of "Swarm," a new Amazon series co-created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, have issued a "Do not spoil" list that precludes detailing much ...

And the gist of it, ultimately, is the corrosive effects of engaging in blind hero worship, basically turning one’s life over to somebody that you don’t even know. “Swarm,” too, is almost defiantly weird, in a mish-mash of styles and themes that draws from biting satire, understated comedy and most pointedly of all, horror, in a way that recalls some of Jordan Peele’s post-“Get Out” films. But there is a lot to be said about the limited series’ provocative view of fan culture, and how such loyalty can turn into obsession.

Billie Eilish shared a clip from the Amazon series "Swarm," created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers.

[Donald Glover](https://www.upi.com/topic/Donald-Glover/) (Atlanta) and Janine Nabers. To subvert that with this, and with Billie, was great." Eva asks, prompting Dre to answer "Yes." "This show, in terms of women and violence, is so empowering for me, because you see it from such a masculine standpoint usually in the history of film and TV. The cast includes Dominique Fishback, Chloe Bailey, Karen Rodriguez, Damson Idris, [Rory Culkin](https://www.upi.com/topic/Rory_Culkin/) and [Paris Jackson](https://www.upi.com/topic/Paris-Jackson/). [Billie Eilish](https://www.upi.com/topic/Billie-Eilish/) is teasing her acting debut in the new series Swarm.

The singer appears as a cult leader in the Prime Video series from co-creator Donald Glover.

The singer, who appears in episode four, is just one of many unexpected supporting players who cross paths with [Dominique Fishback](https://www.etonline.com/people/dominique-fishback). I think when you step outside, and you look at the story, is it a critique? For Glover, casting Eilish, especially in addition to Bailey and Jackson, also provided an opportunity to play up the meta commentary about fandoms and followers. Without giving too much away, Eva's encounter with Dre leads to a clashing of personalities before ending with bloody results. [Kiersey Clemons](https://www.etonline.com/people/kiersey-clemons), [Paris Jackson](https://www.etonline.com/people/paris-jackson), internet personality [Rickey Thompson](https://www.etonline.com/people/rickey-thompson), [Rory Culkin](https://www.etonline.com/people/rory-culkin) and [American Auto](https://www.etonline.com/tv/american-auto) breakout X Mayo. [Billie Eilish](https://www.etonline.com/people/billie-eilish) just made her surprise acting debut with a previously unannounced role in the wildly captivating Prime Video series, [Swarm](https://www.etonline.com/tv/swarm), from co-creators [Donald Glover](https://www.etonline.com/people/donald-glover) and showrunner Janine Nabers.

A woman gasping in shock as she eats pie with a blood-covered hand. Dominique Fishback as Andrea “Dre” Greene. Image: Amazon.

But one of the more surprising things about Swarm is how little of Ni’Jah’s art is really put front and center in the show. But as Swarm’s story unfolds across the season’s seven episodes, the show tries to make clear that the darkness within Dre is far more complicated than her being a burgeoning serial killer who just so happens to like one of the most popular singers in the world. As the more well-adjusted sister, Marissa knows in her heart of hearts that some distance might do her and Dre a little good. But after years of being able to bond over their shared love of Ni’Jah’s music and a Twitter fan page dedicated to their favorite singer, Swarm opens at a time in the sisters’ lives when it’s clear that their closeness hasn’t exactly been healthy for either of them. But the show’s so committed to lampooning one real-world idol and her legion of stans that Swarm ends up feeling fixated on punching down rather than actually saying something insightful about how people can end up finding community in the most toxic digital spaces. Everything about the show’s story of a disturbed fan who finds murderous purpose in her obsession with a celebrity she doesn’t know is meant to make you think deeply about what it really means to lose yourself in [parasocial relationships](https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/17/17832948/youtube-youtubers-influencer-creator-fans-subscribers-friends-celebrities) and [online fandom](https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/19/23270229/zack-snyder-justice-league-bots-fandom).