Y: The Last Man is finally on Hulu. The graphic novel adaptation, which was supposed to be a series, then a movie, and then a series again has had a long strange journey onto the streaming service. Perhaps ironically, at least one of the things that got in the way of the series airing was a global pandemic that killed millions around the globe. For those that aren't familiar with the graphic novel, Y: The Last Man is a story about a mysterious disease that kills hundreds of millions. Of course, in this particular story, everyone who is killed by the disease is a man. In fact, every ... thing that dies is male. Anything with a Y chromosome is wiped out seemingly in the blink of an eye and almost entirely at the same time. At least it kills almost everything and everyone with a Y chromosome. It turns out there are two survivors. Yorick Brown and his pet capuchin monkey, Ampersand.
Adapting a graphic novel for television - or streaming services - can be tricky. The Hulu series has a bit of a tight rope to walk. It has to appeal to the people who read the book. After all, logic dictates they are the ones that are almost guaranteed to tune in. They are the people that are going to want to see the characters that were in the comic come to life on the screen. On the other hand, the series has to offer something for those who might not have read the books but is enticed by the premise that's been shown off in the trailers and previews. This particular series added another hurdle that the showrunners didn't need to add into the story, but decided to take on anyway. Through the first three episodes, the series pulled off that balancing act quite nicely. In fact, it did it rather impressively.
Subtle Changes Make Y: The Last Man Series Hit Home
While the series so far is pretty faithful to the graphic novel, the FX on Hulu series makes some changes. Most of those changes are subtle. Some are far more straightforward. One of the biggest changes is that the show spends quite a bit of its time focusing on events that happen before the plague literally wipes out mankind. The reason for this isn't hard to figure out. The showrunners wanted "the event" to really hit home. They likely wanted people to have some connection to the people who end up dying, even if anyone who understands the premise of the show knows they're going to die.
This is actually a pretty big departure from the graphic novel. Yes, there are flashes of life before the plague hits, especially with Hero (played by Olivia Thirlby in the show) and her paramedic boyfriend. But for the most part, the books focus almost entirely on life after "the event." The effects are quite different. In print, the idea that all the males in the world suddenly die is sad and hard to imagine. But there isn't the emotional resonance that comes from watching people that the viewer knows at least a little bit, die horribly.
When the big event in Y: The Last Man does hit, it hits hard. Fans watching the show might even find their jaws dropping as men drop dead. This despite the fact that they likely knew exactly what was happening when it started to happen. That's the crowning achievement of the series so far. Being able to punch its audience in the gut with something that was entirely predictable takes a special kind of presentation and direction. There are also changes to how the plague hits. In the books, it doesn't appear that there's any warning when the disease arrives. In the show, animals are spotted dead here and there, perhaps as a way to show that whatever killed everyone is mutating and growing. Perhaps it's also supposed to be a sign that something more sinister is afoot. It's possible that will be revealed in later episodes.
The Political Turn in Y: The Last Man
One other slight change that works quite well in the first three episodes is a greater focus on the politics of the situation. In the graphic novels, there is a fight over just how the government is going to be run. However, it's more a peripheral way of introducing other characters such as Yorick's mother, who becomes President of the United States. This time around, politics, but left and right are prominent and quite current. That includes allusions to a Republican president who has the backing of White Supremacists and is definitely a gun aficionado. The Hulu streaming series tackling modern politics could come off as ham-handed, however, it's subtle enough and has actors who can really pull off that aspect of their characters that it's both interesting and obviously important. The approach invites the viewers to really care about who wins power and steers the world after the plague hit in one direction or another.
Other real-world issues in Y: The Last Man help the show feel more realistic. That includes the question of what happens to transgender people in a world where those men are now the only men left. Considering one of the main characters is a "man without a Y chromosome" it appears the Hulu series is going to examine that fairly closely. As long as it doesn't divert entirely from the main plot of the show, that could be an interesting direction to go, especially as the world becomes even more starved for the companionship of any man at all.
If there is one thing that Y: The Last Man has to be careful about, it's moving the main plot a bit too slowly. The first three episodes served the purpose of laying the backstories for the cast of characters. But Yorick needs to get moving. How exactly the Hulu series handles that situation is going to make or break the show over its 10-episode first season. As long as the show doesn't feel like it's standing still and is definitely moving forward, it's possible Y: The Last Man could rival The Handmaid's Tale as the hands-down best series on the streaming service. So far, it's made a very good first impression for Hulu.