I watched Amazon’s new show Swarm this week, created by Donald Glover and Janin Nabers. It stars Dominique Fishback, Chloe Bailey, and Nirine S. Brown, with guests like Damson Idris, Rory Culkin, Paris Jackson, Billie Eilish, and others. The show follows a young girl, Andrea “Dre” Greene, obsessed with (fictional) pop star Ni’Jah. After Dre experiences a certain tragedy in her life, her obsessions lead her to a dark and murderous path. The show, however, does not just single out Dre for her obsession. It’s meant to dig into stan culture and fandoms as a whole or the “Swarm” in the show, which is the name of Ni’Jah’s fanbase.

If the name sounds familiar, then don’t worry; you’re not crazy. It’s supposed to be a parody of Beyoncé and her fandom, the Beyhive. But the meaning can apply to any fandom on the internet. I know people like to poke fun at the Beyhive and talk about how crazy and “unhinged” they are, but that is a phrase that can describe any group online, not exclusive to musician fanbases. It’s something we see from different groups from every side of the internet.

What I found interesting about the show is how it spans over the years; it starts in 2016 and ends in 2018. It also does not stay in one place, following Dre as she road trips across the country. Along the way, she meets interesting people who, in some ways, feed her obsession and enable her. The show has some beautiful shots and imagery throughout. It was a very aesthetically pleasing show to watch. Characterization through styling, hair, and makeup was amazing too. This show has a great cast list; they all do a great job bringing the characters to life. Even with the random Billie Eilish cameo, she did a great job. She played a cult leader, which is ironic because a lot of people online claim she is a cult leader or Satan-worshiper because of her artistic style. Eilish managed to bring some of her own charm and humor into her character. The show is a thriller with dark comedy, drama, and satire.

All of this works with the character of Dre because even though she has her problems, her character is awkward and funny, which adds charm to the show. Even though it’s not supposed to be an unserious show, the darker themes can be a lot. It is nice to have little breaks from the darker moments with a little bit of humor – even if it’s dark humor.

I will say that Glover and Nabers did a great job of creating this story, and I think the show did a great job showing the dangers of stan culture. I remember being a teen on stan Twitter and Instagram. Thankfully, I was on the innocent and fun side of the internet. But I also saw the darker sides of it: people saying and doing some horrible things all in the name of their favorite artist. This is a topic that should be talked about more. We have seen cases of fans acting out in extreme ways. It’s not just exclusive to musicians  – it also happens with politicians, athletes, actors, and anyone else who lives a public life. We have seen fans act violently toward other people, sometimes even the artist themselves. There is nothing wrong with liking public figures and looking up to them. However, there are ways it can be taken too far. Swarm does a great job of showing the dangers of obsession combined with the use of social media.