The Mysterious Benedict Society – Season One Review

In a global crisis called “The Emergency,” who are you going to call?

No, not the Ghostbusters, but instead a group of misfit orphans who form a team that may just be intuitive enough to stop a worldwide panic.  

That’s the basic premise of the TV adaptation of “The Mysterious Benedict Society,” (Season 1) which recently concluded on Disney+. The show is based on a series of young adult mystery/adventure novels by Trenton Lee Stewart.

“The Emergency” seems to involve a subtle but potentially harmful way of brainwashing everyone. For now, it simply makes people anxious. But the potential is it might lead to further mind control. The series follows a group of misfit orphans who believe they are taking an entrance exam to a prestigious learning academy but really have been tricked into being part of “Mr. Benedict’s” team assembled to stop the peril facing the world.

The story focuses most on Reynie Muldoon (Mystic Inscho), who has the essential qualities of being both smart and compassionate to others. His orphanage teacher, Ms. Perumal (Gia Sandhu), drives him to what she believes is an entrance exam for an elite academy, believing he deserves a spot there. Little does she realize he is about to undergo an entirely different kind of test.

There Reynie meets the other kids who will become part of Mr. Benedict’s group that will try to stop “The Emergency”: George “Sticky” Washington (Seth Carr), a boy with a near-perfect memory who has never fit in anywhere; Kate Wetherall (Emmy DeOliveira), a fearless explorer who carries a bucket of random items that can help in difficult situations (this reminds me a bit of the Disney cartoon series, Milo Murphy’s Law); and the youngest member of the squad, Constance Contraire (Marta Timofeeva), a seemingly-annoying prodigy whose personality is entitled, sour, and annoying – but as Mr. Benedict explains, you need someone like Constance on every important mission since she doesn’t follow the rules.

Benedict sends this group of misfit children to a “special” academy on an island in order to determine who is behind “The Emergency.”

As a whole, it’s great family fare (think late elementary to late middle school), but has moments that may entertain parents along the way.

Season one consists of eight episodes, and while it starts strong and finishes strong, the pace slows to a crawl in the middle. And while this is not the first Disney+ show to have pacing issues (The Mandalorian, Loki) and inconsistencies, it’s disappointing that the series couldn’t find a way to spice up the central episodes – or even cut down the episode count to match the narrative pacing.

But there are things that absolutely stand out: It looks good. Really good. Typically more noticeable in film, this show’s set design and costumes are like characters themselves. The setting, which has a bizarre, but fantastical 50s-60s vibe, is masterfully created. The set design reminds you of Pleasantville when they add the color to the black and white town. Interesting pastels and unusually colored images dot the items in the mysterious institute. Costumes range from quirky to plain (think The Hunger Games’ Capitol city of Panem) and add a liveliness that makes you smile even when the script is a bit slow.

The wonderful cast makes up for what the writing and pacing lack in the middle of the series. Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep) plays both Mr. Benedict and his evil-twin L.D. Curtain. Although not the conventional hero, Benedict has an idealistic belief in humanity and especially in children. Although he barely understands how his evil brother is behind “The Emergency,” he’s certain that sending a team of children to the strange island academy from where Curtain is sending the subliminal signals to the world is the key.

Number Two (Kristen Schaal) is more his quirky caretaker and planner. Rhonda (MaameYaa Boafo), the apprentice-in-training, is creative but skeptical. Benedict’s quirky adult assistants are constantly irritated with each other in early episodes of the season, so part of the joy is watching them appreciate each other’s idiosyncrasies and develop a friendship. Although this is grossly under shown, what little we get is a pleasure to watch. From Rhonda sneaking into town to Number Two training hawks as sort of messenger pigeons, both of them end up guiding the team unexpectedly. Rounding out Benedict’s sidekicks is Milligan (Ryan Hurst), an intuitive inventor who has had his mind erased and remembers little of his past. He has a Hagrid-like persona that is at times misunderstood, but he adds an emotional impact to the series by its end.

While he has moments of “evil,” L.D. Curtain is a strange villain, soft spoken but methodical. Still, I wish the show had spent more time developing the strange “Whisperer” machine he created and expanded on what he wanted to do with society once he turns his strange machine on and brainwashes them. It really wasn’t clear and there’s nothing more frustrating than watching a series and having no clue about what exactly or why exactly the “evil” is occurring. We learn something about his unhappy childhood, but that’s not enough.

Still, you won’t be able to stop humming the theme song, admiring the set design and costumes, and smiling at the methodical nature and precociousness of the team. And with Tony Hale’s performance elevating the series, it is indeed a mystery you can unwrap and enjoy.

The Mysterious Benedict Society season one is now streaming on Disney+.