Donald Glover’s Swarm Takes Fandoms By Storm
Singer, writer, and comedian Donald Glover explores the dangers of fandoms and obsession with his new Amazon Studios series, Swarm. Titled as an executive producer on the series along with Janine Nabers, Swarm comes as a satirical comedy thriller. Swarm welcomes an alternate universe, one that features a glorious mess of delusion and reality. The show focuses on the absurdities of fandom behavior, also showcasing the violent lengths some will go to prove their dedication.
Why Swarm steps away from conventional television:
Encompassing a whirlwind of metaphors, mania, and psychosexual obsession, Swarm surpasses traditional television with its heavy satirical influence. The show plays on the character of madwoman and reflects madness in fandom. With its own rendition of Beyonce and the “Beyhive”, the series centers its attention on Andre “Dre” Greene. However, with Dre being an incredibly lonely Ni’jah fan, she goes on to be consumed by obsession and proculsexuality. However, Dre’s loneliness meshed with PTSD from a tragic loss leads her to a world of standom intermingled with violence. This isn’t the average show, rather being a psychoanalysis on parasocial relationships.
Fresh off the beat from “Atlanta,” Glover doesn’t hold back when it comes to maddening satire. Swarm is an intersection of femininity, music, mental illness, and racial disparity. While heavily satirical, it brings along the question of how far a fan would go to protect their idol. Dre is a reaffirmation of the reality of fan-artist relationships, not an interference of it.
Fandoms, Beyoncé, & Music Mania:
With Ni’jah and her swarm being an obvious adaptation of Beyonce and her “Beyhive”, Swarm brings into light the dangers of idol mania. This is a mocking of fan culture and also a warning as to how extreme social media can make these fandoms. Swarm illustrates a thinly veiled analysis of psycosexual obsession. It leaves the audience uncomfortable, serving its intentions well. Nonetheless, the series explores madwoman phenomena through the perspective of a young black fan and paints that narrative successfully.
Featured Image via Los Angeles Times