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Devs

Credits

Cast

Network

Reviewer

Emily Tsiao

TV Series Review

If working for the world’s premier tech company, Amaya, is a computer programmer’s ice cream sundae, then working in Devs (Amaya’s secret development division) is the cherry on top. Or so you’d think.

Except for those in the division, nobody at Amaya really knows what goes on in Devs—except perhaps the CEO, Forest. But whatever they’re doing is top secret—like, money doesn’t matter and no government in the world should get a hold of this technology top secret.

It’s so secret, in fact, that when a new Devs employee goes missing, Forest and Kenton (head of Amaya’s security team) say poor Sergei just committed suicide—a story that Sergei’s girlfriend, Lily, doesn’t believe one little bit.  

Lily suspects foul play, and she’s willing to put her own life on the line to find out what’s really going on in Devs and why Forest is hiding it.

This Changes Everything

A bit of a spoiler here (though not really since it’s revealed in the second episode), the machine that Devs is working on projects images from the past. And we’re not talking about old photographs or even stuff you can find on news reels. No, we’re talking about using binary code to recreate the death of Jesus on the cross complete with sound as it actually happened.

And considering the computer code they’re using creates these images based on facts, this could literally—as Sergei says—change everything. Amaya could clear up any secret, and solve any mystery. It could unveil corrupt politicians, influence entire religions or perhaps even reveal what really happened to Sergei…

Then Again, It Changes Nothing

It’s unclear what Forest plans on doing with this technology, but considering the implications it could have for governments and faith cultures around the world, the whole operation feels pretty sinister. And as viewers, the “truth” that Devs uncovers may run seriously counter to the truth we know from the Bible.

Kenton demonstrates early on that he’s willing to do anything to protect Amaya’s secrets—including committing some violent and bloody murders. It should be noted that language is also pretty harsh with frequent uses of the f- and s-words and several misuses of the Lord’s name.

Another reason to be wary of Devs (besides the fact that you might get crazy murdered if you step out of line) is because of the less-than-wholesome characters who work there. We don’t actually see skin-on-skin contact, but two developers are caught watching “porn” in the form of a pixelated, binary recreation of two historical celebrities having sex.

The show also features unwed couples living together, graphic depictions of suicide, and some really difficult imagery and subject matter.

Devs might possess the technology to change the view of the world we live in, but Devs cannot change how we view the brutal content of this show.

Episode Reviews

March 12, 2020: “Episode #1.3”

Lily returns to Amaya planning to tell Kenton about her concerns regarding Sergei’s mysterious death. Forest meets with a senator who wants to know more about the Devs project.

The Devs machine projects a digital, binary video of Christ dying on the cross, a woman burning at the stake and a man being suffocated with a plastic bag. It also shows two celebrities having graphic sex (though the images are pixelated and indistinct), and two Devs employees are reprimanded by their supervisor for watching the pornographic video.

Two people watch security footage of a man setting himself on fire (though they discover that while the corpse is real, the fire is fake). A team of people sets a body on fire. A bodyguard reminisces on his time in the military, wishing that someone would pull a knife or gun on his charge just to give him some excitement on the job. Lily tells Kenton that she doesn’t think Sergei committed suicide but was murdered by Russian spies.

A woman pretends to have schizophrenic symptoms in order to steal information from Amaya. She walks out onto a window ledge to create a distraction and pretends to be “talked down” while people watch from below.

We see a homeless man sleeping on the street with a sleeping bag and cardboard box. The f-word is used at least 20 times (and seen in print once), and we also hear multiple uses of the s-word and one use of “b–ch.” Christ’s name is misused three times, once paired with the f-word.

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Emily Tsiao

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.

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