Sweet Tooth Video Shows How People React to Meeting a “Real” Hybrid

Netflix released a promotional video for Sweet Tooth showing people’s reactions upon seeing a real-life baby hybrid. Based on the comic book of the same title, the post-apocalyptic fantasy series is executive produced by Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey. It tells the story of Gus (Christian Convery), a young deer-boy who was raised by his father in the woods to keep him safe from poachers. When his father suddenly dies, Gus leaves his isolated safety and embarks on a grand adventure hoping to find answers about his identity. Amid the dangers of the outside world, Gus meets extraordinary characters and learns the meaning of friendship and love.

Premiering on June 4, Sweet Tooth received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Critics and audiences praised the heartwarming tale and its timely message of acceptance and kindness. In the story, part-animal and part-human babies were born amid a virus outbreak that wiped out much of civilization. Because they didn’t know if the hybrids caused the pandemic, humans hunted them down out of fear and intolerance. If hybrids were real, are people ready to welcome them into society? This is the underlying question Sweet Tooth poses to its viewers.

To see how people would respond, Netflix conducted a social experiment and shared the video on YouTube. The promotional video features a woman pushing down a stroller carrying Oscar, an animatronic human-owl baby. The two go out for a stroll in downtown LA, where hidden cameras are placed to capture random people’s reactions upon seeing a live hybrid baby. Quite unsurprisingly, many passersby gasped and gave out shocked looks. Watch the video below:

The most striking negative reactions came from two nuns who shook their heads in disbelief and a woman who gestured the sign of the cross. Another guy even let out an expletive at the sight of the life-like hybrid. Some adults, while not totally freaked out, expressed practical concerns about what Oscar eats, if he could fly, or that he’ll be made fun of someday. There were also many people who weren’t afraid to go near the hybrid infant and gushed at his cuteness. Interestingly, the sweetest reactions came from little kids. Many children ran up to the stroller and attempted to play with the human-owl baby.

While Netflix’s social experiment drew mixed reactions, the positive “oohs and ahhs” definitely outweighed the curious glances. So is the world ready to welcome hybrids? Maybe not completely, but shows like Sweet Tooth aim to plant seeds of hope in people’s minds. The series premiered at a crucial time when the world can gather many parallel lessons. Amid a global health crisis much like the show’s mysterious H5G9 virus, Sweet Tooth is a reminder to see inexplicable things with wonder instead of fear.

Source: Netflix

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