Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Swarmis buzzing with Beyonce references.
The references are cherry-picked and purposefully unsubtle, but they are many.
(Yes, Beyonce is from Houston.)
Their fragile peace doesnt hold.
Im from Houston, Texas, and my very best friends last name is Jackson.
There was a lot of texting between Houstonians being like, Yo, who is this Marissa Jackson?
Is this a true story?
The Apeshit music videoThe pilot uses Dres bedroom shrine to give viewers a concise introduction to the Beyonce avatar.
For theSwarmversion, the couple stand, hands clasped, on the Brooklyn Bridge.
You know, Jay-Zs hometown that goes so hard.
IRL, Beyonce debuted in the sextet Girls Tyme in 1990 at just 9 year old.
The original lineup included LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, Tamar Davis, and sisters Nikki and Nina Taylor.
That girl group where NiJah first got her flowers is Glamour Child, analogous to you-know-what in real-life land.
Dre has a Glamour Child concert ticket on display in her bedroom.
Beyonce and the BeyHives online presenceDre is addicted to the internet, and NiJah feeds her well.
But Dre takes protecting NiJah a little too seriously.
Blunt objects are her tools of choice when defending against online trolls and proving the enormity of her devotion.
There is one reference whose absence is loud.
Where is the Tidal ofSwarm?
Did Hovs incursion into the streaming business not make enough noise for inclusion … ?
The visual album nods to works that dropped outside the timeline of the show.
Episode 2, Honey
Carmen: A Hip HoperaDre is on the run.
Its now August 2017 and shes going by the name Carmen.
The film is Beys debut acting role.
Its unclear whether or not NiJah has aHip Hoperacounterpart.
The birth of Beyonces twinsNijahs twins are born in August 2017.
Goddamn, she murdered everybody and I was her witness.
but the depressing dance backed by a miscarriage song was beyond the pale.
You took the life right out of me.
Im so unlucky I cant breathe.
You took the life right out of me.
Im longing for your heartbeat.
Episode 3, Taste
The fateful elevator videoLets play word association for a moment.
If I say elevator, what do you hear?
Its about the feeling of being somewhere when our version of the Berlin Wall came down.
Tangentially speaking, stans have a way of expressing their obsession and horniness with freaky, violent imagery.
Step on me, Slam me into the wall, I want to eat them, etc.
Maybe Dre took her own tweets a little too seriously.
Solanges dress inHomecomingThe first time we see the shows Solange avatar is the elevator fiasco.
Shes wearing a shimmering version of the sequin tassel dress the Cranes in the Sky singer wore in herHomecomingcameo.
Episode 4, Running Scared
Beyonces Coachella performance, a.k.a.
BeychellaIts April 2018, and NiJah is just about to headline Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee.
Its a relatable moment, as many of us watched Beyonces Coachella performance from afar, too.
SolangesWhen I Get HomeEva tells her followers to remember to speak with intention.
The line is reminiscent of Solanges interlude Nothing Without Intention from her albumWhen I Get Home.
The daytime TV spoof,Helen, calls back to John Legends interview where he teases who bit Beyonce.
InSwarm, the interview functions as a reminder for Dre of her transgression.
She spends the rest of the show trying to get close to NiJah to apologize.
On the Run TourInstead, the Running Scared tour promotes NiJah and Caches joint album.
Daddy LessonsThe daddy fromSwarmis not like the one Beyonce describes in the country song Daddy Lessons.
Cause he held me in his arms / And he taught me to be strong, she sings.
Shes going by Tony now, and is happy with her girlfriend, the college-educated Rashida.
Post-murder, she makes it to the concert in time and rushes the Mercedes-Benz Stadium stage.
