The Son

The series opens with what I would say is at least a 14 year-old boy being taken captive in 1849. The future is identified as 1915. That means the boy would be 80 years old. Seeing him on a horseback posse and being very physical in many ways doesn't make sense to me. Am I missing something?

This is a top-tier production in terms of acting, writing, directing, cinematography and the effort put into to accurately recreate 1915 south Texas. At first, I was a bit uncertain about Pierce Brosnan's seemingly self-conscious portrayal and iffy accent (he's an Irishman playing a Texan), but he quickly, comfortably settles in to his compelling character. The other actors are of the highest caliber, particularly the show's namesake played by Henry Garrett. The scenery is also beautifully shot. And the biggest surprise is the story itself, which becomes engrossing within 30 minutes into the pilot episode. I expect very, very good things from this show. Once again AMC proves they are serious about quality television, and I do hope viewers reward "The Son" because it entirely deserves your attention.

I should add a few people have noted some time-line discrepancies. These may exist, but they are completely unimportant. Some of the other reviews here seem to nitpick over ridiculous irrelevancies. I do not know how these people can enjoy television! We have to remember a product like this costs tremendous money for a television studio trying out an unproven new show without any guarantee of ratings, and we should at least be admiring of the effort put in.

This show's focus is on the relationship of a father to his son, only in this case we have several father-son relationships, including the young Eli McCullough (Jacob Lofland) and his Comanche captor (Zahn McClarnon), the elder Eli (Pierce Brosnan) and his two sons (Henry Garrett, David Wilson Barnes), and Eli's son (Henry Garrett) with his own son (Shane Graham).

Add to the father/son relationships is a West in transition, with the end of the Buffalo hunts in mid 19th century, and the faint beginnings of the oil industry in Texas in 1915.

If this isn't enough to entice you, throw in race relations, between the whites and the Indians and the whites and the Mexicans, and within the races, between those who practice compassion and those who do not, and those who have power and those who do not.

Onto this broad landscape we have marvelous photography, great location shots, and terrific acting. This is TV at its near best, and I think it may be Brosnan's finest role.

In 1849 central Texas, young Eli McCullough (Jacob Lofland) is the sole survivor when his family homestead is attacked by Comanche warriors. Tribal leader Toshaway takes him as his property. Prairie Flower takes an interest in him which makes her suitor Charges the Enemy a foe. Ingrid is another captive. In 1915, Eli (Pierce Brosnan) is a cattle baron and independence war hero. He sees the coming change and searches for oil on his property. His son Pete is heir apparent. They battle Mexican revolutionaries who are fighting to return Texas to Mexico. They have a long complicated history with their Garcia neighbors. Pete has his wife Sally but also has a history with Maria Garcia. When Eli suspects oil under the Garcia property, it sets off a series of tragic events.

AMC is trying for prestige television and Pierce Brosnan is very much the biggest part of that effort. The ambition is great but it never reaches the heights. The biggest issue is that it's hard to care about this family. Eli is evil and Pete is pathetic. It is not the most likeable characteristics. It's like Breaking Bad but starting at the end when Walter White is a brutal drug dealer. It's a completely different journey and it's off-putting. One can't revel in his evil brutality because of his inner moral conflict build up over his lifetime. It's hard to know whether to root for the man or not. It would help if Pete is not so weak and the father son rivalry has a better balance. Pete's many hangdog retreats are repetitive and infuriating. It's hard to care about him and his inner conflict. I can see the young Eli story as a compelling first season. The time jumping takes away the character growth of Eli. It's a hard conundrum. Brosnan needs to be the lead of the show. This show has high hopes but gets canceled after two seasons.

If you're reading this maybe your like me and your late to the party too! For whatever reason I held off on this show. Maybe it's because none of the reviews really sold me or I just simply put it off. HUGE MISTAKE! In hindsight best mistake, because I was just granted the luck of watching the best 8 hours of pure brilliance and all the while I kept asking myself, how is this series not a massive, massive hit! It's like a watching a great old fashion novel. I'm not writing this to tell you what it's about, no I'm writing this to sell you this series like I wish could have been done for me. There's flashbacks to the main character to his earlier years where he's held captive and it reminds me of dances with wolves in essence, and I literally yearn for the Flashbacks. Zahn McClarnon from Fargo season 2, plays an incredible part in the flashbacks as young Eli's captor, but what that relationship becomes is a prize to watch unfold. Both timelines are so fascinating and captivating that each one can have its own TV series! each timelines plot is so stunning and stellar and the way they both intertwine is beautiful. That's the only flaw with this series is I don't want to leave a particular time period because the story is told so richly. When we leave 1850 to return to 1915, I yearn for the earlier time period. It's absolutely riveting and captivating! This series has every key ingredient to mold a masterpiece of a series! pierce brosnan is incredible as well as the additional cast! so prepare yourself for a binging experience like no other! so whatever your doing right now stop and watch The Son! You'll thank me