Extrapolations – Episode 1, 2037

Scott Z. Burns is the writer that has previously brought you The Bourne Ultimatum, The Informant and The Report amongst others, but is perhaps best known for his 2011 apocalyptic view of the future with Contagion.

Here, he returns to this apocalyptic theme with his latest series for Apple TV+, Extrapolations, and he both writes and directs this first episode. It should also be said that Scott Z. Burns appears to like yellow, you see it a lot in Contagion and even more in 2037, but the latter is because the world is burning.

We are in the future, hence the name, and the climate crisis is further on than it is currently. More forest, worldwide, is burning, whilst whole countries have no water, refugees are unwelcome and Nick Bilton, Kit Harington (“Eternals”, “Brimstone”), is the richest man on the planet.

Bilton is currently negotiating with relevant parties in order to build a luxury casino at the arctic circle, a place you can now visit in a shirt and light jacket, things are so warm. Meanwhile, at COP 42, the world’s leaders are gathered, those in need begging for the patents to Bilton’s latest desalination technology.

Meanwhile, up at the arctic circle, Bilton’s right hand man in all things hotels is Junior, Matthew Rhys (“A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood”, “The Americans (TV)”), who, along with his singer/actress wife Hannah, Heather Graham (“Last Rampage”, “Wetlands”), is preparing for a PR opportunity; she’ll sing, he’ll stick a spade in the ground.

But, there’s a problem, the Chinese are there with claims to some of the land. Then Junior learns, via Hannah, that there may be more to the area than Bilton is letting on.

There’s a lot going on in 2037 and the above isn’t everything. There’s also Omar Haddad, Tahar Rahim (“Santa Claus!”, “The Mauritanian”), the Algerian representative at COP 42 who leaves in order to be with his wife Rebecca Shearer, Sienna Miller (“High-Rise”, “Foxcatcher”), who is giving birth to their son.

Then there’s Marshall Zucker, Daveed Diggs (“Wonder”, “Snowpiercer (TV)”), who has just become a Rabbi in Israel. Zucker’s father is Ben, Peter Riegert (“The Mask”, “Succession (TV)”), a man never off his phone, even when tragedy strikes, who is working with Junior. Ben expects Marshall to take a position he’s arranged for him at a synagogue in Miami.

With these latter points it’s hard to say exactly how they fit into the storyline, until you watch some of the following episodes. In this it feels like they are in to hammer home that this is a global problem, just in case you were in any doubt.

Throughout, Burns gives us views of fires burning, ice melting and protests across the world, from London to Russia and beyond. There’s plenty of protests too, some stepping into holograms to give speeches to the gathered crowds, like a modern soap box.

2037 shouldn’t tell you anything you don’t already know, that is; we can not rely on those in power to get us out of this mess as they will align with those who have the money, and those who have money will want to make more money by doing whatever is necessary and the world be damned. I just wish this was much more science fiction then it actually is.