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When viewing Neverwhere, it is important to remember that production values are not the most important aspect of the series. While this should come as no surprise considering its age, fans of sharp dialogue and a keen sense of wonder will hardly find it an issue.
Neverwhere follows the story of the reluctant hero Richard Mayhew. One night while on the way to a meeting with his fiancée’s boss, he stumbles upon a wounded girl lying in their path. While his fiancée would rather leave her to the proper authorities, Richard is far from heartless and takes the girl back to his apartment, sacrificing his career and marriage in the process.
When she awakens, the girl explains her name is Door and she is being pursued by the heinous duo, Croup and Vandemar. After a visit from the pair, Richard finds his existence has been completely erased from those around him. With little else to do, Richard is forced to journey to London Below, a subterranean mirror version of London, in which magic and angels exist and most of its residents are mad. Most notable of its inhabitants is the Marqui de Carabas, a comical and mysterious guide on Richard and Door’s adventure.
From this point on, the series relies on its characters and writing to carry it past an undesirable production. Gaiman and others have gone on record of calling out the BBC for the budget afforded to the series. Because of this, the series looks realistic due to its reliance upon real places. However in this day and age, where effects can make or break a project, it’s a shame that what should have been a bright and glittering spectacle looks like a grainy sitcom that looks like it was shot on a home video camera. Even with the supposed remastering for this release, the color and contrast are extremely telling.
Fans of Neverwhere and Gaiman in general will want to pick up the release for new commentaries that accompany every episode. The original DVD release saw Gaiman go it solo in his commentary, picking apart the series production while elaborating on the characters and the choices made behind the series. A new commentary is recorded with Gaiman, co-creator Lenny Henry, and producer Clive Brill talking about the ideas that brought the series to life. Also included with the DVD is a physical copy of a map of London Below.
At just five episodes, Neverwhere covers a lot of ground in developing its characters and pushing the plot forward. The writing is superb as is characteristic of Gaiman. While higher production values certainly would have helped add to the flair of the piece, Neverwhere’s writing is compelling enough to distract from its shortcomings and pull viewers into London Below.
B+
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