Sometimes, do you think you need to be cruel to be kind?
Last night, I watched the second part of 'Apocalypse', the latest twisted special by illusionist and general mind-fucker Derren Brown. In it he chose 21-year-old Steven Brosnan from thousands as he believed that he was wasting his life away on the sofa, not appreciating his family and the opportunities available to him. In order to teach him leadership, responsibility and compassion Derren decided the best way to give him these skills was to take everything away from him, by making him believe a deadly meteor shower had decimated the population, and basically left a shit load of zombies.
Along his journey Steven encountered other survivors (actors) in Derren's carefully constructed apocalyptic set, including a 14 year-old-girl called Leona. She was set to instill, along with the other survivors, the qualities which Derren and Steven's family believe he lacked.
But a lot of people claim Derren has gone too far this time, the man himself stating several times in the programme that this "may seem extreme" but that he's being closely monitered by professionals blah blah blah.... more zombies plz.
For me that was the main question raised in a piece of entertainment television that was utterly compelling to watch. Mr Brown has a knack for making you invest in his subjects as much as he does, and that stops the whole thing from feeling totally exploitative.
Watching the last 10 minutes or so of 'Apocalypse', *spoilers ahead* it was clear the profound impact Derren had had on his life. Waking up from what he thought was a dream, he ran down to the kitchen and clung onto his poor old mum for dear life, before having the always hilarious realisation that Derren Brown was behind your traumatic experiences. A later interview showed a more confident man and a new-found zest for life. *end of spoilers*
As for the claims that the whole thing was a hoax - it's phooey. Derren's to good for that shit! But you can judge for yourself here.
What did you think of Derren Brown's 'Apocalypse'? Did he go too far this time?
Tara x
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