FRIGHT FEST: DAYBREAK WILL GIVE YOU WHIPLASH

In Daybreak, we follow Josh Wheeler (Colin Ford) and his adventures after the apocalypse. After a biological nuke drops in Glendale, CA most of the adults are eviscerated and the ones that survive are turned into mindless zombie-esque cannibals. For some odd reason though, everyone under the age of 18 is unaffected and survives, inevitably splitting off into various different cliques/groups/tribes who all continually fight for control. Before the bomb, Josh was a kind-hearted loner who was madly in love with (and dating) high-school queen Sam Dean (Sophie Simnett). After the apocalypse, Josh is thriving in the new world, living it up in his swanky apartment that's stocked with everything he could ever want or need. There's only one problem: Sam is missing, and Josh has been desperately searching for her so he can make amends and maybe win her back over. He winds up at a deserted shopping mall where he teams up with jock-turned-pacifist samurai Wesley Fists (Austin Crute) and adorable but unhinged pre-teen psycho Angelica Green (Aylvia Alyn Lind). Together, they form their own clique/group/tribe, and set out to save Sam and rid post-apocalyptic Glendale from a dangerous cannibalistic madman named Baron Triumph who has some very big, bad plans for the new world.

All of our leads do superb jobs (though Angelica does become a little grating as the season rolls on). The stand-outs by far are Colin Ford as Josh and Sophie Simnett as Sam. They make a super-cute (and super ship-able) couple. Colin carries most of the weight of the show as our "hero", and does so exceedingly well. He is easy to root for, and hides some nuances that are appreciated and make him more than just an audience cypher. Sophie Simnett as Sam is super easy to fall for as she is both pretty and kind, but as the show continually teases throughout its 10 episode first season, she hides layers we aren't even aware of. Aylvia Alyn Lind as Angelica is the rare pre-teen psycho who is legitimately scary at times and always unpredictable. As I said previously though, her story just isn't as interesting as the other characters' stories are.  Austin Crates as Wesley Fists is great as a riff on the samurai with a strict code. He plays a tormented ex-jock who is trying to atone for past sins by assisting those in need of help and by swearing off violence. He's also gay, which plays a huge role in his story. It's nice to see a show that has a LGBTQ character as one of the heroes, and Wesley's story is one of the more interesting ones in Daybreak.

Daybreak also has a fantastic supporting cast. There's kind high school teacher turned crazy cannibal witch Ms. Crumble (Krytsa Rodriguez), super-woke principal Burr (Matthew Broderick) who genuinely cares for and would do anything to help his students, loser jerk Eli (Gregory Kasyan) who has claimed an abandoned shopping mall as his own, and Mad Max-esque villain Turbo (Cody Kearsley) who rules over the super violent Jocks and whom Wesley has some beef with. Each has their own stories to share, and each are equally interesting. Matthew Broderick in particular is a joy as Burr, and his story has some real twists and turns. Broderick is asked to juggle a lot here, and he mostly succeeds. Krysta Rodriguez as Ms. Crumble is surprisingly sympathetic and sad, her story has some nice reveals and surprises hidden inside it that make her character one of the more interesting and well-fleshed out ones you can find on Daybreak. Gregory Kasyan as Eli makes for a nice antagonist that is fun and funny, while hiding a touch of pathos behind his loser douche-bro facade. Cody Kearsley is also surprisingly likable, cool, and funny as a mostly-mute would-be villain. It's interesting that in Daybreak, even our villains are sympathetic and likable.

Daybreak hits the ground running like a kid jacked up on sugar, caffeine, and cocaine. It has a speedy, breathless momentum that it isn't quite able to maintain throughout its ten episode first season. The show is hyper-stylized, hyper-ADHD, and easily distracted (It's also consistently very funny). Most of the ten episodes aren't focused on the main plot of saving Sam and stopping Baron Triumph, but are instead dedicated to exploring all of our main and supporting character's back stories. This can get frustrating. It's appreciated to find a show that is so dedicated to its characters and their development (and to the art of expertly crafted and timed surprises, twists, and reveals), but it gets to the point where you may find yourself wishing they would just get back to the plot. There are A LOT of flashbacks, and each character has their own distinctive voice (for example: Josh is Ferris Bueller-esque. he constantly breaks the fourth wall to address the viewer and has a mostly laid-back attitude, while Wesley has The RZA narrate his back story like it's a ninja/samurai origin story). It can all feel like a little too much at times, but I'll always take a show that tries too hard and attempts to tackle a lot, over a show that doesn't try to do anything new and  is more than content to sit back and rest on its laurels.

Daybreak ends up being more of a mixed bag than anything else, with it's positive elements easily outweighing its negative and more frustrating ones. Season one ends on one helluva mic drop/surprise twist that may leave some feeling a little sad/disappointed and uncomfortable (It definitely doesn't end at all in the way you would hope or expect it to, introducing us to a potential new villain for season two. You gotta say this much for Daybreak, it's always challenging our notions/perceptions of who these characters really are).  Daybreak is a show that is fiercely dedicated to its characters, their development, and having a ton of fun. It certainly won't be for everyone, but you have to appreciate a show that is so fearless, ballsy and surprisingly nuanced. Daybreak is like the love-child of Mad Max, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Zombieland, and Detention (a little known indie-horror-comedy film). If you do decide to make the trek into Daybreak's vivid, insane post-apocalyptic world, throw away your Adderall, buckle your seat belts, and hang the fuck on...it's going to be a wild, bumpy, fun ride.

4 STARS

If there is a Season 2 (PLEASE GOD let there be a season 2), I'm thinking it might be better than Season One since there would (hopefully) be less flashbacks because we know all of our characters' stories, and so maybe they could focus more on plot next time around. 

It's also weird that the show references on occasion that High School is supposed to be the time where you figure out who you are. Maybe I'm alone here, but for me that time was College.

Daybreak compares itself to Arthurian legend at one point, a comparison that would be apt if it spent more time focused on plot instead of fleshing out every character (and their back story) that is on screen.