“Who’s your favorite artist?”
For many the answer is usually a no-brainer. For viewers of Prime’s new thriller series Swarm, that question may incite fear.
After experiencing a tragic loss in Swarm‘s first episode, our antihero Dre doesn’t know how to deal. Her anger and grief merge with her rabid fandom for the goddess-like pop star Ni’Jah. The result is a cross-country killing spree, Ni’Jah haters and random characters getting in Dre’s way be damned.
If you have paid even a sliver of attention to Beyoncé in the past decade, you’ll instantly recognize the origin of various Ni’Jah storylines. The mysterious biting incident, the elevator fight, the twins, and the rapper husband all make the cut in Ni’Jah’s fictional news cycle. As for the pop star herself, Swarm never fully focuses on Ni’Jah, yet she remains omnipresent with flashes of music videos, tour posters, concert tickets, and Twitter stans.
Created by showrunner and executive producer Janine Nabers and executive producer Donald Glover, Swarm is cinematic, dark, and satirical. Dominique Fishback‘s stellar portrayal of Dre elevates the series as she takes viewers on a horrific journey. Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris, Paris Jackson, Byron Bowers, Karen Rodriguez, Ricky Thompson, and Kiersey Clemons make noteworthy cameos. Legends like Cree Summer, Norm Lewis, Leon, and Rory Culkin have memorable appearances. Billie Eilish makes her acting debut in a standout performance opposite Fishback as the leader of a NXIVM-like cult.
Those looking for the “deeper meaning” of stan culture in Swarm may be disappointed. Swarm isn’t a story about stan culture. It’s about a girl who finds comfort from her traumatic upbringing in the escapism of pop-star-fandom and goes through an extreme mental health breakdown.
With episodes clocking in a little over 30 minutes, Swarm is easily bingeable. Stream it now on Prime Video.
