'Effect Leads To Cause': Recapping 'Devs' Episodes 1-4 [Podcast]

In our podcast earlier this week on the films of Alex Garland, my co-host Noah described the writer/director as a master of “the cosmic F.U.”

READ MORE: ‘Devs’: Alex Garland Examines False Techno Prophets Via A Stunning Astral Algorithmic Intelligence [Review]

And that’s certainly one way to look at the career of a creator who’s dreamt up all manner of man’s demise. Movies he’s written and/or directed have seen humans getting mauled by zombies, impaled by artificial intelligence, warped into walking vegetation, and scalded to death by the sun. But it’s the “F.U.” part that’s open for debate. Is it more of a cosmic shrug? Or do we fail to distinguish ourselves from Garland’s most foolish characters when we ascribe any human trait to a universe beyond our comprehension?

Garland’s new FX/Hulu limited series “Devs” makes for his grandest inquisition yet into humanity’s reach exceeding its grasp. Stretched across eight hour-long episodes of classic Garland genre balance—science fiction by way of the thriller and the arthouse hallucination—a tech CEO (Nick Offerman), his minions (Alison Pill, Zach Grenier) and an employee who suspects foul play (Sonoya Mizuno) delve into a reality-bending world of quantum computing.

READ MORE: Alex Garland Is Writing A New Series For His ‘Devs’ Cast To Star In

Just like Garland, your Be Reel hosts are temporarily breaking into television (what with most everyone trapped inside). Here’s your in-depth review of “Devs” episodes 1-4.

0:00 – Show Overview
16:50 – Episode 1 Spoilers
26:00 – Episode 2
38:40 – Episode 3
52:10 – Episode 4