Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Shadow’ On Netflix, A Gritty Crime Series Featuring A Vigilante Who Was Struck By Lightning And Feels No Pain

Shadow is Netflix’s first South African original series, a gritty crime-drama set in the claustrophobic streets of urban Johannesburg. It’s the kind of place where the bad guys do ugly things, and the good guys sometimes have to do worse. But there’s an added twist of mystery to the show’s vigilante protagonist, whose true nature is teased and left to dangle, baiting us to watch beyond the pilot episode.

SHADOW: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Night. In the city. Johannesburg. It glows an ominous Gotham-esque green. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wails.

The Gist: Pallance Dladla anchors the show, playing the title character, an ex-detective whose driver’s license reads Shadrach Khumalo. He’s a vigilante for hire, ready to do some dirty work for the troubled folk failed by the authorities, and possibly society itself. In classic Punisher style, Shadow’s tortured by past trauma; hanging on the wall of his thoroughly depressing, windowless room are news clippings detailing the untimely death of, apparently, his loved ones. When he finishes a job, he comes home to some dim fluorescent lighting and a bottle of booze. Machine guns and crossbows decorate the walls. Lest we wonder why he’s built like a linebacker with trapezius muscles the size of yellowfin tuna, a weight bench sits in the corner.

Shadow has a sister, Zola (Tumie Ngumla), who’s confined to a wheelchair, and is aware of her sibling’s escapades. They have a new boarder in the spare bedroom, Ashley (Amanda du-Pont), who seems pretty casual about all the vigilantism and whatnot. During his latest gig — giving the old what-fer to a mobster who photographs women nude and blackmails them — Shadow runs across Max (Khathu Ramabulana), a plainclothes cop who seems like a very tentative supporter of Shadow’s nighttime activities.

Winding down after an evening of fisticuffs and pistol-pointing, Shadow suddenly falls into a PTSD snit. He sweats profusely; his heart rate increases; the musical score gets very dramatic. He grabs a prescription pill and washes it down with a whiskey slug. Later, the script casually drops a bomb like just another grape in the fruit bowl of the plot: Shadow was once struck by lightning, and lacks the ability to feel pain. Wait — is this dude a superhero? THINKY-GUY EMOJI, I say. THINKY-GUY EMOJI.

Our Take: So did Netflix drop its entire line of Marvel Comics shows — The Punisher included — and replace them with Shadow? It’s too soon to tell after just one episode. On a basic level, this new series is boilerplate stuff with a somewhat limited budget. The dialogue is a tad clunky, the characters are familiar, the acting is stiff, the fight choreography is rudimentary. Cliches pockmark its visual aesthetic. Attempts at humor are flaccid as old asparagus. But there’s some potential here — Dladla anchors the cast with solid screen presence, and he doesn’t always need to have his shirt off to do it. But so far, it’s the question of Shadow’s true nature that’ll keep us watching, not the people, plotting or beefcake. The pilot is fine — nothing truly special, but nothing egregiously bad either.

Sex and Skin: The pilot sidesteps opportunities for exploitation — the camera cuts when Shadow enjoys a one-night stand with a seductive bartendress. Thankfully, it also looks away during the pig bad guy’s demeaning photo shoots.

Parting Shot: Exhausted after dispatching evildoers to the next life, Shadow stands in his room. His phone rings. He answers. Pause. “What kind of trouble?” he asks. Fade out. Is Shadow’s job ever done? Never!

Sleeper Star: As the pilot’s most cheerful presence, du-Pont has a disarming smile, and shows more ease in front of the camera among a mostly uptight cast. Her Ashley character seems ripe to be Shadow’s love interest. But there’s enough subtlety in du-Pont’s performance to suggest she may be a force of optimism in the face of all this bleakness.

Most Pilot-y Line: “You can’t go around punching your way through the city, Shadow,” our protagonist’s cop buddy Max says, confirming for any dozing or oblivious viewers that, yes, indeed, Shadow’s shadowy actions are a bit outside the law. Shadow’s retort? “I was just doing my job… the kind that pays the rent,” he says gravely, possibly unaware that Walgreen’s is pretty much always accepting applications.

Our Call: STREAM IT. At least for another episode or three, to find out whether Shadow is a micro-Superman or something. Maybe he’ll face a villain who can read minds or lift a bus with his damn bare hands — or something more than just taking nudie photos and not bothering to back them up to the cloud, at least. And the inevitable flashback to the lightning strike promises to be a doozy.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream Shadow on Netflix