Since 1991's Hook, this was the first collaboration between Julia Roberts and Gilbert, a full fifteen years later.
During these fifteen years, Gilbert had quickly grown from a young newcomer into a world-class, even cross-century, superstar director.
Meanwhile, Julia Roberts had slowly slipped from her position as Hollywood's top actress, a testament to the relentless passage of time.
This cameo by Julia Roberts in Edgerunners was quite a surprise.
Because beforehand, viewers had no idea Julia Roberts would appear. The production team never mentioned it, and Julia Roberts herself did not reveal a word.
In the first episode, Edgerunners focused on portraying Night City as a dystopian world, while explaining cybernetic implants to viewers through TV news in the elevators and dialogue from passersby.
Johnny was watching with his heart racing. Excited, he said to his friend Paul, "Dude, if I had powerful cybernetic implants, I could rob banks and never have to work again."
"But Johnny," Paul reminded him, "cyberware strengthens the human body, but it can also cause cyberpsychosis. Haven't you seen the braindance David watched? Psychotic patients become terrifying killers."
Johnny waved it off. "That's great! A scary cyber killer—sounds like a really cool nickname."
Paul shook his head, speechless. But he was also curious: if implants could exist in real life like in the show, what would that be like?
He didn't have to imagine long, because this series would show him exactly what kind of world it was.
Compared to cyberware, Peter, an amateur online film critic, was more interested in braindances. From what the series showed, braindances allowed people to experience every moment as if they were truly there.
Although theaters were still developing, the North American cinema market had long been near saturation. Overseas markets, after years of development, offered very limited growth opportunities.
Some film scholars even predicted that someday movies would become a thing of the past, and finding new ways to experience films would be a problem both the film industry and tech sector would need to tackle.
Industry consensus held that the next direction was virtual reality technology, much like the braindance in the series. However, braindances seemed more advanced and apparently more thrilling.
What kind of world Night City was became clear to viewers through the contrast of two scenes.
The plot continued, revealing that the braindance David was watching depicted a scene from the previous day where a cyberpsychotic went on a killing spree.
This cyberpsycho was a captain, and the military implant in his back was missing. Watching the news footage, David saw that his mother, working as a first responder, also appeared on screen.
"You should get to school, David. My tuition isn't free," his mother said, sending him off before calling a mercenary named Mann.
It turned out that the military implant from yesterday's cyberpsychotic was in his mother's possession. She had stolen it to ensure David could use genuine educational software and live a better life.
Unlike now, the mother and son could only live cramped in a tiny apartment, unable even to afford a washing machine. The washing machine belonged to the company, and they had to pay to use it.
The series then used David's perspective to show the place where the mother and son lived. The apartment hallways were filled with homeless people, and the streets were full of drug-addled psychotics.
This chaotic, almost demonic scene was presented through Gilbert's visual storytelling. Without needing dialogue from the protagonist, the audience could already understand what kind of world this was.
Those growing up in slums, watching the series, would surely resonate deeply. This wasn't Gilbert's imagination—it was a realistic depiction of North American slums.
Unlike the pacified image presented by public intellectuals across the Pacific, this was indeed a kind of heaven, yet at the same time, also hell.
So Edgerunners was less a vision of the future than a reflection of the real world.
There are many ways to tell a story. Edgerunners told this story through visual language.
David, accustomed to the chaos of the streets, calmly boarded the monorail. Through the train's windows, rockets launched in the distance, and Trauma Team hovercars rushed to a burning building.
Skyscrapers glittered, luxury hovercars zipped between them, holographic advertisements filled the air—completely contrasting with the slum world moments ago.
Alex, a street kid from Queens, New York, had developed a dream of cinema after seeing Gilbert's films.
Encouraged by the neighborhood girl Valerie, he boldly went to Los Angeles to pursue his dream.
Nearly three years later, Alex was finally able to act in minor roles and was signed by a new agent at a super-artist management company.
Alex brought Valerie from Brooklyn, New York, to his North Los Angeles apartment and proposed to her. Due to limitations, the wedding was very simple.
However, Alex promised to hold a better wedding for Valerie later.
Valerie felt very happy. She worked as a sales clerk at a Walmart in Los Angeles, continuing to support Alex's dream.
When Edgerunners premiered, the young couple watched it together in their North Los Angeles apartment.
Seeing the stark contrast between Night City's wealthy districts and its slums, both were deeply moved.
Alex sighed, "I've envied Wall Street, the elite of Manhattan, ever since I was a kid. They wear suits, are constantly surrounded by people, chauffeured in luxury cars, and have villas on Long Island.
And I could only live in a cramped Queens slum with my mother, surrounded by criminals, drugs, and violence."
Valerie comforted him, "Alex, now we've made it out. We don't have to worry about going back to that kind of life."
"No," Alex said firmly, "we have to work even harder. We can never go back to that life."
Coincidentally, David felt the same way. Stepping off the monorail, he stared blankly at the giant holographic fish, when suddenly he felt a strange sensation in his neck and looked around.
Not far away, on a pedestrian overpass, he spotted a girl with bright blonde hair, wearing some material he couldn't identify, exposing a sexy slim waist, smoking a cigarette with her back turned to him.
In the anime, her hair was actually white, but for the live-action series, white hair looked too unrealistic, so the design used bright blonde hair instead.
This was Lucy, played by Scarlett, making her first appearance, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
David's heart skipped a beat, and he rushed forward to get a closer look, but the girl had already vanished.
What makes a series good? Everyone has their own opinion, but emotional resonance is undoubtedly one of the best ways.
Through most of the episode, Gilbert showed viewers a world where high technology and low living coexist. Through David's perspective, the mysterious side of Night City was revealed for the first time.
Next, the series moved into the stage of emotional resonance.
David attended Arasaka Academy, a academy designed to train talent for Arasaka Corporation. After graduation, students would sign lifetime employment contracts with Arasaka, working there until death.
Arasaka's practice of treating people like cattle and horses was nonetheless something many aspired to but could not attain.
Because becoming an Arasaka employee meant achieving a class leap. Unfortunately, 99.9% of people fell short at the door, unable to cross over.
...
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