Why Do We Need a Human Proxy? The Case for a Lady with a Holy Grail in an App-Based Opponent of Peacock
Mrs. Davis seems to fit in well with a pop culture universe full of sadistic, world ending Artificial Intelligence. The app-based antagonist of the new Peacock series of the same name, Mrs. Davis exists to crowdsource acts of service and, through billions of earbuds worldwide, has become the omnipresent voice inside the world’s collective head. She awards in-app wings to her most avid and benevolent users—including those who pledge to end their lives early in service of her glory—and (as Mrs. Davis viewers learn later in the show) she has a rather specious origin story.
Of course, Mrs. Davis also drives non-users mad, whether they’re anti-tech holdouts or just abstaining because they fear her light shining too brightly on their innermost thoughts and impulses. One of those holdouts is Betty Gilpin’s Simone, a nun who’s literally married to Jesus and who was raised by a couple of no-good magicians working the Reno strip. After being constantly hounded by Mrs. Davis for reasons that are too spoilery to reveal here, Simone sets out on a quest for the Holy Grail, having struck a deal that, if she finds it, she can cause the app to cease operations.
In crafting Mrs. Davis, Tara and Damon Lindelof wanted for Davis to present herself through human proxies rather than as an offscreen voice or texting bot. We named our technology because we wanted them to be authentic and have female presenting identities. “We had the idea to name her Mrs. Davis, which was also the name of my first- and second-grade teacher, because we felt that we wanted her to seem like someone who could guide us all like children through the classroom of life.”
Mrs. Davis: A Road Trip Through the Misleading Realm of a Nun’s Dense World and Exposing a Clue to Artificial Intelligence
Many people are worried about the popularity of artificial intelligence. There is a way it threatens jobs and there is a way that it can create a threat to the world. Science fiction has been clanging alarm bells about AI since basically the birth of the genre. But too often, the upset about artificial intelligence seems to ignore the myriad of benefits it provides. The emergence of a new technology isn’t always something to immediately villainize or praise.
Mrs. Davis, which was created by TaraHernandez and was produced by Dr. Damon Lindelof, has a show that can be so confusing you won’t know what’s going on. But ultimately, it’s so enthusiastic and watchable that you’ll forgive it is flaws.
The way I’m currently describing the show to friends is “If the Coen Brothers directed a good adaptation of Preacher.” There is something early about the series, according to the Coen Brothers. It’s vibrant and lush and with a rhythm similar to Raising Arizona or Hudsucker Proxy like you’re watching a folksy American fable instead of just a show about a nun trying to destroy an artificial intelligence.
The nun bit is part of why it feels like Preacher. Both look at people who have come from different places and have a sense of faith that is tailor-made for Atheism. But also like Preacher, Mrs. Davis is a road trip where the locations are as big a character as the people on the quest.
It begins with a nun named Simone, played absolutely electrically by Betty Gilpin. Simone was raised by a magician who was always a sharp kid who could spot a fake but also had no issues being part of his act if it was shady. She joined a nunnery as an adult where she spends her time tending to fruit, chatting with her fellow nuns, praying and riding her horse out into the night to find and expose con artists who rely on magic. She is aided by Jay, a kind diner owner, who is played by a very relaxing and charming Andy McQueen.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23688438/mrs-davis-review-peacock-damon-lindelof-betty-gilpin
Why do we care about technology? A personal perspective on the Looney Tunes: Faith in Machines vs. Faith in the App
Sometimes concept to concept and locale is where the show goes as it zips from locale to locale. It’s a fast show, but it’s anchored by Betty Gilpin, who has crafted a genuine character in this Looney Tunes universe she inhabits. She moves from parody to pathos as smoothly as slapstick heroines like Irene Dunne, and you’ll find yourself constantly rooting for her even as you occasionally question her sanity and the sanity of the world she inhabits.
The world that I live in feels less focused on the plot than it is on exploring what faith looks like in a world where artificial intelligence can anticipate needs and organized religion only asks for your trust. I will be surprised to see many Christians find the show’s take on faith offensive. But there’s something absolutely fascinating about how the show seeks to turn often internal pursuits like praying into something cinematic.
It’s nice to have a show right now where we can ask ourselves why we put so much faith in machines. I have a TikTok FYP feed that I love and a lot of people are interested in chatting with. Most people reading this have an app or a tool that they trust. But sometimes it’s good to take a step back and take stock of our love affair with technology. While Simone the nun might be an avowed technophobe, the show she inhabits is not. Instead, it just asks you to pause for a minute and ask yourself: do you care about that app just a little too much?