Netflix’s 10-Part Mystery Thriller Is the Best Rewatch on the Platform Right Now

Dispatches from Elsewhere is a series unlike any other, blending sincerity, comedic moments, and themes of uncertainty. The show aired on AMC in 2020 and was canceled after one season. It was quietly released in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and soon afterward disappeared, which is a shame because, underneath all the scavenger hunts, cryptic flyers, performance-art chaos, and talking fish, is one of the most emotionally honest shows Netflix has picked up in years.

According to reports, however, Dispatches from Elsewhere exits Netflix on June 4, which gives viewers a pretty short window to discover a series that feels like somebody turned loneliness, quarter-life panic, and urban mythology into television.

‘Dispatches from Elsewhere’ Starts Like a Conspiracy Thriller

Image via AMC

Peter (Jason Segel) is stuck in the kind of life that feels less miserable than numb. He works a forgettable job at a music streaming company, drifts through the same routine every day, and looks permanently exhausted in the way people do when they’ve quietly given up on being surprised by life. Then he notices a strange flyer, which leads him to the Jejune Institute, a bizarre organization run by the hypnotically theatrical Octavio Coleman (Richard E. Grant), with the exact energy of a man who may either enlighten you spiritually or rob you blind. Soon, Peter is caught up in an alternate reality game that spans the city and features secret societies, hidden clues, missing artists, and a lady named Clara who may or may not exist.

During this adventure, Peter meets three other players: Simone (Eve Lindley), an artist attempting to escape her feelings of isolation; Fredwynn (André 3000), a conspiracy theorist whose brain is much faster than his social skills; and Janice (Sally Field), a lonely empty nester searching for something new to do in her life. The show follows all the characters as the game begins to bleed into reality, or maybe reality starts bleeding into the game.

The Cast Is What Makes ‘Dispatches from Elsewhere’ Work

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At times, Dispatches From Elsewhere comes dangerously close to being utterly bizarre. There are parts where it seems as though the creator of this show had an emotional meltdown after spending one weekend watching Pushing Daisies, Twin Peaks, and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. In some instances, it is brilliantly executed, but in other respects, Dispatches is almost too eager to demonstrate its whimsy; the cast keeps everything level, however

Lindley is easily the standout. Simone could’ve become the kind of “mysterious free spirit” character audiences have seen a thousand times before, but Lindley gives her a guardedness that keeps the performance from floating away into cliché. There’s real exhaustion underneath her charm. Meanwhile, André 3000 turns Fredwynn into something unexpectedly sad. He plays him as if he has been analyzing human behavior his whole life without ever actually connecting with anyone. As always, Field effortlessly conveys deep sadness through her performances. Finally, Grant has an uncanny ability to exude warmth and comfort while also giving off an eerily unsettling demeanor.

Jason Segel Made a Mystery Show That’s Really About Loneliness

Image via AMC

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What separates Dispatches from Elsewhere from many puzzle-box mystery shows is that it eventually stops caring about the puzzle.

There are clues hidden everywhere, secret messages tucked into random conversations, entire sequences built around deciphering nonsense, but the actual point of the series becomes pretty clear halfway through. These are people who feel disconnected from the world around them. Peter feels invisible; Simone keeps people at arm’s length because she’s tired of getting hurt; Janice built her entire identity around taking care of other people and suddenly has no idea who she is anymore; and Fredwynn hides inside theories and patterns because they make more sense to him than human relationships do. The game forces them to find one another.

The show is best watched as a binge; if you only watch one episode per week, it is likely frustratingly abstract, since you don’t have any emotional connection to the character while you’re waiting a week to see them again. By watching the entire series in one sitting, you quickly form an emotional connection to the journey.

Once you complete the series and arrive at the strange and very meta ending, it no longer feels like a sci-fi mystery; rather, it feels much more like a story about creativity, regret, human connection, and the almost desperate need we humans have to believe there is always some magic hidden in the mundane everyday activities of our lives.