‘The Body’ series review: A deliciously twisted teen drama to be enjoyed with a side of Catholic dread

The clunky phones, Bridget Jones muttering about stick insects, Britney Spears at the VMAs, IM and group chats (the venerable ancestor of WhatsApp), and Björk tell us 20 years have passed since the innocent, heady days of the internet when everything probable was possible.The Body (English, Season 1)Creator: Quinn ShephardStarring: Kristina Bogic, Sara Boustany, Geena Meszaros, Nnamdi Asomugha, Louisa Krause, Shirley Chen, Jackson Kelly, Sofia WylieRuntime: Episodes 8 (47-56 minutes)Storyline: When an initiation goes horribly wrong, supernatural sightings and religious mania sweep through the whole townWe first meet the students of St. Mark’s Catholic High School as they receive Holy Communion from Father Franklin (Nnamdi Asomugha). It is Halloween 2004, and auditions are being held for a spot on the school dance troupe, The Lions.The Lions is headed by Anya (Kristina Bogic) and her best friend Elise (Sara Boustany). The pretty and deeply religious Grace (Sofia Wylie), who is also Father Franklin’s niece, is trying out for the spot, as is the weird new girl, Lisbeth (Geena Meszaros). The Lions vote for Grace and invite her to the initiation party at a haunted house.Lisbeth also wrangles an invitation and when things go very wrong at the party, she manages to get Anya beholden to her. Grace is in an inexplicable coma; the students begin to see visions while the Lions practise for a dance competition a fortnight away.Creator and writer Quinn Shephard, who looked to her adolescence for inspiration, says the series is an ode to all the movies she loved growing up, while also dealing with universal problems such as the search for identity, acceptance, and loving who you are. The Body is funny, unsettling, visually exciting, and a tender exploration of love in its many forms.While there is a definite Carrie vibe at the beginning, and Stephen King’s troubled teenager is also referenced when one of the girls speaks of “Carrie and her psycho mom”, The Body is very much its own creation.There are no saints or sinners. Anya starts as the conventional heroine, with the looks, the success, and the perfect, caring boyfriend in Steven (Orlando Norman), but we soon learn she is barely holding it together. She is plagued by guilt over what happened to Grace, and discovers she has feelings for Elise, which she is unwilling to confront.Is Lisbeth more sinned against than sinning? There is a cloud over the family’s departure from Virginia. Lisbeth’s mother, Catherine (Louisa Krause), is said to be ill with an autoimmune disease, but the doctors find a history of drug abuse. Lisbeth’s brother, Leo (Jackson Kelly), is strange and has drawn disturbing pictures of Grace, but he is also sensitive and wants desperately to do what he considers the right thing.Maddie (Shirley Chen), whose broken ankle resulted in her being benched and indirectly caused all the mayhem that followed, starts as the sunshine of The Lions, but hides a dark secret. Parents and authority figures, from Father Franklin and the Church to Grace’s parents, are unable to provide stability for their wards, as they are on shaky ground themselves.Maybe it is because Lisbeth grew up among people who constantly let her down that she developed a finely honed survival instinct, which, coupled with her intelligence, gave her the capacity to manipulate events and people to her advantage.ALSO READ: ‘VisionQuest’ series review: Processing grief.exe in Marvel’s witty existential musings on artificial lifeThrough finely written characters, Shephard has created a series that looks at religion, guilt, love and identity in a sensitive yet riotous way. The visuals have an irresistible languor. The religious iconography, dance routines, and beautiful clothes that serve as battledress in the business of life say more than they show.The soundtrack, from Kylie Minogue, Björk and Ace of Base to Julie Andrews, Elvis Presley and some amazing modern choral work by the Budapest Art Choir, sets and enhances the tone of the proceedings. The Body goes by in a flurry of brilliant colour, sound, lots of pizza, and laughs.The confessions, including “I am poor”, “I am not naturally blonde” and “I am Canadian”, are guaranteed to make one grin at what Shephard describes as a “raunchy teen psychodrama with a dash of Catholic horror.”The Body is currently streaming on Netflix