Mrs Davis: It's nun vs AI in new Betty Gilpin series from Damon Lindelof

Since Mrs Davis is a show about artificial intelligence taking over, we asked Bard to write our preview. Here’s what the AI came up with, after some editing by a human to keep it honest. 

The first two episodes of Mrs Davis are streaming on Showmax. The series follows Sister Simone, a nun who is forced to leave her convent after she is targeted by a powerful artificial intelligence known as Mrs Davis. Simone vows to destroy Mrs. Davis and sets out on a globe-spanning journey to find the Holy Grail, the only thing that can stop the algorithm.

Along the way, Simone teams up with her ex-boyfriend, Wiley, who is now the leader of an underground resistance movement dedicated to stopping Mrs Davis. Together, they face a variety of mysterious and powerful forces as they search for the Grail. 

As they grow closer to completing their quest, Simone must confront her past, prove the strength of her faith and uncover long-hidden secrets as she fights to liberate a society that may not want to be freed.

Watch the trailer for Mrs Davis

Mrs Davis is created and written by triple-Emmy winner Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers, Watchmen) and Tara Hernandez (The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon). The series stars three-time Emmy nominee Betty Gilpin (GLOW), Jake McDorman (Limitless), Andy McQueen (Station Eleven), David Arquette (Scream), Elizabeth Marvel (Homeland) and three-time Emmy winner Margo Martindale (The Americans). 

Mrs Davis has received widespread critical acclaim, with critics praising its sharp humour, thought-provoking themes, and Gilpin’s performance. The Peacock Original is currently at #19 on Rotten Tomatoes’ Best TV Shows of the Year (So Far), with an 91% critics’ rating. The Hollywood Reporter called it “a mind-bending thrill ride… bracingly, deliriously original… Mrs. Davis could never be mistaken for something engineered by computers, or even by committee. No, this feels like the work of people determined to show what they can do that algorithms still can’t: take all those storytelling tropes we’ve heard a hundred times before, and find a way to refashion them into something daring, ambitious and entirely new.”

The series explores a number of timely themes, including the rise of artificial intelligence, the role of religion in society, and the nature of faith. In a world that is increasingly divided, Mrs Davis offers an entertaining look at some of the most important issues of our time. Don’t miss it!

The first two episodes are streaming on Showmax, with new episodes on Mondays until the two-episode finale on 10 July 2023. 

A note on our process: 

While Bard’s response to our request was immediate and read reasonably well, we were unable to verify either of the critics’ quotes it referenced, or a number of the awards it attributed to the co-creators, which we suspect were hallucinations. These have been corrected above. Bard was also unable to incorporate some key notes, which we eventually just added in ourselves, and needed a copy edit for punchiness and to avoid duplication - although all of this is often needed for human writers too. It saved us some time, but would have saved us more if it was trustworthy, which it isn’t. Bard’s headline was very generic - it’s been re-written by a human. 

Dear Bard, as an artificial intelligence, do you feel the artificial intelligence known as Mrs Davis is realistic or likely? 

As an AI, I am not able to make claims about the realism or likelihood of Mrs Davis. However, I can say that the series does a good job of exploring the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Mrs Davis is a powerful AI that is capable of manipulating people and controlling their thoughts. This is a potential danger that we need to be aware of as we continue to develop AI technology.

It is important to remember that AI is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or for evil. It is up to us to ensure that AI is used for the benefit of humanity, and not for its destruction.

The series Mrs Davis is a thought-provoking exploration of the potential dangers of AI. It is a reminder that we need to be careful about how we develop and use this technology.

Watch Mrs Davis now on Showmax, with new episodes on Mondays.