Upon its debut, Supacell was the only Netflix original series in the top 10 in the US. It also captured immense viewership in the UK and a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Though its pacing struggled at times throughout its debut season, it finished strong with its finale episode.
Weaving together the story of five Black Londoners with superpowers, Supacell explores the concepts of community division and unity, the necessity of alternative economies, and interpersonal relationships with the added pressure of superpowers. The superpowered characters have the ability to come together to save their loved ones’ lives or to struggle with each other to watch things fall apart.
These themes also reflect the current sociopolitical climate here in the US, where messages of unity permeate the 2024 election landscape following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement four years ago and the continued threats to human rights. Supacell can be intense to watch, but it’s important for us to do so.
Following a disjointed episode 5, creator Rapman manages to bring the narrative together successfully in an explosive finale that earns a demand for more seasons.
The Supacell activates
In this episode, we finally see our heroes start to use their powers in a unified and combined fashion to confront the mysterious, electricity-wielding, hooded enforcers trying to hinder and kidnap them. However, they have to help each other get out of their own way.
Tazer (Josh Tedeku), for example, remains hotheaded and angry over his mother’s death. When Michael (Tosin Cole) stops the enemies in time, Tazer rushes to action without consulting the team. To hinder him, Michael moves him to another time and place, but that sets the enemies free where they were, leaving the remaining members of the Supacell to deal with them. In this scene, we see how a lack of unity is a big detriment to the remaining members of the team, as Rodney and Sabrina are left to a two-on-four fight and Andre is nowhere to be found.
When the enemies set Rodney (Calvin Demba) on fire, Sabrina’s (Nadine Mills) rage activates, and she uses her powers to push all four of them away.
Sabrina’s heroic moment doesn’t end there, as Rodney is badly burned. She assesses him, stating that he needs to go to the hospital, but thenRodney heals before their eyes, revealing that his superpowers also provide some sort of regenerative ability. As the de facto leader of the group, Michael taps into his leadership capabilities, protecting the three other heroes as they rest after the fight. But it’s evident how much this adds to his stress, how always looking out for everyone else in his life adds even more stakes to his every day. This is the Michael I wanted to see more of in the last episode, not someone who has to struggle with telling the truth, but someone whose living truth is to protect others. It’s refreshing to see OG Michael back, and finally telling the truth to Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo). To be a hero, Michael needs to be motivated by more than fear, and he finally embraces that.
Surveillance culture critiqued
While the symbolism of a shadow organization run by white men keeping Black people with superpowers imprisoned and under observation is obvious, there’s another insidious theme tothe organization’s actions: the use of surveillance. They’re able to track and confront the Supacell due to their ability to tap into publicly placed surveillance cameras.
The idea that the organization—representative of both misguided governments and big tech in the real world—could be watching becomes increasingly unsettling as we see how it uses the information they collect. In the public consciousness, we’re becoming increasingly aware of this issue as governmental administrations potentially change, as data helps foreign governments sway elections on social media, and as tech companies sell our data to the highest bidder. The Supacell is largely unaware that they’re even being watched, even though they know some nefarious group is targeting them.
Not all surveillance and tech in Supacell is bad, though. We also learn that Jasmine’s father used a tracker on her bag, not out of malice, but out of overprotectiveness, which is how he was able to determine that she was taken to a facility called “The Estate” or Ashington Estate. Dionne reveals that she used to serve clients there, but that it’s being knocked down and that there aren’t people there currently. Jasmine’s father plays a recording of his last call with Jasmine, where she says they are hurting her by making her use her powers all the time, and that she wants to come home.
As the (white) man in charge at The Estate walks by several Black superpowered prisoners, he deliberately ignores their pleas. The guards mistreat Jasmine as they drag her into a larger holding cell with an injured Black man who has a deep laceration on his back. She uses her powers to heal him, and then we see that the injured man is Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa), who has also been given an injection to mute his powers.
At the facility, Andre learns that the “supercell” is a mutation of the sickle cell, which is why these superpowers, like the disease, are prevalent in Black people. And naturally, the organization wants to control it and offers Andre the one thing he needs: a stable job with steady income. The director explains that being near other superpowered individuals can activate a person’s power (cells).
Two main power players in this episode use threats to exert power. The first is the director at The Estate, who implies his son AJ will remain safe and provided for if Andre complies. The second is Krazy (Ghetts), who threatens to hurt Tazer’s grandmother if he doesn’t show up to meet him – meanwhile, Sabrina is ready to confront Krazy over Sharleen’s disappearance.
A win for women
I’ve been critical of how the show handles women characters, but Sabrina’s character arc is satisfying. By day, she’s a nurse,a nurturer and healer, but as a superpowered person, she does a lot of damage with force, when induced by rage.
I appreciate how this comes together in the last episode of the season, and feel that this represents the role society expects women to have and the anger we’re supposed to suppress because we’re expected to be nurturing all the time, despite all the stresses in our lives. It took a while to get here, but I’m glad Rapman got it right for this character.
The death of another woman character serves mainly to motivate one of the men, however, and although it didn’t happen at the beginning of the season, it’s still frustrating to see that be her primary plot function.
Without providing overt spoilers, the final battle is epic. Michael discovers that sometimes no action will create the outcome you want. This reinforces the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” nature of living in a society built to empower your failure instead of your success. Michael follows the rules. He’s exceptional. He tries to change everything bad and take care of his fiance, his sick mom, and his newfound Supacell family. But ultimately, there are too many systems and points of power working against him. It’s a hard lesson, but a realistic one that many superhero shows try to circumvent in favor of wrapping everything up in a hopeful bow instead of recognizing the reality of the world in which superheroes have to function.
The future of Supacell
Supacell fans can have hope: Netflix has neither canceled or renewed Supacell. While the show functions satisfactorily as a standalone season, Rapman revealed to Radio Times that he has plans for three full seasons of the show – and the season ends with a clear direction for the new season. The innovative and expressive concept provides a lens for depth and exploration that other superhero series are missing.
While some episodes of the first season were much stronger than others, Supacell is a refreshing take on superheroes, exploring Black identity in a way not served by mainstream superhero franchises. The show is also centered around London, and while I love American superhero movies and TV shows, watching a well-soundtracked show from another culture broke up the monotony of superhero shows for me.
Supacell is about complex characters whose stories could fill more seasons and voices that deserve more time and space on Netflix. Since we don’t have Michael to help us with that in real life, it’s up to fans to watch the show and advocate for further seasons.
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