Halle Berry teams up with Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the second season of Extant, writes Debashine Thangevelo
SOME of Hollywood’s most influential African-American big-screen actresses have planted their feet in TV, with great success, I might add.
I’m talking about Halle Berry in Extant as well as Jada Pinkett-Smith who channelled her inner villainess with marvellous finesse as Fish Mooney in Gotham, which has been renewed for a second season. And let’s not forget Viola Davis’s tour de force performance in How to Get Away With Murder, which bagged her an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress – Drama Series.
Extant attracted a lot of eyes when season one debuted here last year. Of course, Berry as the protagonist and Steven Spielberg listed on the executive producer credits, had a lot to do with it.
For me, season one got off to a great start. But the protracted storylines grew cumbersome towards the end. It was mayhem without much justification, if one could put it that way. The writers got a bit ambitious by allowing the story to fork into several directions, which diluted the climax.
So what can we expect from the follow-on?
Berry, in attendance at the network’s press junket, shared: “At the beginning of season two, you find Molly in Restwell Recovery Centre, which we have affectionately labelled ‘Crazy Acres’. So she is in a mental hospital. And it seems like she’s sort of gone a bit mad.
“She is pretty much there against her will, but nonetheless, she’s there. And along comes JD Richter (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) – our addition (to the cast) this year – to rescue her. While being out, the two form a connection and quickly realise they both kind of need each other as they go on this caper together.”
In the first season, much of the storyline was about telling Molly’s backstory, reflecting on her alien pregnancy and the impact it had on the lives of her loved ones, especially her humanoid son. By the way, Louis Gossett jr returns as Molly’s estranged father, Quinn, as well as Pierce Gagnon as Ethan. Also, this season is set in a very futuristic world.
Berry offered: “The sets are futuristic, they are colourful. But they are not so far forward that they are not relatable. I think there are many cool elements that attract the audience instead of pushing them away.”
On agreeing to play a cop from the future while adding some comic levity to the series, Morgan recalled that he said ‘yes’ when he got the call before even thinking it over. He added: “It was a great call and it’s been a wonderful gig.”
Of course, working opposite Berry does kind of make him the envy of most actors.
Expanding on his character’s history, he noted: “He’s divorced. He’s got a daughter so he’s going through very real world problems and probably not processing all of that very well. I think he kind of medicates himself with liquor and passes time with beautiful women and that’s the sort of guy we meet at the beginning of the show.”
As for how the two characters’ paths cross, Morgan confirmed: “He stumbles on her at a crime scene. She’s getting dragged away to go into the paddy wagon back to the funny farm, she says something that catches and registers in his brain. And he’s just that guy who’s dumb enough to go and forge papers from court and kind of breaks her out.”
What’s also different about Molly is her appearance. Berry said: “She’s changing into something else. You know, the hair is growing exponentially fast, the fingernails… She’s healing faster. She’s becoming smarter. Something is happening to her, biologically and chemically.”
There’s also the question about her adult alien son roaming around, too.
Molly clearly has her work cut out for her in the new season, especially with a vested interest in the ongoing battle between humans and aliens.
l Extant airs on M-Net Edge (DStv channel 102) tonight at 7pm.