2019 · Based on 1 season, 10 episodes through March 11, 2019 ·
Federal agent Brad Wolgast must bring orphan Amy Bellafonte to Project NOAH, a secret U.S. lab that tests a dangerous virus on death-row prisoners. Brad turns against the mission when the lab chooses Amy as its next test subject, and he becomes her protector and father figure. The virus can heal disease, but it also creates strong, mind-reading killers called virals. The season mixes their warm bond with government chase scenes, lab drama, and vampire horror.
The most visible woke element is the casting pattern around Amy, the black child who may save humanity, and Major Nichole Sykes, the black woman who leads the lab’s science. The story also says that Anthony Carter was blamed because he was poor and Black, and it compares the lab’s abuse to the Tuskegee study. Those race and class points appear in a few scenes, while the government cover-up drives the whole season. The main themes remain parental love, guilt, human testing, and the danger of trying to cure every disease.
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Passage.
Woke representation / casting
The show makes a black girl the gifted child who may save humanity, although Amy is white in the books. Major Nichole Sykes is a highly skilled black woman who leads the science at Project NOAH. Sister Lacey and Anthony Carter add more prominent black roles, while Babcock changes from a man into a woman. The modern U.S. setting supports a mixed cast, but the pattern in leading and heroic roles is clear.
42%
Woke political dialogue
Fanning tells Carter that he was blamed for murder because he was poor and Black. Fanning also compares Project NOAH’s doctors to the Tuskegee study while calling the prisoners victims. A reporter says death-row inmates disappeared because no one would speak for them. These points appear in a few scenes and do not take over the season.
30%
Identity-driven story themes
Carter’s wrongful conviction becomes part of his continuing viral story, and the show ties his treatment to race and poverty. Babcock’s past includes abuse from men, but her story focuses on trauma, murder, and revenge rather than a broad feminist message. Amy’s race does not drive her choices or conflict. Identity themes support two smaller stories and do not control the main vampire plot.
27%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The U.S. military and health agencies run secret tests on prisoners and try to use a child. Project NOAH hides its mistakes, causes a reporter’s death, and treats weak people as tools. The show links this abuse to the Tuskegee study and to Carter’s race and poverty in a few scenes. The full season distrusts government power, but most of the plot is a standard warning about science without moral limits.
34%
Woke character or canon changes
The series changes Amy from the white child described in the novels to a black child. The series also changes Babcock from a male prisoner and viral into a woman with a long abuse story. Amy remains the chosen child, and Babcock remains a major viral, so both identity changes are easy for book readers to see. The author approved the new version.
44%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some book fans said that changing Amy from white to Black showed a liberal social plan. Reddit and MovieChat users also accused the show of forced diversity, PC choices, and checking diversity boxes. A newspaper covered early fan surprise about Amy’s casting, but the debate stayed small. Most reviews attacked the pacing and other book changes instead of woke politics.
31%
Creator track record context
Cached profiles place creator Liz Heldens at 26, with no strong activist record. Most writers and producers score from 0 to 28 and focus on regular drama work. Writer C.A. Johnson and director Eduardo Sanchez-Ubanell have queer work, while Dennis Saldua supports Filipino representation. These higher scores are found in a mostly low-scoring team.
27%
Production
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