Colman Domingo’sThe Madnesstrades sharp dramatic tension for lukewarm dramatizations of hot-button topics.The Madnessarrives months afterDomingo’s Oscar-buzzy prison dramaSing Singamidst a swell of new A-lister-led thriller series like Michael Fassbender’sThe Agencyand Eddie Redmayne’sThe Day of the Jackal.Domingo is best known for his inspired work in films likeRustinand his Emmy-winning performance inEuphoria.Hislead role as Victor Strand in the dystopian sci-fi seriesFear the Walking Deadoffered an initial glimpse of his less-utilized skills as a physical actor, which are also put on display inThe Madness.
The Madness
Cast
Muncie Daniels is a political consultant-turned-TV pundit who may have lost his way in life. While on a work sabbatical in the Poconos to write the great American novel, Muncie finds himself the only witness to the murder of a well-known white supremacist, and now he’s being framed for the crime. Muncie is forced to go on the run in a desperate fight to clear his name and unravel a global conspiracy before time runs out. Along the way he’ll reconnect with his family, find unlikely allies, and fight against disinformation in a post-truth age.
The conclusion ofFear the Walking Deadcreated a path for Domingo to star as media pundit Muncie Daniels. Created by playwright Stephen Belber ofThe Laramie ProjectandTapeacclaim,The Madnessfollows Muncie’s rapidly unraveling life after discovering a dead body in a remote cabin neighboring his wooded rental home.Muncie believes he’s being set up for the murder of a man named Mark Simon, a prominent online figure and spearhead of a rogue white supremacy group called The Forge. This is just one example of the real-life conspiratorial online discourse and radical ideology infused into theplot.
Domingo’s Charming Talents Are Wasted On A Tonally Bleak & Ineffective Protagonist
The Madness’s Fringe Themes & Uninspired Plot Don’t Suit Domingo’s Spirited Brand & Acting Strengths
At face value, Domingo doesn’t feel like the first choice to star in a “reality-based” conspiracy series likeThe Madness, which initially adds promise to the series' premise. Muncie’s character calls for a measured portrayal of an industry-trained media professional who puts his career as a part-time CNN contributor ahead of his family while attempting to distance himself from the notorious legacy of his activist father. These elements create amore rigid and expressionless Domingo than we’ve come to expect. This would’ve been permissible, even encouraged, if Muncie was crafted as a more convincing and redeemable character from the start.
Domingo and his co-stars are forced to fill in the gaps of an elongated and at times tedious 8-part series.
Instead, Domingo and his co-stars are forced to fill in the gaps of an elongated and at times tedious eight-part series riddled with QAnon keywords like “cabal” and “deep state.“Domingo is restricted to playing a bland and self-serious “cog in a machine"who becomes trapped in the fantastical perils of what sounds like a Reddit-fueled conspiratorial rabbit hole.
The Madnesssupplements imagination and immersion with an extreme and often exhausting reflection of the modern media and political climate, as well as their various falsehoods. This concept would be more engaging as a Channel 5 YouTube video. The series offers an internet-informed mirroring of the “real world” while edging eerily close to employing misinformation as a narrative device, i.e. “rigged elections”. It does so without arriving at tangible insights despite persistent attempts to utilize exposition and dialogue as zealous cultural commentary.
Strong Performances Can’t Redeem The Madness’s Thin Narrative, Flat Characters & Preachy Script
The Madness Is Driven By A Moral Vision Rather Than Dramatic Stakes & Misuses Its Great Supporting Cast
The Madnessbenefits greatly from the strong supporting cast, partly led by a classic John Ortiz performance as a hard-nosed yet lighthearted FBI agent. Comedian Deon Cole also stands out as Muncie’s loyal friend and hesitant attorney. Perhaps the greatest surprise on the acting front is rising actor Thaddeus J. Maxson, who plays Muncie’s down-to-earth and naturally comedic son, Demetrius. EvenDuneandCivil Waractor Stephen McKinley Henderson guest stars in several episodes, rounding out a solid ensemble with Marsha Stephanie Blake (Orange is the New Black) and Tamsin Topolski (Penny Dreadful).The cast and music selections are two clear highlights of the series.
The Agency Review: Michael Fassbender Is The Perfect Spy In Enthralling Thriller Series On Paramount+
The Agency does not reinvent the wheel, but it offers a great turn from Michael Fassbender in the lead role and a few intriguing mysteries to unravel.
There are a few distinct notes in the fabric ofThe Madnessthat feel oddly self-reflexive to the series itself. At one point, Muncie gets a note on his car that reads, “Stop trying so hard.” In another scene, a supporting character says Muncie is “probably off doing something hethinks is more clever than it actually is.” Later, an attempt at a humorous beat arrives in the form of a misplaced and randomly eager Chili’s waiter.Flaws like these exist in many details ofThe Madnessand chip away at the series' integrity and effect, collectively making a case that the series would have been stronger as a film.
The viewing experience gradually pivots from murder mystery intrigue and an “underdog fighting for justice” story into a test of endurance. Additionally, some scenes feel more like a visual essay aiming to platform and legitimize “real-world” conspiracy theories than a fictional television show.
The Madness becomes its own rabbit hole by morphing podcast-level discussion topics into a Netflix limited series, leaving viewers with more questions than answers.
Ultimately,The Madnesshas a strong hook with Domingo but falls below expectations in theme and story. There aretoo many stagnant and unnecessary scenes to qualify the series as a worthwhile slow burn, especially considering its branding as a “thriller” and its messy, bland conclusion. The series succeeds in portraying how the internet and “big media” cantheoreticallyruin anyone’s reputation within minutes and how powerful people cantheoretically"rig elections” and silence people who “know too much”.
It presents common hot-button issues that divide Americans today, some mainstream and others quite out there, and characterizes some extreme pockets of topical radical thought. WhatThe Madnessfails to do is tell us anything new about these extreme concepts that people see online every day or add interesting perspectives through an immersive story. Instead,The Madnessbecomes its own rabbit hole by morphing podcast-level discussion topics into a Netflix limited series, leaving us with more questions than answers beginning with, “How did we get here?”.
