Paramount+ returned to SXSW for their third year. Once again, they have taken over Clive Bar and turned the three-story space into an immersive experience about their current and upcoming slate.
Guests were invited into the worlds of “Yellowjackets,” “1923,” “Gladiator,” “School Spirits,” “Happy Face” and “Dexter: Original Sin.” As a fan of “Dexter” and “Yellowjackets,” I’d been following both series since their beginnings and was excited to see what they were going to bring to the table. 
Last year, when I visited The Lodge, I immediately thought it resembled the cabin from “Yellowjackets.” This year they took the ski lodge atmosphere and opened it up so that you walk from a nice cozy lodge to the eerie Canadian wilderness of “Yellowjackets.” The only thing that was missing was a cannibalistic girl’s soccer team. 
I’ve been a “Dexter” fan since the original series and was disappointed by the “Dexter: Original Sin” “Kill Room” photo op. It was a fun photo op but it felt like it was missing what makes “Dexter” stand out…plastic and lots of it. In my head, I was expecting a full kill room, dressed to the 9’s in plastic sheeting with a table in the center for the photo-op. This photo op was a small standing wall with a table attached to it, a small plastic sheet with the “Dexter” branding and a small set dressings to look like the iconic “Kill Room.”
One thing Paramount+ does well is its signature drinks for The Lodge and its properties. This year, The Lodge featured three themed bars with signature cocktails and mocktails. The “1923” Old Fashioned was the standout for me.
