Helix Season One Review

Play God. Pay the price...

Finishing back in March, Syfy’s science-fiction thriller Helix proved to be a worthwhile watch. Only thirteen 40 minute episodes to its freshman season, the series sets up a number of plot twists and reveals in a way that it doesn’t feel forced.

The series follows a group of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who travel to a research facility deep in the Arctic in order to investigate a potential outbreak of a new disease’ the Narvik strand. Throughout the season, the scientists find themselves stuck in a life-or-death situation that could decide the fate of the human kind.

Proscribed genetic engineering research is taking place at the base, and the company running the research station seems more interested in containing knowledge of their activities than in resolving the outbreak. Attempts at a quarantine result in mutiny and attempted escape, and communication with the outside is mysteriously cut off. It is unclear at first whether the goal is a bio-weapon or to transform humans in some way and there are two variants of the virus, Narvik-A and Narvik-B. The first is immediately fatal with no cure. Those infected with the second virus become dangerously violent zombie-like “Vectors”, spreading the infection to others, making matters only worse.

The series holds strong scientific merit (how accurate it is in real life, I’m not entirely sure) and a jump-in-your-seat thriller that will have you question the motives of characters you thought you knew.

If infected with the A Strand there was a high probability of death

The acting at times may seem a little bland from a number of cast members but when it counts, they can pull off enough emotional connections for you to feel and fear for them. An original storyline (aside from the zombie-like vectors, but the way they act/etc. is rather different) accompanied by a entrancing musical score throughout all formatted into in-universe time. This means that the entire thirteen episodes take place over the course of just thirteen days.

This show is not really for the light-hearted and does require you to focus throughout each episode, because if you miss one line, you’ll have no idea what’s going on! Definitely worth your time however with an epic season finale that leaves the door open for a lot of questions to be answered in season 2. If you're a fan of Battlestar Galactica (2004 series) or even The Walking Dead, then this is a show that you should think about looking in to.

Let’s hope that we don’t have to wait till winter 2015 to find out what happens!

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