MANILA, PHILIPPINES — A TV series about a global pandemic can be viewed as timely in 2021 but in the case of Sweet Tooth, the comics it was based on actually began to be published back in 2009. Writer/artist Jeff Lemire created this story of a half human-half deer boy who grows up after the world must deal with a viral outbreak. Based mostly on the first collected edition, Sweet Tooth: Out of the Deep Woods, the first season on Netflix is comprised of eight episodes and has fairy tale elements complete with a narrator in the form of James Brolin.
Gus (Christian Convery), a 10-year-old hybrid boy, grows up in the woods raised by a man he believes is his father. After the H5G9 virus ravaged the world causing millions of deaths, babies were being born that were dubbed “hybrids” because they were half human and half of different kinds of animals. Gus’ “Pubba” (Will Forte) took Gus away from the big cities to care for the child and teach him how to survive in a cabin in the woods, including how to live off nature.
Pubba has kept Gus away from modern technology and sheltered him, Pubba eventually dies and Gus needs to survive on his own. When a wandering loner named Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie) stumbles into Gus, he sees the boy’s love for syrup that he gets from trees, dubbing Gus “Sweet Tooth.” Yearning to find his mother who he believes is in Colarado, Gus convinces Jepperd, who he calls “Big Man,” to let him tag along.
Simultaneously, Dr. Aditya Singh (Adeel Akhtar) is trying to find a cure for the virus when his wife Rani (Aliza Vellani) is infected. They try to keep her infection a secret from their neighbors fearing that they will be ostracized and killed should it get out. Meanwhile, former therapist Aimee Eden (Dania Ramirez) has made a home for herself in the Essex Zoo. Finding a hybrid baby, Aimee raises the child she calls Wendy (Naledi Murray) as her own and they offer sanctuary to other hybrids in the zoo.
As Gus and Big Man travel, they come into contact with different kinds of people, some even taking them in and protecting them from the armed militia known as the Last Men. Led by General Abbot (Neil Sandilands), the Last Men hunt hybrids and are convinced that they are the cause of the virus. Gus and Big Man also meet the Animal Army, a group of youths who adopt different animals as their totems. Their leader, Bear (Stefania LaVie Owens) takes a liking to Gus, and eventually joins them on the trip to Colorado.
The effect of a narrator like the older Brolin, the dialogue he reads, and the colors of nature away from urban settings help to give Sweet Tooth that feel of a fairy tale. The innocence and naivete of Gus doesn’t come across as annoying but instead serves as a counterpoint to the cynicism that Jepperd carries with him. Even as Jepperd tries to look out for Gus and eventually Bear, the revelation of what actually happened to his wife and infant son becomes even more powerful by the end of the season.
The three main groups of protagonists (Gus and Big Man, the Singhs, and Aimee sheltering hybrids) are kept apart for most of the series yet all serve to move the story forward while also giving backstory that deepens the plot further. By the time these stories intersect as the first season winds down, there is a feeling of things culminating and the audience wants these characters to help one another to resolve each of their problems.
Although Forte is not in every episode, his warmth particularly when interacting with Convery gives the show some much-needed parental love especially since hybrids like Gus are being hunted by the Last Men. Pubba’s own backstory and interaction with “Birdie” (Amy Siemetz), the woman Gus believes to be his mother, all prove invaluable to disclosures about the origins of the virus and the hybrids, as well as Bear’s own mysterious past.
Developed and executive produced by Jim Mickle (who also directs half of the episodes), Sweet Tooth also saw Robert Downey Jr. and wife Susan Downey as co-executive producers so it’s interesting that the man who was once Iron Man is doing more things behind the camera for this property based on comics. Currently streaming on Netflix and getting rave reviews, there’s little doubt that a second season of Sweet Tooth will be approved at some point and we can’t wait to see where Gus’ adventures take him next.
