Animation
Blood of Zeus
Creativity abounds here, but those artistic measures can’t blur the obvious issues that families are sure to discover.
There aren’t many people who are pining for a job in the most remote parts of Northern Canada. But those who land one there either can’t hang or can’t leave.
That’s especially true for the SkyMed unit, a group of nurses and medical personnel who are responsible for flying to the middle of nowhere, saving people on the brink of death and transporting them to a local hospital via cargo plane where they’ll receive more thorough care.
That’s what Haley Roberts has just left her job in Toronto to come to Thompson, Manitoba to do. She used to be a labor and delivery nurse. But she’s confident she has the ability to tough it out in her new emergency medicine job. She just has to convince the rest of the team that she’s capable. Some will need more convincing than others.
Weezer, the group’s married, veteran pilot, thinks Haley needs time to acclimate. Pilots Bodie and Chopper aren’t sure of her abilities, but they’re convinced she’s too attractive to forfeit. Crystal is the only one who isn’t so sure about Haley. A nurse from an indigenous territory, no one quite knows the ropes like Crystal, and she’s seen a lot of “Haleys” in her day who don’t last past the first month.
And for good reason. This isn’t an easy job. Not many people can handle being on call 24/7 and living by the motto “eat when you can, pee when you can and sleep when you can.” Not to mention the patients who are typically in gruesome conditions once reached.
In Season Two, the team grapples with new challenges: Crystal balances medical school with her job at SkyMed. Haley works to overcome personal medical complications. And several team members experience new struggles in their romantic relationships.
There’s no doubt that this is truly the survival of the fittest–and only time will tell who is fit enough to make it through.
I’ll bet you’ve never seen a show where physically attractive people are front and center, battling through difficult medical procedures and hooking up to get through the lonely hours. Oh, you have? Well, it makes sense. Because an endless number of shows are built on that premise.
But let’s dive into what sets Paramount +’s latest TV-MA original apart.
SkyMed is founded, it seems, on some pretty incredible scenery, First Nations issues, steamy sexual encounters, unnecessary profanity, a few mysteries that present themselves right in the first episode and a whole lot of adrenaline.
A lot of the drama takes place in the air, which is really SkyMed’s claim to fame. The nurses and pilots do everything they can to save individuals from spurting blood, serious burns and snake bites. But there’s a lot of hooking up behind closed doors back on the ground, too. It’s implied that gay and straight couples have sex (although their passionate, onscreen kissing is no mystery), one character finds out his girlfriend is pregnant and the home that the entire team shares looks like it’ll be fertile ground for more hormonal connections in future episodes.
Intimacy, action and adrenaline are the name of the game in this formulaic, medical-drama import from Canada.
As always, the SkyMed team is ready to save the day. But the stakes become higher when they discover one of their patients is a familiar face. While Haley and Crystal are still invested in their work, they each struggle to balance their jobs with personal challenges. And when a new pilot named Skippy joins the SkyMed team and kisses Tristan, Tristan worries the incident might interfere with his current romance with Nowak.
Couples (including same-sex couples) cuddle and flirt with one another, and a few of them kiss passionately. We also hear a few sexual comments. One unmarried couple raises a baby together. A character learns that her partner has been dishonest with her. A female character is seen wearing a crop top, and a man is seen without a shirt.
SkyMed patients endure serious injuries such as dismembered or impaled limbs, gushing blood and trauma from explosions. These graphic injuries don’t leave much to the imagination, and characters are clearly in pain. One patient suffers a stroke. To save a patient’s life, a nurse inserts a needle into a man’s chest.
Characters use profanity such as four uses of the s-word, one use of d–n, two uses of a–, one use of b–ch, one use of h—, and two misuses of God’s name.
Characters hang out and a bar, and many of them drink alcohol.
As expected, when Chopper wakes up from his injuries, the SkyMed team is ready to support him. But Chopper didn’t expect his ex-wife to be there too. Nowak discovers his boyfriend, Tristan, has a problematic past with Skippy, and the resulting tension threatens a mission and their relationship. Crystal learns she’ll have to work overtime to prove herself if she wants to succeed in the medical field.
Several scenes involve same-sex couples kissing and flirting with one another. Adults play volleyball in their underwear. Men are seen wearing only their boxers, and women wear sports bras.
Several characters deal with relationship challenges. After a traumatic accident reunites them, a divorced couple attempts to rectify their relationship and potentially rekindle their romance. A man reveals that he and his wife separated and eventually divorced because he feels like they didn’t connect anymore. A couple argues about a medical situation, and one member asserts that the other doesn’t support him. A couple deals with one of the members cheating on the other.
The SkyMed team aids patients with severe injuries including someone who has been burned with hot oil and a woman covered in blood.
Characters use profanity such as one use of d–n, two uses of g–d–n, one use of a–, uses of h— in a background song and three misuses of God’s name.
There is a casual reference to smuggling alcohol. Later, a teenager jokingly asks a woman to buy him alcohol. We also see adults drinking alcohol at a bar.
Creativity abounds here, but those artistic measures can’t blur the obvious issues that families are sure to discover.
Ireland is frequently listed as one of the safest countries in the world. But the same cannot be said for the Irish Bodkin.
Dark Matter reminds us that our choices define us. They make us who they are. But this show makes some poor choices itself.
Take the veil off this Hulu show, and you’ll find more than just a compelling story: You’ll uncover scads of problematic content.
