The Order is a new ten–part Netflix series that focuses on two competing organizations on a college campus.  One of these is a secret cult-like group of magic users called The Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose, while the other is a group of student-werewolves that are fighting the Order of the Blue Rose. 

Although the premise of the series is interesting, the execution of it is mediocre at best.  Most of the characters are one–dimensional, with little change throughout the ten episodes.  The interactions between the characters feel unrealistic, as the dialogue indicates that the words spoken are for the audience and not for other characters.  Many plot points are telegraphed far too quickly to the audience as well.  For example, the protagonist’s love interest appears about ten minutes into the first episode, and it was obvious in less than ten seconds that she would be the lead’s love interest.  The series also falls victim to the use of older actors playing younger characters.  The lead is a college freshman played by a 27-year-old. 

Some of the themes in the series are very dark and serious.  Werewolves and magic users alike murder scores of people while also dying themselves.  Public underage drinking is more excessive than it is on real college campuses, with alcohol appearing in almost every scene outside of a classroom or fight sequence.  However, it is very difficult to take these events seriously when a “secret” order is openly discussed by members in public and people are easily followed into very large hideouts. Despite focusing on a college student, the protagonist has no scenes in a classroom after the third episode.  The series uses short bits of comic relief in places that contradict the overall atmosphere of the episodes, leaving the viewer with a strange mix of contradicting emotions. 

The writers of The Order must have never attended college.  The blatant disregard for how colleges operate breaks all immersion in the world we are expected to believe.  The amount of murders that take place put warzones to shame, yet no one outside of the two organizations seem to notice that anyone is dying.  The student characters miss so many classes that any college would have them put on academic probation.  The chancellor of the school is never once shown doing any administrative duties.  The setting of a college campus is shoehorned into the plot to make it feel more relatable to the series intended demographic, and this comes across as forced and unnecessary. 

Although it is not the worst show on Netflix, The Order has many flaws.  It is a good show to put on in the background, but it is not amazing at holding the viewer’s attention.  There are worse series to watch, but there are definitely better ones as well.