{"id":133496,"date":"2023-03-28T09:04:09","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T09:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amplify.nabshow.com\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=133496"},"modified":"2024-09-14T22:00:38","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T22:00:38","slug":"create-amazon-swarm","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/articles\/create-amazon-swarm\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the Fame Monster of \u201cSwarm\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns article-content is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Swarm - Official Trailer | Prime Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SDHxie2QcJI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-luminous-vivid-amber-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-luminous-vivid-amber-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">TL;DR<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>\u201cSwarm,\u201d the first series from Donald Glover following the conclusion of \u201cAtlanta,\u201d is a bloody satire about a superfan who seeks vengeance upon anyone who would dare talk down her favorite singer.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Critics applaud the ambition, ideas and subversion of the Prime Video show even if they feel the execution is more surface-layer than profound.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Intriguing click-bait casting choices include roles for Michael Jackson\u2019s daughter, Paris Jackson, and Billie Eilish.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-luminous-vivid-amber-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-luminous-vivid-amber-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The first series from Donald Glover following the conclusion of <em>Atlanta, Swarm<\/em> obviously aims to provoke \u2014 or, in a more on-theme metaphor, pack some sting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Glover\u2019s new show is designed to make headlines, proclaims <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/tv\/2023\/3\/17\/23632204\/donald-glover-swarm-review-dominique-fishback-chloe-bailey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alison Herman at <em>The Ringer<\/em><\/a>. Most critics agree with her that, while packing more punch than most, the series has so much demanding our attention that it ultimately lacks focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pop star character and her fan entourage at the center of the seven-episode, 30-minute limited series is figuratively if not quite literally intended to be Beyonc\u00e9 and her Beyhive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before each episode, a riff on a standard disclaimer declares, \u201cThis is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The character, Ni\u2019Jah, is a musician whose fans call her \u201cqueen\u201d and \u201cgoddess,\u201d and who surprise-drops visual albums that take over the internet. \u201c[She] doesn\u2019t resemble Beyonc\u00e9,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/article\/swarm-review-donald-glover-janine-nabers-prime.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Vulture\u2019s <\/em>Roxana Hadadi<\/a> finds. \u201cShe is Beyonc\u00e9, and <em>Swarm<\/em> has no interest in pretending otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The series investigates stardom \u2014 or, rather, \u201cstan-dom\u201d \u2014 the obsessive nature of fans and celebrity cults. <em>Swarm<\/em> is Glover\u2019s first project under his lucrative deal with Amazon Prime Video and is co-created with Janine Nabers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They say they drew inspiration from real events that occurred between 2016 and 2018, which does happen to include the release of Beyonce\u2019s 2016 visual album <em>Lemonade<\/em> and the #WhoBitBeyonce internet debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The show is, in some ways, its predecessor\u2019s inverse, observes Herman. \u201c<em>Atlanta<\/em>, too, was about music and mega-fame, but its point of view belonged to the performer. <em>Swarm<\/em> switches to that of an obsessed ultra-fan: Dre who\u2019s been part of the Beyhive \u2014 sorry, Ni\u2019Jah\u2019s \u2018Swarm\u2019 \u2014 since she was a teenager.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/tv\/2023\/3\/17\/23632204\/donald-glover-swarm-review-dominique-fishback-chloe-bailey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Glover\u2019s New Show, \u2018Swarm,\u2019 Is Designed to Make Headlines (The Ringer)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Asked by <em><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/scene\/news\/swarm-donald-glover-dominique-fishback-serial-killer-janine-nabers-1235557875\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Variety\u2019s Angelique Jackson<\/a><\/em> just how far they pushed the truth of these events \u2014 and whether they ever worried about how far Amazon would let them go \u2014 Nabers said: \u201cEverything is legally combed through. If we pushed it, we pushed it to the very, very, very edge, but it\u2019s legal and we\u2019re proud of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is in fact Dre, played by Dominique Fishback, who is the series\u2019 protagonist, and by the end of the first episode she is revealed to be more than a little deranged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She goes on a killing spree in honor of her dead best friend and to protect, as she sees it, Ni\u2019Jah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Glover explained to Jackson that the concept of a Black woman serial killer was born a tweet he read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI remember them saying like, \u2018Why are we always lawyers and, like, best friends? We can be murderers, too.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018That is true,\u2019\u201d Glover said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/scene\/news\/swarm-donald-glover-dominique-fishback-serial-killer-janine-nabers-1235557875\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018Swarm\u2019: Donald Glover, Dominique Fishback and Janine Nabers on Subverting Expectations With a Black Woman Serial Killer<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133486\" data-id=\"133486\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/YLLW_S1_UT_101_220315_PAGWAR_00261RC3_3000-LR.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133495\" data-id=\"133495\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/YLLW_S1_FG_105_00040118_Still336_f_3000-LR.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133494\" data-id=\"133494\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/75711ab450c0f56d77d4fba799f2b3f32c-swarm-eilish.2x.rhorizontal.w700.jpg-LR.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133493\" data-id=\"133493\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/3c2f00e46d87fb7b65b5e898f6039a481e-Swarm-Billie-Eilish.2x.rhorizontal.w700.jpg-LR.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1077\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133492\" data-id=\"133492\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/YLLW_S1_UT_107_COLQUA_220527_00367RC2_3000-LR.jpg?resize=1077%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1077\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133491\" data-id=\"133491\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/YLLW_S1_UT_103_220420_COLQUA_00726RC2C3_3000-LR.jpg?resize=1077%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1077\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133490\" data-id=\"133490\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/YLLW_S1_UT_102_220413_COLQUA_01036RC_3000-LR.jpg?resize=1077%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133489\" data-id=\"133489\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/YLLW_S1_UT_101_220322_PAGWAR_00129RC3_3000-LR.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133488\" data-id=\"133488\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/YLLW_S1_UT_101_220318_PAGWAR_00501RC3_3000-LR.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"720\" width=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-133487\" data-id=\"133487\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jwolfepr.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/YLLW_S1_UT_101_220316_PAGWAR_00623RC3_3000-LR.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&#038;ssl=1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">\u201cSwarm\u201d Cr: Warrick Page\/Prime Video<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Nabers follows this thought up with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/2023\/03\/swarm-beyonce-has-seen-amazon-series-1234818358\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ben Travers at <em>IndieWire<\/em><\/a>, referencing how <em>Dahmer<\/em> recently became a huge Netflix hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think as Americans, we\u2019re so conditioned to seeing white men be angry. We\u2019re giving them that space for violence on film and TV.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She added, \u201cOur writers\u2019 room was completely Black,\u201d she said. \u201cAll our directors are Black, [and] most of our producers are Black.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In imagining what it would look like if the serial killer subgenre focused on a Black woman instead of a white man, the terminology they used was \u201calien.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/2023\/03\/swarm-beyonce-has-seen-amazon-series-1234818358\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Glover\u2019s \u2018Swarm\u2019 Descends on SXSW as Premiere Draws Gasps, Laughs, and Beyonc\u00e9 Questions (IndieWire)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[Dre] is an alien in her own world,\u201d Nabers told <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/tv\/features\/swarm-amazon-creator-dre-sexuality-paris-jackson-pie-eating-1235557749\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Selome Hailu at <em>Variety<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIf you look at the pilot, when she gets to Khalid\u2019s house, there\u2019s aliens on TV. That\u2019s a through line with her throughout the series. We looked to [Michael Haneke\u2019s] <em>The Piano Teacher<\/em> for inspiration. Donald introduced that movie to me, and it blew my mind. It centers around a woman who has a very everyday way of living her life on the surface, and then when you peel back the layers of her complicated psychology, you unearth a completely different type of human that is very alien-feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut me being from Houston and Donald being from Atlanta, we wanted to filter it through a Southern, Black female perspective. It is a little bit like a sister <em>Atlanta<\/em> when you look at the weird family relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The show\u2019s casting is one not so subtle way of grabbing headlines. Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson\u2019s daughter, plays a character who presents as white but calls herself Black because she has one Black grandparent. Casting director Carmen Cuba apparently pitched Paris Jackson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were like, \u201cExactly. That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re talking about,\u201d Nabers told Hailu. \u201cI\u2019m a Jewish woman, she\u2019s identifies as Jewish, so we bonded about that. She really just owned this character of a light-passing biracial woman who is really intent on letting everyone know about her Blackness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/tv\/features\/swarm-amazon-creator-dre-sexuality-paris-jackson-pie-eating-1235557749\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018Swarm\u2019 Co-Creator Unpacks Dre\u2019s Sexuality, Paris Jackson\u2019s Casting and That Pie-Eating Scene (Variety)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chloe Bailey plays Dre\u2019s sister and a <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/music\/beyonce-gifts-chloe-bailey-flowers-after-her-bet-awards-2022-performance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Queen Bey herself<\/a>, increasing Swarm\u2019s connection to its all-but-explicit subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/music\/beyonce-gifts-chloe-bailey-flowers-after-her-bet-awards-2022-performance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beyonc\u00e9 Gifts Chloe Bailey Flowers After Her BET Awards 2022 Performance: \u2018Making Me Proud\u2019 (People)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Episode four guest stars Billie Eilish, who makes her acting debut on the show as the leader of a women\u2019s cult \u2014 an intentional parallel to her role as a pop star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Critics largely give the show a thumbs up for its ambition and subversive qualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat <em>Swarm<\/em> is only intermittently successful doesn\u2019t make it any easier to look away from the screen,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/17\/arts\/television\/swarm-review.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mike Hale in <em>The New York Times<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He astutely observes that <em>Swarm<\/em> inhabits the space between horror and comedy where <em>Atlanta<\/em> often thrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hale adds, \u201cIt\u2019s not hard to understand why more and more filmmakers are choosing the horror genre for stories set in contemporary America, particularly those involving the lives of people outside the white-male protective bubble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThink the Coen Brothers meets <em>Atlanta<\/em> meets <em>Carrie<\/em>, with some <em>Basic Instinct<\/em> and <em>Perfect Blue<\/em> thrown in there too,\u201d writes <a href=\"https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/donald-glovers-swarm-puts-deranged-pop-fandom-under-a-microscope\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Pitchfork<\/em>\u2019s Alphonse Pierre<\/a>. \u201cCelebrities are worshiped \u2014 and they often turn a blind eye to their obsessed fans\u2019 worst behavior while milking their fanaticism for every last dollar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/donald-glovers-swarm-puts-deranged-pop-fandom-under-a-microscope\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Glover\u2019s Swarm Puts Deranged Pop Fandom Under a Microscope (Pitchfork)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It also has some the stylistic trademarks of <em>Atlanta<\/em> which, like that show, have also made it uneven. Like <em>Atlanta<\/em>\u2019s mockumentary episode for instance one episode of <em>Swarm<\/em> is done in true-crime documentary style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Swarm<\/em> needs much more clarity on what it wants to say about fandom in general and the specific fan at its center,\u201d finds Herman in <em>The Ringer<\/em>. \u201cViolent, vicious, and extremely online, <em>Swarm<\/em> obviously aims to provoke. Once the buzz dies down, though, there\u2019s not much substance to sustain the hype.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Vulture<\/em>\u2019s Hadadi says, \u201c<em>Swarm<\/em> feels boldest when it wonders when person-to-person devotion becomes abstract glorification, and what inner mechanics inspire someone to give themselves over to another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/article\/swarm-review-donald-glover-janine-nabers-prime.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Swarm\u2019s Most Dangerous Devotion (Vulture)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThankfully, as the series progresses, it reveals itself to be much more than a stylized parody centered around what many might consider obvious internet bait,\u201d writes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/obsessed\/swarm-review-fantastic-dark-comedy-is-more-than-a-beyonce-parody\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kyndall Cunningham of <em>The Daily Beast<\/em><\/a>. \u201cBeneath the Beyonc\u00e9 of it all, <em>Swarm<\/em> is ultimately a story about grief and isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/obsessed\/swarm-review-fantastic-dark-comedy-is-more-than-a-beyonce-parody\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018Swarm\u2019 Transcends the BeyHive Parody to Become Something Brilliant (The Daily Beast)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hale is particularly critical, believing that <em>Swarm<\/em> doesn\u2019t work through or make strong dramatic use of all its ideas and \u201cends in a formless, non-sequiturish manner. It feels as if no one really knew where they wanted to take things,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn the balance of the season, the viscous, seductive ambience and dream-logic storytelling mostly fade out, replaced by high-concept, tonally garish episodes that hold your attention but stand alone like neon billboards, adding little to our understanding of Dre beyond the facts of her back story, doled out in typical streaming-series style.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/17\/arts\/television\/swarm-review.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018Swarm\u2019 Review: The Underside of \u2018Atlanta\u2019 (The New York Times)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Nabers seems to defend their approach, saying that they deliberately steered clear of definitive messaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think that, as a brand, Donald and I believe in a message,\u201d she <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/tv\/news\/beyonce-seen-donald-glover-swarm-1235550159\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">commented during a Q&amp;A following the film\u2019s premiere at SXSW<\/a>, as <em>Variety<\/em>\u2019s Hailu reported in a separate article. \u201cPeople can interpret it the way that they want to. We hope it inspires people in some way to create weird punk shit, or to talk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/tv\/news\/beyonce-seen-donald-glover-swarm-1235550159\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Has Beyonc\u00e9 Seen Donald Glover\u2019s \u2018Swarm?\u2019 (Variety)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Next, Watch This:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Swarm - Official Teaser | Prime Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PVKxYKhSjZc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Swarm Writer Janine Nabers with Actress Dominique Fishback in the 2023 SXSW Studio\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qp6XCrl9bQI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Prime Video&#039;s SWARM is a Surreal Descent Into Fandom Madness (Starring Chloe Bailey) | SXSW\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KpfXj8aygPk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What Have You Been up To? | Swarm | Prime Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P3R1-_flZuk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Glover\u2019s first series following the conclusion of \u201cAtlanta,\u201d Amazon Prime Video\u2019s \u201cSwarm,\u201d is a bloody satire about a superfan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":169305,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_breakdance_hide_in_design_set":false,"_breakdance_tags":""},"categories":[248],"class_list":["post-133496","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amplify"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Making the Fame Monster of \u201cSwarm\u201d | Jennifer Wolfe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Donald Glover\u2019s first series following the conclusion of \u201cAtlanta,\u201d Amazon Prime Video\u2019s \u201cSwarm,\u201d is a bloody satire about a superfan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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