Melt (2021)

So I watched... a 7-episode excursion into the new universe of Dmitry Glukhovsky.

There weren't many basic concepts there... the content is reminiscent of a children's construction set, which still doesn't have many parts and all of them are artificially increased in size. But at the same time, the construction set is really interesting and made of expensive materials; you can assemble a good toy from it.

The bottom line:
— A series about mysticism and miracles.

— A series using Slavic mythology (and with very neat updates to this mythology).

— A series that grabs the ears of modern news and technologies that sooner or later needed to be immortalized.

— A series with an unkind ending and ambiguous political overtones.

At the same time, there is a ragged style, inattention to detail, a desire to sketch out a lot of images and leave them without elaboration, in the hope that they will continue to live on their own.

This brings to mind an awkward analogy with children flushed down a toilet or a trash can—the authors of the series handle images in their narratives just as carelessly.

At the same time, intuitive, or conscious borrowing of high-quality and good techniques, but inept use of them.

Glukhovsky himself calls the series a mirror of Russia, and from this point of view, the work achieves its goal 100%

And with all this, the diversity of images, ideas, symbols, plot interweavings, we come to parable about the poisoned well.

A biblical story, although not very hackneyed.

❗️ There will be spoilers and plot analysis below, if you are afraid, turn off your computer.

Well now, let's look at the images

There are so many pornographically open images that they are shown and highlight And sign specifically to EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS EVERYTHING and admired the depth of thought.

Witch

A young (no) girl who is only called a witch by a police officer.

It is she who knows where the signal is picked up and it is she who gives sound advice to the journalist and seeker of truth. The hero has absolutely no influence on the plot and is needed rather to build up the atmosphere and beautifully wrap up the series at the very end.

Roads

Well, you understand that the history of Russia is a loop, a spiral, a vicious circle and that we are driven from one dictator to another, with little respite for freedom of speech?

An image understandable to every left-liberal zoomer.

All roads lead to Marsh

🆕 They also included the owner, the tsar, the autocrat, who actually doesn’t hold anyone, it’s just that for some reason people themselves want to stay here and live in shit. The owner is naturally the devil-tempter, who offers everyone a contract to work and deceives everyone who agrees with him.

And on the one hand, we get a permanent dictatorship, but on the other hand, there is no other way with us - we ourselves wanted this and ourselves agreed that we were being ruled...

Here the right-wing political forces began to purr with pleasure.

I wonder if the owner has a master? (Yes)

Master

(aka huntsman, devil, employer, boss)

By the way, the image was chosen very well. There is an allusion to a real character who also wore the same glasses, and who also crushed people in batches.

The owner will offer everyone what they need.

Healing, resurrection, fame, power, money, eternal youth... you just need to agree to small concessions (this is how people fall on the fisherman's hook 🎣).

It's very boring when you have everything - you start thinking about how to have fun...

Bible

This is a very beautiful scene that I don’t want to explain, but it made me sweat.

There's something for everyone.

Worms and hooks

An image of bait used to catch people.

The best maggot in human heads is that we invent for ourselves what we are afraid of and what we sell ourselves for.

But at the same time, there are several moments left in the series that were thrown in, but they can be understood in different ways.

Katya offers Denis a box, and in the box there are some very good worms, can this be considered a bribe for the Owner? What would happen if Denis gave these maggots to the Master? What can you buy for them? Time? Where did Katya get them from? One of the scenes that really leaves a lot of questions.

Circle

The circle is like a zone of freedom that the Master gave to two convicts.

The contract they entered into with each other.

Everyone will find the answer to this question for themselves)

Successor

Yes, 30 seconds of time were devoted to this topic here, but it is very important.

The Master has a successor in case When/If.

and a very caustic remark that he will even worse.

It’s clear where this idea came from, but it looks somehow...

By the way, the cop says at the end “Why save him? They will appoint a new one anyway.”