A great mystery series with an alien lifeform and elderly likable characters who prove that getting older doesn’t mean they can’t have epic adventures anymore. 

• Entertainment factor: ★★★★★
• Mystery factor: ★★★★★
• Alien factor: ★★★★★
• Scare factor: ★☆☆☆☆

The Boroughs offers great entertainment with wonderful characters, that integrates important themes about aging, dying, exploitation of the elderly and how they are treated. Mixed with a great mystery, original alien lifeforms, and a big heart. It stars Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters, Geena Davis, Carlos Miranda. It is created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews. 

The first season consists of 8 episodes with a duration of 40-55 min.

Plot

Sam is a recently widowed elderly man who moves to a gated community in New Mexico. It was supposed to be him and his wife Lilly and it was her idea to buy a house there, but she died suddenly. Sam still misses her, is still grieving and because he is very much to himself, he misses Lilly to be the social one. He is brought to The Boroughs by his daughter Claire and her husband Neil while he has lost his drivers license. The Boroughs is a huge complex of cull de sac streets, comfy houses, a big center with a mall, restaurants, facilities, security, service and a special building called The Manor where those go who can’t live on their own anymore, mostly due to dementia. 

The house he has bought belonged to Edward and Grace. Something happened to Grace in the house, while Edward was living in The Manor. After Sam has settled in, Edward breaks into his house and tells him that they are in the walls. Blaine the CEO of The Boroughs says it’s dementia and Sam thinks noting of it.

He gets invited by his neighbor Jack to a barbecue in his honor. First he declines, but when he accepts he meets his other neighbors. Renee a retired music manager, who is rather young to live there, but she went to live with her mother to take care of her and after she died, she stayed. Judy, a retired journalist and her husband Art. And Wally a retired doctor who is dying of cancer. They all get along fine and it’s a nice evening. 

That night however Sam hears something strange coming from Jack’s house. When he takes a look, he stumbles upon a nightmarish sight. There’s a monster on top of the sleeping Jack who seems to be sucking his life out of him. He raises the alarm and they say he all imagined it. But he didn’t.

Sam knows what he saw and starts his own investigation about Jack’s death. While the others also stumble upon strange events. When they put all their findings together, they just know there’s something wrong at The Boroughs and they want to find out what that is. Which brings them on a thrilling but dangerous adventure. 

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Short Review

It’s a great series that first feels like Stranger Things but with elderly people instead of kids, but it takes another direction and becomes its own story. What is the same however is that both kids and the elderly are treated the same. They must imagining things due to youth or dementia, they are not believed and are treated like lesser people. 

That’s also the main theme of the story. It’s about aging, about accepting it or not willing to. And it’s also about what age brings with it. Not only the mind and the body are becoming less functional, but the role they take in society changes a lot. From being a successful engineer, Sam is now treated as a foolish elderly man, who just has to enjoy his life until he dies. He is not only of no importance anymore, but worse, he is treated like a nuisance. 

They all feel like they want to still matter. And this mystery and adventure just gives them that. The characters are very well fleshed out and become more than just elderly people who go on an adventure. While they are the normal people, Blaine and his wife Anneliese, are the ones who in fact use the residents of The Boroughs and in more than one way. They make money off of them, but they take much more. 

What they take is the secret that Sam and his friends are going to find out. This secret is not what they expected it to be. And when they do, it divides them. It offers them an opportunity, to chose life or death and what’s morally good or bad. It’s an interesting dilemma and either choice is understandable. Of course Sam makes the right choice which results in an emotional finale. He can relate to the emaciated being they find and has a special bond with her. That connection is a pivotal part of the story and makes it very human, even if the humans themselves act like predatory survivors. 

Up until that finale, when the mystery is revealed, their own thoughts and ideas about what’s wrong or right are put to the test. What Sam first saw as a monster that fed off Jack, is now to be seen in a whole different light. It all comes down to the will of every creature to live, but at what cost. And more importantly is dying not a punishment but can it be a relief?

These interesting concepts might feel heavy but are brought with a lot of humor, spice and a fun adventure. The elderly characters are likable and each has their own problems, struggles and joys. They might be old, but they are not dead and certainly not useless. 

The story is build like a good mystery. When Sam first gets there, The Boroughs immediate gives off all kinds of red flags. It might look like a safe place, but it can also feel like a prison, which it proves it definitely can be. The way the mystery unfolds is very fun and original and Sam is very proactive and determined. Lifting a tip of the veil, new discoveries, a twist, a reveal, dilemmas and the final battle. 

How they take it on is very fun and I think it’s fun to watch elderly people do courageous and heroic things. But they also get help from Claire and Paz the security guy and love interest of Renee. Just like Stranger Things, first it’s just the kids and then the adults get involved. And when they do it feels complete, everybody is working together, and no age difference, just people trying to do the right thing. 

The Boroughs is a great entertaining mystery full of exciting events, dangerous adventures and wonderful characters.