5 Reasons Why You Should Watch Netflix’s The Hollow: TheList

Hello everybody! When you think of an adult watching animation, you think of shows like Family Guy, The Simpson’s, Bob’s Burgers, stuff like that. In other words, adults watch adult animation. If they’re feeling a little nostalgic, they may watch cartoons from their childhood like Scooby-Doo or Rocco’s Modern Life.

Recently, everyone’s jumped on the Avatar: The Last Airbender bandwagon. But, who could blame them? It is a beautiful, well-written piece of work. The story and characters suck you into this complex, yet still fun world. And also, Uncle is the best!

Even still, Avatar was from the mid to late 2000s. More than likely, you will never catch an adult watching one of today’s children’s animated shows, unless they have kids who watch them. But, if you will indulge me, I want to encourage you to watch Netflix’s The Hollow. Here are a few reasons why:

1. The Premise

In a world where everything’s been done to death, this show’s unique premise really stands out. Three kids wake up in a Saw-type situation. They awaken to find themselves in a locked room. The catch is that they have no idea who they are, where they come from, or how they arrived in this locked room. The only thing they know is that their names: Mira, Adam, and Kai, and they learn this from scraps of paper found in their pockets.

From episode one, the lack of information really caught my attention. It forces these kids to adapt and work together to get out of one sticky situation after another. And this sense of mystery stays with us for the entire season one, giving us a long-sustaining tension.

2. The Characters

I loved the relationship between Adam, Kai, and Mira. It was complicated like real relationships. They did not wake up in the locked room and were “instant best friends” or “felt some sort of connection”. Their friendship develops over time and, again like real friendships, are put to the test with each new conflict.

Another thing I like about The Hollow is that there’s no real leader. Even though Adam appears to lead the charge, he’s not always the one with the ideas, getting everyone out of trouble, or defeating the bad guy. Each character brings something to the table that proves to be invaluable to the team.

We also meet several other characters throughout the show. Some of them help our main characters, others set out to harm them. The kids do not always agree on how to deal with these characters, but somehow manages to survive these encounters.

3. The World

The world that these kids have to traverse is humungous and diverse. They’re in the desert one second, the jungle another second, and space another second. Each locale has its own set of perils and surprises.

I’m trying not to give away too much of the show but I’ll tell you my favorite location. In one episode, they are in the desert and run into the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse. Apparently, Death is a great cook and can make a mean scone.

Similar to Avatar, The Hollow’s variety of locations deters redundancy. Being stuck in the same place for an extended period of time can become pretty dull (The Walking Dead proves this). We do not have to worry about that in The Hollow.

4. The Season One Finale/Season Two Opening

At the end of season one, we know what’s happening. I kind of had an idea of it early on, but the show confirms our suspicions. By the end of that season one finale, I thought “what a good show”. But, it made me wonder what story was left to tell for there to be a season 2.

When I watched the first episode of season 2, I was pleasantly surprised! Everything I knew from season 1 is different. We have the same characters (I thought they’d bring in different people), in a new version of the same conflict. Yet, we still maintain the tension and sense of urgency from season 1.

5. The Story

You can have the best setting, premise, and characters, and still, deliver a lackluster story (looking at you the last season of Game of Thrones). If the charcters are the heart of the show, the storytelling is the brain. And The Hollow gives us intelligent storytelling.

The same reason why I feel like adults should give anime a try is the same reason I believe they should give this “kid’s cartoon” a watch. It’s a good story! There isn’t a bunch of tired cartoon slapstick and goofy jokes. And, when there are corny jokes, it’s the show taking the opportunity to laugh at itself.

I guess that’s why I’m a little dumbfounded as to why more people aren’t talking about The Hollow. It’s a really good show, animated or not. We as adults have to get over this “cartoons are for kids mentality”. Today’s cartoons are sophisticated and I often think we are too “grown” to see it.

Just because it doesn’t have adult language and themes, doesn’t mean it’s not mature and intellectually stimulating. In fact, The Hollow may be more mature than your typical adult animation.

Wrapping It Up

Have you watched The Hollow on Netflix? If not, I hope you give it a shot. If so, tell me what you think.

Still this week, I’ll bring you more Tower of God on Couch and Chill. Also, there may be a Sunday Drama in the works. I’ll see you later!