Drake and Future executive produce a thrilling, compelling new series
“Saint X” is one of the best limited series that you can binge-watch on Hulu right now. If you’re a fan of the “whodunnit” crime genre, “Saint X” will leave you on the edge of your seat with its complex and compelling storytelling.
Adapted from the 2020 book by Alexis Schaitkin, the series follows the Thomas family during their weeklong idyllic vacation that ends in tragedy. The eldest sister, Alison, (played by West Duchovny) is an inquisitive, headstrong college student who’s inexplicably found dead after interacting with many of the resort’s staff and guests.
Ten years later, the surviving sister, Emily, (Alycia Debnam-Carey) crosses paths with someone from the island triggering an insatiable obsession with uncovering the truth about her sister’s untimely death.
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What makes “Saint X” such a phenomenal series is its many layers. Though it’s only eight episodes, the character development is amazing. Upon meeting the various supporting characters through a series of flashbacks, the viewer thinks they’re getting a step closer to the nature of the crime when in reality, you’re zooming out to see a bigger picture.
Each episode tackles a multitude of current events such as classism, racism, and feminism.
Moreover, the series isn’t just hyperfocused on a missing blonde-hair Caucasian teen, there’s a bigger story at play about the hardships of the residents of a Caribbean island that has been gentrified for Western tourists.
Through resort staff and best friends Edwin (Jayden Elijah) and Gogo (Josh Bonzie), the show pointedly addresses how homophobia – which dates back to colonial slavery – and the decision to be outwardly gay still carries real-life consequences, particularly for Black men.
“Saint X” challenges the idiom that “there are two sides to every story” when in actuality based on who’s telling the story, there are various versions of the truth. The Sentinel speaks with the stars of “Saint X” who give insight into the show’s teachable moments.
L.A. Sentinel: Your character “Alison” seems to be very progressive. From reading Toni Morrison to calling out her father and love interest’s various microaggressions. What’s something you learned in becoming your character?
West Duchovny: I think Alison is progressive by 20 years ago standards but at the same time she’s still extremely sheltered, naive, and ignorant in a lot of ways. I think her saving grace is her curiosity. She wants to do better, and she wants to learn more. She wants to understand, but I think she never will because of how she was raised but her desire to learn was really what I grabbed onto and thought was so honorable and wonderful about her. If you look at the conversations she has with Edwin, Gogo, and Tyler, she’s the one driving it because she’s asking questions over and over again and I think that’s a wonderful quality.
LAS: What do you have people take away from this series in terms of living your truth when society or their environment doesn’t allow it?
Jayden Elijah: Diving into the Caribbean’s laws on homosexuality and how being caught with a man can get you imprisoned and even sentenced to death in a few countries. Oftentimes, these laws aren’t enforced but they’re still there. Educating myself on when these laws were first introduced into the Caribbean communities, and it was during slavery.
It made me realize this prejudiced attitude isn’t even from my culture, it’s actually an element of another horrible thing – slavery and colonialism. Two consensual adults coming together whatever the gender, whether it’s male, female, or non-binary, I don’t think that should be anyone’s concern. Maybe this show can help undo some of the prejudices that people in some communities have.
LAS: In the show, your character Emily has some dialogue about how the loss of a loved one changes you and you become a new person. How would you have comforted your character amidst her grief?
Alycia Debnam-Carey: It’s such a unique point of view to lose someone so close and instrumental to your life. So much of what Emily is going through is to fill this void within her family dynamic and that was a big theme that I was curious to understand. In many ways, we see Emily trying to become a version of her sister to try and facilitate this space. Ultimately, we find that Emily needs to come back to herself to try and find out who she is in order to heal. You need to support people as an individual, make sure they’re seen and heard as their own person and not just lumped in with the trauma that they experienced. They still have to exist and
have a life. Learning how to move forward is so complex and interesting in this narrative.
LAS: What do you hope Black men get from this series in terms of inclusion and acceptance?
JB: In terms of Black men whether heterosexual, homosexual, or trans, there’s space for all of us. I would like to see a world where Black men know it’s okay to be soft, it’s okay to hold flowers in a picture! There are so many ways that Black men can exist and nothing can hold us back whether that be ourselves or other people. What’s wonderful about a show like this is that you get a whole other side of how black men can be and how expansive and infinite a Black man is.
“Saint X” Executive Produced by Aubrey “Drake” Graham, Adel “Future” Nur, and Jason Shrier for DreamCrew Entertainment is streaming now on Hulu.
