Utopia has undeniably scary parallels to our present day world, even though Gillian Flynn (of Gone Girl fame) started writing it six years ago. There’s a flu that’s heavily affecting children (some are dying), there’s wavering confidence in the efficacy of a vaccine, and conspiracy theories abound. It’s both fortunate and unfortunate timing for the show; a remake of its British predecessor.
Rooted in comic book lore, the show follows a group of ragtag conspiracy theorists and loyalists dedicated to the purity of an underground graphic novel. They've spent hours bonding in a chat room to try to decode clues about various pandemics that appeared in the comic book before they occurred in real life. The chat room group is now convinced the clues to the next pandemic—and how to stop it—are all contained in the precious original pages of the book. They meet in person at a Comic-Con convention in order to purchase the original book, only to have their lives flipped upside down when they meet the title character in real life.
The world is well-suited to writer-creator Gillian Flynn. It’s a shocking, high-octane thrill-ride of a show that takes largely unexpected turns, even as audience members seemingly live out some of the science of the show in our present day world. Screenwriters, take note from this master thrill-writer. Flynn's tension-building skills are epic.
1. Comic Book World Building
Denis Kelly's British version did an excellent job of creating a world within a world with the comic book, then layered in real life and the lens through which his conspiracy theorist heroes see things. Flynn took that rich world and built upon it, most deeply hooking into the idea of the end of the world. "I wanted it to feel very, very realistic,” Flynn told Rolling Stone. She also stated that the story was heavily influenced by 1970s conspiracy thriller movies. She pitched it as Goonies meets Marathon Man. Tip to screenwriters: boiling your concept down in this "x meets y" format can help you achieve clarity with the world you're building.
2. The Warrior Woman Archetype
Flynn is excellent at writing the warrior woman archetype and had made a handy living at it well before
Utopia. Jessica Hyde is no exception. She’s a badass on a quest to find her father, who might also just have the key to saving the world. Flynn viewed Jessica as “a dangerous warrior child….who could cut you with the edge of a toothbrush.” Flynn also told Rolling Stone a thematic question that drives Jessica (and many other characters in the story) is simply, “Why am I here?” When the answer is to make sure the world doesn’t experience “a great undoing,” there’s a lot to go on. Having a warrior woman archetype to helm that journey offers up even more ins to your story.
3. Create a Love/ Hate Relationship For Viewers
Flynn worked hard to create a group of characters that one is not always sure they should be rooting for. As Flynn also stated in her interview, that when viewers reach the final episode, they will say, “I am mad at this… Ultimately, it’s designed for people to specifically argue who is the good guy and who is the bad guy.” A pandemic is certainly an excellent background to ask hugely philosophical questions about good and evil: Who should stand to profit from a vaccine? Who should get a vaccine first? Who is behind bio warfare in the first place? And if it might find valuable solutions to larger problems, is it worth it?
Utopia does not shy away from shocking outcomes or these huge life-changing questions. Flynn embraces worlds that live in the grey. “I’d always much rather write something and have people have that visceral reaction of “I loved it, and this is why,” or, “I hated this,” she states.
4. When Your Show Is Unintentionally Meta
Utopia has been criticized for just how right-on it has gotten the pandemic. Some have even said this is not a show for now, as humanity tries to escape its trials and tribulations through fiction instead of continuously reliving them. While it may be dangerous to glorify any conspiracy theorists at the moment (particularly as Q-Anon appears more dangerous and widespread by the day), television and film exist to make sense of humanity and give audiences a lens through which to examine where we have gone very wrong. While
Utopia might be partially a cautionary tale, it remains escapist fiction in the best sense—one cannot predict what will happen. Although 2020 has proven we cannot predict what will happen in real life, either.
5. Write an Antagonist Good Enough for John Cusack
John Cusack has a particularly creepy turn in
Utopia as The Rabbit, aka Dr. Kevin Christie. Think: Bill Gates gone horribly wrong. But, like many problematic billionaires, Cusack’s character thinks he is out to do good, especially when he questions his family on the daily: “What have you done today to earn your place in the world?” The question is unsettling, as Dr. Christie certainly views people as disposable if they have not found their purpose.
Final Takeaway: Gillian Flynn lives for shock value. She will not hesitate to cross the line and kill a character you instantly liked, make you turn on a hero, or question where your own morality lies. That’s what keeps her on the forefront of thriller writing and why Utopia will keep you watching.