​

SPOILER

​

Brand New Cherry Flavor is an idiosyncratic thriller that’s an acid trip of a show full of eccentricities reminiscent of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. Typing out all of the oddities will probably scare you off -and that’s probably fair, but you’d be missing out on a surprisingly rock-solid show that no one seems to be talking about. Since you asked, I’m obliged to share - the lead throws up supernatural kittens; there’s a deity in the form of a jaguar; a reincarnated magic man from Brazil; zombie bikers, and a chick with one eye. This sounds like a 12-year-old’s ridiculous creation but, it’s not. Brand New Cherry Flavor is a shockingly serious show with a bunch of off the wall shit that all surprisingly works.

The show is based on a relatively obscure novel by the same name by Todd Grimson. It’s set in the early 1990s in Los Angeles, and it follows aspiring young filmmaker, Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar), as she travels from New York to LA to meet with producer, Lou Burke (Eric Lange) to bring her dream film to life. Lou successfully pitches Lisa’s film with the condition that she directs. Lisa is ecstatic until she learns that the contract she signed in actuality gave her film over to Lou to direct instead. Lisa confronts Lou at his home about the betrayal and is subsequently gaslighted, belittled and finally choked by the man. A livid Lisa seeks out Boro (Catherine Keener) who she previously met under mysterious circumstances and was told that “she could make someone hurt”. Lisa takes Boro up on her proposal and the plot takes off from there.

Boro places a slow-burning curse on Lou Burke that methodically escalates from mild inconvenience to torturous pain. Miss Nova and Boro didn’t meet serendipitously; Boro is drawn to Lisa because of something divine that is rooted deeply inside of her. As mentioned before, Boro is a reincarnation of a 900-year-old Brazilian man. Her/his current incarnation is that of a white woman from the suburbs formerly named Jennifer. Jennifer/Boro seeks out Lisa because she/he sees her as a potential new host. Lisa’s own unearthed magical abilities are only touched on, giving the limited series room for a second season.

Brand New Cherry Flavor is 8 episodes but pacing issues mean it may have been better with 7. 6 or 7 episodes may have been a tough pitch to Netflix, so I get it if that’s what they had to roll with. There are moments from episodes 3-6 where the show drags a bit. It’s not bad and nothing feels unnecessary but there is definitely some filler that could have been expediated through.

The show gets a great performance from Salazar as Lisa Nova. She does a really good job at portraying the angsty, secretive and slightly morally malleable, Nova. Lisa Nova isn’t an evil person but she’s certainly no one’s Mary Sue. The story is about her putting a curse on a man, but you get it because he not only stole her movie, but he assaulted her and made multiple unwanted sexual passes at her. If anyone should get cursed, it’s Lou Burke. Aside from that, Nova is a bit manipulative. She’s not above using those around her. Mary, Lisa’s ex-girlfriend, while under the influence of peyote, gouges her own eye out and eats it – an act that Lisa unrepentantly films for her movie. This is a horrible accident that Lisa didn’t instigate, but Miss Nova isn’t going to let a good thing go to waste. Even if you ignore that gory incident, the relationship between Lisa and Mary seems like a ploy to get a great performance on camera out of her. Lisa has no issue using those around her for her own benefit. Rosa Salazar conveys Nova’s subtle sinisterness rather convincingly.

Catherine Keener is too cool as Boro. She’s witchy as fuck and always in control. Boro has an aloof confidence and Keener commands in the role. Boro progresses from supernatural helping hand to morally questionable, to an outright villain. This progression is cool because you transition from Boro and Lisa Nova teaming up to get back at Lou Burke, to Lou Burke becoming somewhat of a victim and Boro being straight up evil. You know that Nova’s curse will come at a price from Boro and that she’s not altruistic, but the transition into Boro’s full villainy is cool to watch. Knowing at the end that Boro is seeking Lisa’s body, it begs to question if the entire sequence of events was planned, and Burke was just a ploy being used to get Lisa close to Boro. Hopefully there is a season 2 that answers that.

Brand New Cherry Flavor is a short, bizarre trip. It’s a supernatural mystery that’s more of a thriller than outright horror. There are definitely horror elements but I’m not sure if I would categorize it as such. Trippy is a blasé term but it’s accurate when describing Brand New Cherry Flavor. I can’t think of any contemporary shows that I could compare it to. Pacing issues aside, it’s a nice show that is flying under the radar. It’s only eight episodes so it’s not a big commitment and can be binged over a lazy weekend. Brand New Cherry Flavor is a quirky show that’s right up weirdo alley. Girls that I’ve dated have told me that I’m weird, but I denied those allegations. Enjoying Brand New Cherry Flavor might be proving them right after all.

-----7.5/10