'Aerial Erisian' is an episodic scripted series following members of the Indigenous electronica band “nUmt” (think Snotty Nose Rez Kids, The Halluci Nation). Upon returning home from an exhaustive Canadian tour, Sam and Damien feel the cryptic energy the moment they step off the train.
Re-approaching the pilot after a decade of evolving the plot, characters and their world, we find ourselves in a position to make bolder moves going forward with the story. One notable change is that a wide variety of characters within the show are visibly Indigenous. Damien being of blended Coastal heritage and grounded in his identity. Sam being displaced Cree and adopted by wealthy settler parents and unaware of the full extent of his culture, let alone how to interact with it.
As they arrive home they quickly come to realize that while some things never change, there is something deeply amiss. An odd, chaotic tension permeates the air as they spend their first day back catching up with loved ones and squeezing in a fan event before a hyped up homecoming show at a historical Vancouver venue. Sam’s conversations with his family spark a compulsion to find a symbol for their sound.
After a serendipitous stop at an antique shop, Sam accidentally catches the eye of a trickster mermaid who swims in the aether between worlds. He draws her attention to their show where she is able to materialize for the first time in a very long time - altering reality in a massive outward ripple.
Rolling onward from the events in the pilot, the plot jumps forward 5 years in the second episode. Despite putting a lot of time in with his therapist, Dr. Falkone, Sam does his best to ignore his own intuition and the chaos he awoke on the first night back from tour. While Damien leans into shamanic practices to make sense of the uncanny discord sewing itself into their lives, Sam takes a more mystical approach by exploring things like sigils, talismans and arcane invocation.
They’ve attempted to shake off the bizarre aura by settling back into their lives and digging into the work of writing their sophomore album, a task that is easier said than done. Their first LP was a hit 6 years ago and the pressure is on to recreate that magic with a major producer as the band experiences significant creative blocks. Damien tries to tap into his spiritual side through the guidance of their wizardly audio technician, but the novelty of it may be distracting him from genuine connection with both his ancestral medicine and creative flow. Sam bounces untethered between womanizing, family tensions with his divorced parents, trying to make sense of the strange things that keep happening around him and avoiding his suppressed feelings for the band’s manager (and childhood friend) Natalie; a pragmatic and charming Afro-Indigenous woman in a long term relationship with another woman.
Sam has become compelled by the idea that they still need a symbol for their music, and that in finding it they will become grounded in their songwriting. He agonizes over this while he and Damian spin their wheels in the studio, trying all kinds of instruments and becoming increasingly unfocused and abstract in their efforts. Meanwhile, a slick and esoteric record executive sniffs around Natalie, scouting her and her roster for ambiguous purposes. All the while an elusive trickster in the form of a beautiful mermaid (and her shadowy companion) has been summoned; she has both questions and answers that they seek. But can she be trusted?
She has a heavy task to ask of Sam. A riddle that may have no answer.
This is gonna be fun.
