Review: 'See' Season Two is Aimless, Lacks Vision

The premise of "See," now in its second season, was always an interesting experiment. Jason Momoa stars as the brawny and capable Baba Voss, the leader of a tribe of humanity that, like all humans, has been forced to evolve to survive in the barren post-apocalyptic terrain of an Earth scorched by climate change and man's own ignorance. When a virus wipes out a huge number of the population, it leaves sightless survivors in its wake. As the chieftain of one of the thriving sects of mankind, Baba Vass rescues and marries Maghra Kane (Hera Hilmar), who is pregnant at the time.

Across the vast lands, a terrible Queen, Sibeth Kane (Sylvia Hoeks), is revealed to be Maghra's sister. Sibeth is in pursuit of the child Maghra carries, believed to be a "heretic" because Sibeth believes that it will be born with sight and could herald a new age of man. Most of Season One had Baba Voss leading his people away from harm, and once they welcomed Maghra into their ranks, it was apparent that the entire tribe had a target on its back. Alfre Woodard plays Paris, a wise shaman and foster mother to Baba, who provides greater insight as Baba decides his next steps.

As the Second Season opens, Baba Voss finds himself evading treacherous forces as he works to protect a group of young people that have begun to see, and are targeted as heretics. His own brother, Edo Voss (Dave Bautista who has formally joined the cast for Season Two), has taken one of the sighted children prisoner, aware that Baba will no doubt seek to rescue the heretic. Meantime, Maghra and Queen Kane lead the armies of the Witchfinders across the land in search of Maghra's family.

The post-apocalyptic setting of "See" hasn't improved much in the new season. The series itself should evoke a sense of hope, given that humanity endures and develops a new culture, but it just feels clumsy at times – and that is not a dig at the work the actors are doing, because the cast is constantly stepping up to the challenge. It just doesn't feel interesting that everyone is blind. It feels like a contrivance.

It also leads to moments such as the one in which Momoa's Baba Vass tells a character with sight they are a liability to the mission because they can see – a moment that feels awkward and disingenuous. It doesn't move the drama forward, unlike when the survivors of the AMC Original Series "The Walking Dead" conceal themselves among a zombie herd by wrapping up in the dead's innards, becoming invisible to the predators. "See" doesn't make us believe in the dangers. It's just not happening.

As far as aesthetics go, "See" is not as interesting as other shows in the same genre. Perhaps that's because a lot of the characters are themselves sightless, so why should anything be beautiful? Why would color play into things? Textures should be a dominant element, but they're not – and everything is practical, and ugly. Overall, with the exception that "See" features two of today's most interesting to look at muscle-bound action stars, "See" Season 2 feels like more of Season 1 – pretty aimless, and without vision.

"See" Season 2 streams exclusively on AppleTV+.