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This 8-Part Sci-Fi Masterpiece Has 1 Shot You Can't Look Away From
A single shot in Devs lays bare the many themes in the science fiction miniseries and will have viewers grappling with deep thoughts.
Apr. 19, 2026 at 10:49pm
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The mesmerizing visual alignment of the Devs machine's circuitry around the show's protagonist reflects the story's exploration of free will versus determinism.NYC TodayScience fiction often tackles themes of free will and evolution by exploring those concepts through the lens of artificial intelligence, resulting in many a compelling story. Alex Garland dug deep into this concept with his sci-fi miniseries Devs, which is currently available to stream on Hulu and features a singular shot that wound up defining the entire story.
Why it matters
Devs carries the careful pacing of Alex Garland's film work, but it ends up revealing just exactly what Amaya is working on, and why Sergei lost his life, in its second episode. The Devs team are working on a machine that can project any point in the past, more or less throwing the entire concept of free will into question.
The details
In the fifth episode, there's one moment where Lily enters the Dev projector, and for a moment, literally everything lines up. The camera stays perfectly still on her face, while the gold-hued circuitry that powers the Dev system forms a strange alignment. Even the music has stopped, practically demanding the audience's attention. This shot stands out not just for the stunning imagery, but as a statement about the nature of free will and how it's being challenged by this very machine.
- Devs is currently available to stream on Hulu.
The players
Lily Chan
The protagonist of Devs, who works as a software engineer for the tech giant Amaya.
Sergei
Lily's boyfriend, who is invited to the mysterious "Devs" program by Amaya's CEO, Forest, but is then murdered on Forest's orders.
Forest
The CEO of Amaya, who invites Sergei to the Devs program.
Katie
A member of the Devs team who utilizes the Devs projector to view events in her life, along with the moments that shaped Lily and Forest.
Alex Garland
The creator of the Devs miniseries, known for using the science fiction genre to explore existential questions and deliver existential horror.
What they’re saying
“I read more about science than anything else, and it started with two things. One was getting my head around this principle of determinism, which basically says that everything that happens in the world is based on cause and effect...That has all sorts of implications for us. One is that it takes away free will, but the other is that if you are at a computer powerful enough, you could use determinism to predict the future and understand the past.”
— Alex Garland, Creator of Devs
What’s next
Devs is currently available to stream on Hulu, allowing viewers to explore the show's themes of free will and determinism.
The takeaway
Devs showcases Alex Garland's gift for using science fiction to tackle existential questions and deliver thought-provoking, unsettling imagery that challenges the audience's understanding of free will.
