‘The Peripheral’ : A Grim Vision

A gloomy, disconsolate future; the possibility of escaping it by plugging into a thrilling parallel world filled with danger as well as diversion; the emergence of real-world peril from that game. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

In the wake of their disappointing fourth season of HBO’s “Westworld,” Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy return as executive producers of Amazon’s “The Peripheral.” The Scott Smith-created drama tells the story of Flynne Fisher (Chloë Grace Moretz), living in a near-future North Carolina bleached of hope and spirit. Flynne is seeking pharmaceuticals to help her ill mother; on her quest, she helps out her brother (Jack Reynor) by taking his place testing out a simulated virtual world that feels eerily real. She’s in London in 2099, in a body she controls as a “peripheral” force, guided by a benevolent new friend (Gary Carr) and facing down a powerful malevolent force (a very strong T’Nia Miller). Soon enough, Flynne is under actual threat, with a multimillion-dollar hit having been placed on her in the real world….