Sometimes I get so tired of my TV routines. Repeating the same sorts of shows on the same days of the week over and over can get so boring. So boring, I resort to binging the weirdest things. This is how my obsession with Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency started. A friend recommended the show to me and on a whim, I decided to check it out. And that’s probably been the best choice I’ve made in a while.
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, starring Elijah Wood, is an odd blend of mystery and comedy that never exhausts me. Originally based on a novel by Douglas Adams, it is about all the crazy things we conspiracy-theorize over, like time travel and cults, paired with strange friendships and even stranger plot twists. The series starts with Todd, Wood’s character, being sought out as Dirk Gently’s assistant detective in his journey of wild adventures and battles against their many enemies. As the plot thickens, you get to see much more character development than expected from the first episode.
I know you’re thinking, “Is this another AHS or TWD?” Well, I can honestly answer, no. From the dialogue to the sci-fi aspects, this show is incredibly original. Some of its defining features include the defamiliarizing of the FBI and police force as people who are as out of the loop as we are. It also focuses heavily on the power of energy, from generating time travel to switching souls between bodies. If we were to analyze this closer, it could be the inspiration for us to go beyond concepts widely accepted in society to unlock the capacity for more.
My favorite part of the show is that it doesn’t automatically label one person as a hero and the other as a villain. Instead, it gives you the details (backstories and motives) so that you’re tasked with forming your opinion on each character. It’s a good reminder that in this world, not everything is as black and white as we assume it to be. Like the characters in the show, there are tons of grey areas in our lives that we either have to leave alone or take the action to make it definite. I could truthfully see Dirk Gently’s becoming the next fan favorite and cult classic on our list of many. It has all the great features that go into creating a following, plus so much more that we haven’t seen before. With quirky catchphrases, relatable characters, strange science that may or may not be possible in real life, and an alternative aesthetic, people will be going back to binge this show like they do with other classics.