Google spoiled one of its biggest I/O announcements last week when it confirmed the existence of the Pixel Fold, its first foldable. Now we have the full details: It will cost $1,799, it runs on last year's Tensor G2 chip, and it's available for pre-order today. The company isn't confirming a specific shipping date; Google has only said the device will be available "sometime next month." That vagueness is unusual but then again, this isn't a normal product launch for Google: It's a leap into an entirely new mobile form factor. 

While the Pixel Fold is more expensive than earlier reports suggested, its hardware is mostly what we expected: It sports a tall 5.8-inch external display and a wide 7.6-inch internal screen when it's opened up. They're both 120Hz OLED panels with HDR support, but the external one can get a bit brighter (up to 1,200 nits HDR and 1,550 nits peak brightness, compared to the internal displays's 1,000 nits HDR and 1,450 nits peak). Google adds that the phone's steel hinge is built with a "dual-axis, quad-cam synchronized mechanism."

Google

In his hands-on with the Pixel Fold, Engadget's Sam Rutherford reports that the device has a smooth opening motion. And, notably, he also thinks the Pixel Fold has a far less prominent crease than its main competitor, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4. Google's pitch for its foldable isn't much different than Samsung's, though: You can get some quick business done with the front screen, and when the desire strikes, you can open it up for a tablet-like experience. 

Being able to fold the phone also enables some nifty features, like being able to watch a YouTube video on the top half with playback controls on the bottom. Google also previewed features that take advantage of both screens simultaneously, like being able to show translated text on the external screen while you enter queries on the other side.

None of this seems new for the industry, but it's a big step for Google, a company that has historically played it safe on mobile. With its G2 chip and 12GB of RAM, the Pixel Fold is pretty much just a flexible version of the Pixel 7 Pro. That alone could be disappointing for early adopters: Is it really worth spending $1,799 for something with last year's hardware? But while the company could have waited until it had newer chips available, doing so would have left Samsung as the dominant foldable-phone maker for most of the year.

Google

The Pixel Fold's cameras are a slight step backwards from the Pixel 7 Pro, but they're still more impressive than the Z Fold 4. It has a new 9.5 megapixel external camera and an 8MP internal shooter, while its rear setup features a 48-megapixel main camera, a 10.8MP ultra-wide and a 10.8MP telephoto camera with 5X optical zoom. The 7 Pro, meanwhile, had a beefier 50MP Quad Bayer main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 48MP Quad Bayer telephoto. Even its front camera was a bit more impressive at 10.8MP.

A major reason for the lower-spec sensors is the sheer thinness of the Pixel Fold: It measures 6mm thick when opened (12.1mm thick when closed). Google was likely limited by the camera sensors available for slim devices. Although we'd normally bemoan company's aiming to be thin at all costs, that design also helps to balance the Fold's weight (10 ounces). It's a tad heavier than the Z Fold 4, but the weight distribution makes it feel less dense, according to Sam's hands-on.

Google

It remains to be seen if the Pixel Fold is actually a better phone than Samsung's Galaxy Z4. While Samsung's hardware had an incredibly rocky start, it's had the advantage of improving from those mistakes. This is an entirely new category for Google, so we wouldn't be surprised if the company runs into a few hiccups along the way. 

The Pixel Fold would have been more instantly compelling if Google managed to price it below Samsung's $1,799 device. But the message from the company seems clear: It's aiming for the premium crowd with the Pixel Fold. And, of course, it's in Google's interests to avoid undercutting one of its premier Android partners.

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.

You've heard this premise before: In a post-apocalyptic world, the remnants of civilization live in a stratified society, governed by oppressive rules as they struggle to maintain their humanity. Then, a hero appears and threatens to topple the social order. We've seen this story repeated so often throughout the history of dystopian fiction — most notably in Fritz Lang's masterpiece, Metropolis — that I wasn't immediately excited when Apple first announced Silo, an adaptation of Hugh Howie's wildly popular Wool novels. Surely, this can't top Bong Joon-ho's bonkers Snowpiercer (itself adapted from an '80s French graphic novel), so why even bother?

Well, I was wrong. Spearheaded by Graham Yost (Justified), Silo exemplifies everything I love about great science fiction. It wrestles with complex ideas and moral questions, it's filled with memorable and realistic characters, and it features a truly distinctive setting: a 144-story self-sustaining underground city that's reminiscent of The Matrix's Zion. In this case, though, the population seems mostly content with their situation. There's no memory of the world before the silo, so most people concern themselves with keeping the city running instead of breaking out. Why rock the bunker?

But, echoing a theme from HBO's excellent Station Eleven and Deep Space Nine, survival is insufficient. Some can't help but wonder about the nature of the silo: Is the video feed of the destroyed outside world real, or is it some sort of trap to keep them underground? Who, exactly, determines who can get pregnant? And what can they learn from the artifacts left behind from the previous civilization?

Silo makes a strong impression from the start. We're introduced to Sheriff Holsten (David Oyelowo), a well-liked law man who goes about his morning and makes a shocking announcement: He wants to go outside. The gravity of his declaration is instantly made clear, even though the show doesn't explain it up front. We later learn that anyone who asks to go out can, but it's essentially a death wish. All of this is conveyed almost wordlessly at first, thanks to the strength of Oyelowo's performance.

Apple

I can't help but love a show that begins so confidently. Throughout the first two episodes, Silo makes it clear that you're in good hands. Yost and his writing team — which includes Jessica Blaire (On Becoming a God in Central Florida) and Cassie Papas (Tyrant) — take time to introduce every character, establish their motivations and build a greater mystery. The impeccable production design makes the silo seem genuinely lived in. And the direction from Morten Tyldum deftly balances intimate drama with epic visuals (the silo has no elevator, just a very long stairwell that seems to go on forever).

Silo is the rare show where every word speaks volumes, every gesture seems meaningful, and every element of the frame tells a story. It's also filled with grounded and believable performances across the board: There's Rashida Jones as Allison, the Sheriff's wife, someone who's eager to start a family but also can't help but be curious about the history of the silo. Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Fallout), ostensibly the star of the show, doesn't really get much screen time until the second episode, but she paints a convincing portrait of a world-weary engineer who just wants to solve the murder of her friend.

Apple

Of course, this wouldn’t be a dystopian story without some sort of greater conspiracy going on. The silo’s leadership is clearly hiding something from its citizens – though the mayor (played by Geraldine James) also seems genuinely concerned about the well-being of her people. There's a sense that even those in power are only trying to do their best, but may be faced with hard decisions to keep society going. 

You’d think after being somewhat burned by Lost, The X-Files and other shows centering on major sci-fi mysteries, I’d be less inclined to commit to yet another one. But Silo is so compelling, I just can’t help it.

This week, Senior Editor Jessica Conditt joins to discuss what went wrong with Redfall, Microsoft’s latest Xbox exclusive that launched to middling reviews. Jess says it’s good enough for Game Pass, but that’s pretty disappointing for a game from Arkane, the studio behind Dishonored and Prey. Also, they chat about Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and its horrendous PC port, and weigh in on how AI and streaming affects the WGA strike. Stay tuned at the end for an interview with Nida Manzoor, the director of Polite Society, who talks about how she lives with tech.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

• Jess Conditt’s review of Redfall, a surprise disappointment from Arkane – 1:17

• Also released recently, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – 16:01

• AI is a factor in the WGA strike – 23:07

• U.S. proposes tax on power used to mine crypto – 29:29

• Report claims Elon Musk threatened to reassign NPR's Twitter account – 31:16

• AI Updates: Microsoft opens Bing AI testing to all, Google AI researcher George Hinton warns the world on rapid AI adoption – 35:55

• Working on – 43:36

• Pop culture picks – 47:23

• Devindra’s interview with ‘Polite Society’ director Nida Manzoor – 53:57

Livestream

Credits
Hosts: Jessica Conditt and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artist: Luke Brooks and Joel Chokkattu

Like a delirious cross between Scott Pilgrim and Bend It Like Beckham, Nida Manzoor's debut feature Polite Society isn't your usual coming of age flick. It centers on Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), a British Pakistani teen who dreams of becoming a stunt woman, but finds herself at a loss when her sister decides to marry a handsome young doctor. To help save her sister, she has to overcome the groom’s overbearing mother, a wonderfully sinister Nimra Bucha, and make her way through a series of knock down, drag out fights. It's the only film where you'll find wuxia wire work, a surprisingly aggressive recreation ofa classic Bollywood dance sequence and sisterly bonding all in one place.

Manzoor started out as a television writer and director, most recently with the critically acclaimed (and also kick-ass) Peacock series We Are Lady Parts. I had a chance to chat with her as Polite Society hit US theaters last week, and I had one major question in mind: How does she live with tech?

Like any modern artist, Manzoor relies on gadgets for work and play, but she leans on her love of music the most. "I'm always building playlists," she said, "I've been relying on Spotify to hook me up with new stuff, and the algorithm knows me better than I know myself at this point." She listens to tunes mostly on a pair of "low key" JBL headphones, but given all of her traveling for film promotion these days, I recommended a pair of AirPods Pro or AirPods Max to help drown out the plane noise.

Polite Society's score, composed by her brother Shez Manzoor and Tom Howe (Ted Lasso), exemplifies the film's cross-cultural sensibilities. It flips between a dhol drum, bombastic orchestral compositions, and hard rocking electric guitar as easily as Priya Kansara delivers a flying kick to the head. (And where else will you find such an inspired recreation of Maar Daala from Devdas?)

Focus Features

So sure, Manzoor is a proven music nerd. But what if she could only use one of her existing devices for the rest of her life? (Just imagine a global catastrophe leads us to a Mad Max situation, where only the old gadgets survive.) As a writer, she chose the obvious: Her laptop. "Anything that has letters on it and I can write some jokes, then I'm happy," she said. Like Station Eleven, we could always use someone who can document the downfall of civilization as a stage play.

When it comes to older tech that she misses the most, Manzoor laments the loss of flip phones. "You can get off the phone, flip, and it's kind of a nice punctuation at the end of the call," she said. She also has a fondness for the old modem sounds that connected you to the internet, before broadband and fast cellular networks made it seamless. "There's the simple beauty of being able to only use it at this time, and this way," she said. (That's not too surprising to hear, since criticism of We Are Lady Parts effectivelydrove Manzoor off of social media.)

Looking ahead, Manzoor is hoping for the day when we can download skills to our brains like Neo in The Matrix. Yes, she wants to learn Kung Fu, but without the months of training her actors went through. That'snot something we can do yet with brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), but if the technology keeps progressing, it may happen sooner than you think. 

Bing AI is now open to all—sort of. Three months after debuting its revamped search engine, Microsoft has announced that it's now moving into open preview. You'll still need to sign into Bing on the Edge browser (or the Bing mobile apps) to use the chatbot, but at least you no longer have to deal with a waitlist.

As if to celebrate this new phase of Bing (powered by OpenAI's GPT-4), Microsoft is also rolling out several new features. For one, it can go beyond mere text responses to deliver charts, graphs and rich formatting. The Bing Image Creator, which taps into DALL-E to craft AI-generated pictures, also now supports the more than 100 languages that Bing's standard search offers.

Microsoft

Microsoft also says it's working on multi-modal support, which would allow you to upload images to search for specific content. You could, for example, ask Bing to search for furniture that matches a unique bookcase in your home.

Dedicated users will likely appreciate the addition of conversation histories. Previously, your chats with Bing AI would disappear into the ether. Now, you'll be able to continue older discussions at will. Microsoft is also trying to optimize the user experience a bit: If you click into a link from a chat result, your conversation will be moved into the Edge sidebar for easy reference.

Microsoft

Slowly, but surely, we're seeing Bing's AI integration blossom from a mere technical test into something that we can rely on as much as Microsoft Office. The company says it's also working on bringing over context from previous chats into your conversations, and it'll soon be adding share and export features. Improved summarization will also make Bing better at breaking down PDFs, documents or long websites. Beware, college professors everywhere.

As you'd expect, Microsoft also wants to fashion Bing's AI chat into a genuine platform. The company will soon offer third-party plugins to do things like confirm a reservation through OpenTable, or fetch complex math solutions from Wolfram|Alpha. It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft manages those plugins though: How will those services be approved? And will they be able to access any of your data beyond the conversation they're being used in?

The Edge browser is getting its fair share of upgrades soon, as well. Microsoft says we'll eventually see a "sleeker and enhanced" interface, thanks to rounded corners and semi-transparent elements. (Let's just hope the company doesn't go all Vista with it.) Edge will also be empowered by Bing AI in new ways: Edge's built-in chat could show you places to watch a particular movie you're searching about. You'll also be able to Bing chat directly about websites you're viewing in the Edge mobile apps.

Microsoft will surely have more AI and Edge announcements in tow for its Build conference at the end of the month. Mostly, though, I'm wondering how the company plans to pitch Bing's AI chat to general users. Microsoft doesn't need to try very hard to get tech enthusiasts hyped up, but how can it explain why anyone else should care?

The pandemic is over, according to Airbnb (that's debatable), so the company is gearing up for a massive summer of vacationing. It's introducing over 50 new features to its rental platform, including an expansion of the more transparent pricing it unveiled last year. Most importantly, though, it's refocusing on the pitch that made the company a success: Being able to easily rent low-cost rooms. It's relaunching that experience as "Airbnb Rooms," which will make it easier to find private rooms, as well as offer more details up-front to potential renters. 

A new "Host Passport" feature will help you get to know hosts before booking, a useful feature since you'll most likely be sharing their living space. Listings can also show if a bedroom has its own lock, and if the bathrooms are private or shared with the host. “Airbnb Rooms are often more affordable than hotels, and they’re the most authentic way to experience a city," Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said in a statement. "This is the soul of Airbnb.”

The company says it'll have over a million Airbnb Rooms listings, and that more than 80 percent of them will cost under $100 a night. Given how much Airbnb prices have skyrocketed over the last few years, as hosts pumped up cleaning costs and built mini-rental empires, it makes sense for the company to highlight its more affordable offerings. For many travelers, including this reporter, hotels often seem cheaper and easier to book than many Airbnb options. 

As for other upgrades, Airbnb will also let you view checkout instructions before completing a booking (which could be a useful red flag for potential nightmare hosts), it's improved map performance and revamped wishlists completely (including the ability to write notes). The company is also reducing service fees for stays longer than three months, as well as for stays longer than a month if you pay with a linked bank account. Not surprisingly, Airbnb is also getting into the pay over time game with a new partnership with Klarna.

The Razer Blade 16 is one of the most unique laptops we’ve ever seen – I just wish I could recommend it as easily as the Blade 15. It can handle 4K gaming just as well as high-speed 1080p gameplay, thanks to a dual-mode screen. And it’s one of the fastest notebooks around, featuring Intel’s latest CPUs and NVIDIA’s newest GPUs. And notably, it can be configured with an RTX 4090.

But all of that comes at a cost. It’s noticeably heavier than the Blade 15, and you’ll have to pay at least $3,300 to own one with the dual-mode display. It’s like Razer put another Razer tax on top of its already high prices.

For some, though, the cost will be worth it. The Blade 16’s MiniLED display can natively handle 4K+ 120Hz (meaning it can show up to 120fps gameplay), and 1080p+ 240Hz. You could always configure a 4K panel to scale down to 1080p or lower resolutions, but that usually leads to a muddy mess, and 4K screens are typically limited to 120Hz at best. What’s special about the Blade 16 is that it delivers those resolutions as sharply as standalone monitors.

According to Razer, the Blade 16’s dual-mode MiniLED technology was developed together with the display maker AUO. The screen is natively a 4K+ 240Hz panel that can sync pixels together to accurately scale down to 1080p, something that looks far better than typical downscaling. Razer says there’s no mobile GPU or data pipeline that can effectively deliver 4K at 240Hz, so that refresh rate is only possible in 1080p. (It’s still rare to find 4K 240Hz on desktop monitors, and even a 4090 would have trouble hitting 240fps at that resolution.)

Previously, you'd have to choose between a 4K screen with a much lower refresh rate, or a faster 1080p or 1,440p display. The Blade 16 lets you have your gaming cake and eat it too. The only downside is that switching between those two modes requires a complete reboot. Given how miraculous technology seems, though, I don't think that's a huge problem. If you care more about resolution, stick with the 4K 120Hz mode until you need to dive into some fast-paced competitive gaming.

Maybe instead of thinking of the Blade 16 as a slight upgrade from the 15-inch model, it's better to think of it as a shrunken down Blade 17. That's another massive and expensive computer, but potential buyers are likely aware of its downsides. More importantly, the Blade 17 was the fastest Razer laptop for years — now that title belongs to the Blade 16 and the new Blade 18.

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Both of these laptops feature Intel's 13th-gen mobile CPUs, as well as NVIDIA's more powerful RTX 4080 and 4090 GPUs. This is the first time we've seen NVIDIA's 90-series hardware on any notebook, so that alone is sure to be a hook for power hungry gamers. Strangely, though, Razer's dual-mode display is only available on the Blade 16 — the tech likely isn't there yet to make it happen on the bigger computer.

In practice, the Blade 16 excelled at both 4K and 1080p gaming. Cyberpunk 2077 and Halo Infinite looked absolutely crisp in 4K with their graphics and ray tracing settings maxed out. Both games also looked far brighter than I've ever seen on a laptop thanks to the MiniLED panel. That's particularly useful for bright HDR highlights, something most notebooks and monitors handle poorly.

Given the sheer power of the RTX 4090 in our review unit, the Blade 16 was also able to play games in 4K well beyond 60fps. Depending on your graphics settings, you may even be able to reach 120fps to fully max out its screen. Halo Infinite hit a very playable 80fps with ultra graphics settings, while Cyberpunk 2077 hit 70fps with Ultra ray tracing settings thanks to DLSS 3.

Not surprisingly, the Blade 16 had no issue getting above 200fps in Halo Infinite and Overwatch 2 when I flipped over to 1080p mode. Personally, I've never really seen the point of gaming screens beyond 120Hz — I just can’t really perceive much of a difference by bumping up to 144 or 240Hz. But after switching between the Blade 16's various modes, I noticed that I played better as I approached 200fps — I hit headshots more regularly, and I was faster to react whenever enemies popped up. Maybe it was just luck, or me feeling more comfortable over time — or maybe those extra frames actually helped.

As much as I enjoyed the Blade 16's gorgeous display and incredible performance, I didn't love lugging it around my house or hauling it in a bookbag. It weighs 5.4 pounds, a full pound heavier than the Blade 15. Now that might not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference for portability. Living with the Blade 15 was no different than most other 15-inch notebooks, but the Blade 16 feels noticeably bulkier.

But again, maybe I should be judging it against the Blade 17 instead, which weighed a little over 6 pounds. When compared to that, the Blade 16 seems like a remarkable engineering feat. That's not the way most people think of 16-inch notebooks though: The MacBook Pro 16 replaced the 15-inch model, and many other laptop makers are following suit with their larger notebooks.

On the non-gaming front, the Blade 16 also excelled at everything I threw at it. Scrolling through websites and documents was a dream, thanks to that high refresh rate screen. And while it doesn’t include a mechanical keyboard like Alienware and other competitors, the Blade 16’s typing experience was solid. The trackpad is also far larger than the Blade 15’s, but it’s just as smooth and responsive. And you can actually expect to do a decent amount of work before recharging: In PCMark 10’s battery benchmark, it lasted 5 hours and 15 minutes, two hours more than the Blade 18. It also has every port you’d want: three USB 3.0 Type A connections (two on the left side, one on the right), HDMI, two USB-C ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4) and a microSD card slot.

Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

As I spent time with the Blade 16, I couldn’t help but ask myself: Is it really worth spending more for a dual-mode screen, when fast 1,440p laptops are becoming increasingly affordable? Personally, I think that resolution sits at a sweet spot between delivering more pixels than 1080p, but also achieving faster refresh rates than any 4K panel. For most people, a 1,440p laptop (like the Zephyrus G14) simply makes more sense – especially when you can find them for $1,000 (or more) less than the Blade 16.

Given its added heft, as well as its higher $2,700 starting price (with an RTX 4060), I can't recommend the Blade 16 to most buyers – not when the Blade 15 is still around and starts at $2,000 with a 3070 Ti. If you want the 4060, be prepared to shell out another $500. And if you’re mainly intrigued by the dual-mode display on the Blade 16, that costs $3,300 with an RTX 4070. Honestly, that’s a ridiculously high price for a laptop with that GPU. Our review unit cost a whopping $4,300 with the Core i9-13950HX, RTX 4090, 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.

But, just like much of Apple’s hardware, the Razer tax may be something we have to pay for innovation. The Blade 16’s dual-mode screen is one of the most remarkable things I’ve seen in a gaming laptop lately – but for most shoppers, the Blade 15 will be far more practical.

This week, Devindra chats with Sam Rutherford about his recent experiences with ASUS’s ROG Ally, a powerful new Steam Deck competitor, and Nintendo’s long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The ROG Ally sounds like one of the best portable gaming systems yet, though we’re still waiting for pricing details. And Zelda was apparently a blast to play, but of course it was. Also, Devindra and Podcast Producer Ben Ellman dive into the latest news, including the FAA grounding SpaceX’s Starship and Grimes’ decision to let people run free with her AI voice.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

• Sam Rutherford’s review of the ROG Ally handheld gaming PC – 1:52

• Sam’s Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom demo experience – 15:08

• FAA grounds SpaceX’s Starship after launch explosion spreads debris – 28:26

• UK regulator blocks Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision/Blizzard – 34:04

• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny features 25 mins of de-aged Harrison Ford – 39:54

• This week in AI: Snapchat users revolt against AI assistant, Grimes offers 50/50 credit to songs with her AI voice – 43:19

• Working on – 50:21

• Pop culture picks – 52:07

Livestream

Credits
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Sam Rutherford
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artist: Luke Brooks and Joel Chokkattu

Is Google’s foldable coming soon? This week, Cherlynn, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford discuss the rumored Pixel Fold, which may debut at Google I/O next month. Also, Devindra and Sam compare the Razer Blade 16 to the Razer Blade 18, two powerful (and expensive!) gaming laptops. In other news, we dive into SpaceX’s exploding Starship rocket, and the fake AI generated collab between The Weeknd and Drake.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

Subscribe!

• iTunes

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Topics

• Google’s Pixel Fold is rumored to launch at Google I/O – 1:25

• Sam Rutherford’s review of the Razer Blade 16 vs Blade 18 – 17:38

• SpaceX’s Starship launches, spontaneously disassembles (it blew up) – 27:20

• Montana takes a big step toward banning TikTok – 33:05

• Sega buys Angry Birds developer Rovio – 41:52

• EV News: more Tesla price cuts, Polestar 4 doesn’t have a back window – 46:15

• This week in AI: Have you heard the AI generated Drake/Weeknd collab? – 1:01:51

• Around Engadget – 1:11:26

• Working on – 1:12:39

• Pop culture picks – 1:14:48

Livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Sam Rutherford
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artist: Luke Brooks

Mrs. Davis is a deeply silly show deeply committed its silliness. And that's precisely what makes it so much fun. The new Peacock series from Tara Hernandez (The Big Bang Theory) and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), pits a nun with a mysterious past against an all-powerful, seemingly omniscient artificial intelligence. Her mission: to find the Holy Grail. You know, another one of those stories. Along the way, there are a slew of messy beheadings, a cheesy '90s-era car chase and a group of villainous German henchman spiritually descended from The Big Lebowski's trio of Nihilists.

If you were looking for another complex genre exercise like Lindelof's excellent Watchmen series or The Leftovers, Mrs. Davis ain't it. But from the first scene of the show, you can tell that he probably had a lot more fun making this. Initially based on a spec script by Hernandez, who also served as showrunner, Mrs. Davis is practically a live-action cartoon, filled with colorful set-pieces and a never-ending slew of zany characters, all set in a world where humans willingly subject themselves to the demands of an AI via wireless earbuds.

None of Mrs. Davis would work without Betty Gilpin (GLOW, The Hunt) as its heart and soul. As Simone, the nun being targeted by Mrs. Davis, she effectively juggles a hard-edged cynicism with an openness to pure devotion. It's hard enough to be a believable action lead, it's even tougher to make that same character seem believably devout. By the time we see Simone racing through city streets on a motorcycle, while also wearing her nun habit, we fully buy Gilpin in the role. It's like seeing Kill Bill's The Bride with a samurai sword — it's sure to be an indelible pop cultural image. (And of course, it hearkens back to Abel Ferrara's cult revenge classic, Ms. 45.)

As a piece of cultural commentary, Mrs. Davis is practically allergic to subtext. It's a nun versus AI, what else do you need? It's easy to draw parallels between religious devotion and the way we live with technology today. That's particularly true when it comes to the explosive rise of generative AI. Is there really a huge difference between plugging in a string into ChatGPT or Midjourney and hoping for an interesting result, compared to putting your hands together and praying for divine help? And if AI ultimately ends up fulfilling our needs more effectively, wouldn't people treat it with a certain amount of religious reverence?

These questions danced around my head as I watched Mrs. Davis, but the series itself is far more interested in goofy shenanigans and soapy plot twists than attempting any serious philosophical exploration. But I suppose even Damon Lindelof needs a vacation sometimes. Your enjoyment of the show will depend on well you sync up with its farcical wavelength. Why is there a group of well-funded, anti-AI militia bros, led by a shirtless buffoon? Don't worry about it, they're hilarious (Chris Diamantopoulos, one of the more memorable VC bros from HBO's Silicon Valley, truly commits.)

The idea for Mrs. Davis arrived in the early paranoid phase of the pandemic, Lindelof told us in an interview. During that time of sheer uncertainty — back when we were still wiping down groceries — Hernandez wished for an app that could just tell her what to do. "What if there was something that we trusted?" Lindelof said. He was also intrigued by the role of algorithms in our lives, something he noticed while going down YouTube and Tiktok rabbit holes with his teenage son.

Mrs. Davis was written and produced long before ChatGPT and other generative AI tools reached the public, but its release couldn't be better timed. Despite just making a show about an all-powerful algorithm, Lindelof is intrigued by the new AI tools. "Artificial intelligence is basically coded to give us what we want," he said. "And so, never before in the history of of technology have we had more of an opportunity to get clarity on what it is we want.... What is human existence? What is the meaning of life?"

Peacock

If Mrs. Davis more effectively wrestled with those questions, it would have been another prestigious series for Lindelof. Instead, it feels more like a creative exercise, one that gave Hernandez the opportunity to move beyond the world of sitcoms.  

"I think that we we have an unprecedented opportunity for the greatest therapist in the history of of of our species to tell us, here's what you really are like," he added. "For any fan of Douglas Adams, we now have that computer that's going to spit out "42" [Adams' comedic answer to the meaning of life]. I'm just curious to see what it says."

The first four episodes of Mrs. Davis premiere on Peacock on April 20th.