‘Chloe’ Recap: ‘There Is a Light’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Chloe’.
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One thing that we can all agree upon, is that the world can be extremely sour in nature sometimes. in fact, it can be downright overwhelming. For now, and again, life just weighs down upon us and bad things happen and the fact that such issues hit us in waves, motivates us to do something that is utterly essential to maintain our mental health during dark times… and escape. It could be by just hitting the road for a bit to clear our heads or digging into a hobby or some type of act to just pass the time, but one way or another… we take part in something that we can lose ourselves within so we can properly process our situation and eventually deal with it. 
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Which means that eventually, our escape is set aside and we return to everyday life, thankful that we found something to heal us in our time in need and grateful that we are able to return to the real world. Since there is plenty for us to celebrate in the world we ran from, and we simply carry on with our lives. But what is fascinating about this aspect of the human condition, is that not everyone manages to return from that fantasy world when the going gets tough. Because some folks, come to realize that the fantasy world that they used to heal… offers them so much more and that motivates them to make it their new priority at all costs, and what makes that so fascinating to us, is that we simply don’t understand what could motivate someone to want to turn their back on the regular world, to indulge within fantasies.

But thankfully, stories are there to help us understand such matters. Since they can give us insight and direction as to why people do what they do, and it just so happens that Prime Video is now host to a series that explores not only the root causes of what drives people to fantasy, but the dangers inherent of sticking to it and that makes the series premiere of Chloe, quite the powerful and poignant tale. One that wastes little time in answering the important question by introducing us to a woman named Becky Green who is… going through it at the moment. For she has few prospects career wise at the moment, something that is driven less by ambition and more by necessity. Because Becky’s mother is ill and needs care and help often and well, that leaves Becky home often and surrounded by a tough reality. 

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Which is why, she is eager to spend as much time as possible, online and on social media. For that world, is a place devoid of pain and suffering and troubles. Just beauty and wonder and a life that doesn’t resemble the hell she’s in and of the many accounts available to her, one belonging to a woman named Chloe Fairbourne has her full attention. For Chloe leads the perfect life, one full of parties and joy and everything missing from Becky’s life. But Becky’s world is quickly turned upside down when she learns that Chloe has died suddenly and being robbed of her sole escape in life, immediately transforms her. For she needs a way out from the depressing nature of her life and in her mind, what better way to truly escape… than to assume the life of another person and force her way into what she wants?
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A decision that allows for Becky to lose herself within the identity of a woman named Sasha, who can easily slip into the world that Chloe inhabits and get close to the friends and family she left behind, so that she can learn how Chloe died and what she was like and to explore a world she knows nothing of. Which is… the perfect way to explore the show’s central themes. Since all of those acts speak to the power of the fantasy world and the dangers inherent of losing oneself within it. One of which is clearly, losing ourselves in a world we don’t understand and potentially causing ourselves great mental harm and harm to others. For if the façade fails, as it nearly did in this tale, disaster and pain can come forth. But the draw of the escape for those who have nothing is strong and not even warning signs or close calls are enough to get Becky to abandon her quest to assume this life.

Which makes this… a flawless series premiere. One that is incredibly intelligent in nature and filled to the brim with stunning commentary on social media and how we cope with trouble in the modern world, and it is also painfully realistic in nature. Since every character here feels familiar, as though we’ve known them and that’s a testament to the cast and to Alice Seabright’s work as a writer and director on the series, since her vision has been clearly realized. But what matters more, is that this episode, is the mere tip of the iceberg of this exploration. For we have a season of storytelling ahead and more moments to dive into with Becky and her fantasy and it will be incredible to truly explore every facet of the power of the fantasy, and how it grabs hold of us and the true disaster it can cause as this season continues along. For there is no way that the journey that Becky has chosen here… can end well in the slightest. Until next time.   

To learn more about the creation of this series, check out our interviews with series cast members, Erin Doherty, Pippa Bennett-Warner, and Brandon Michael Hall and our interview with series creator and writer, Alice Seabright.

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