Strange Empire

The one review I read, missed the point of the series. Years ago, Gene Siskel would say: don't watch a movie to see if it meets your expectations of how you would make that movie, but rather to see what the film-makers intended, and how well then did they succeed.

This is not a Western, although it "looks" like one. Having little money to spend, a story gets told of women in the West, and how hard it could be from their point of view. The women here are not the eye- candy of a typical Western. These women are the heart of a struggle to survive the vagaries of male impulsiveness, in a physical environment where there are no effective laws.

It is carefully photographed, with plays of light and dark that evoke mood, sometimes even mystical. Sure, the cast is weak against the wiles of the Hollywood pros, but scene after scene is sure in its emotions, and internal dilemmas faced, where something must be done, and no hero is going to ride in and save the day.

The women, old, young, babies, drunks, angry, scared, find a way to be together, and it is neither a romantic fairy tale, nor an story with all the lines straight and easy.

It is visually superb. Draws you along, while containing a realism that is not easily dismissed, or easy to watch. If you don't watch it alone, you'll have plenty to talk about.

My husband and I have enjoyed binge-watching this show! Recently, we have seen a lot of post civil war America period pieces on Netflix. They all have the similar theme of civil war trauma (ptsd) and its subsequent violent effects in a frontier landscape. I like this because it's NOT a typical western. I felt that the themes in the story were universal. I loved the costumes! They could almost be "steampunk." If I were to write the second season, I might go that route as engineers work out issues on the railroad and in the mines using technology. I can almost see a Johnny Depp style character partnering up with Dr. Blithely. Of course, this show wouldn't go as far as the steampunk fantasy world, I suppose. We are very disappointed that the show is cancelled. I hope Netflix decides to produce the story.

I've always liked the idea of Westerns, but I've always found them lacking. I like shows with women and about women, and Westerns have always been the domain of straight white men (like most everything) running around being heroic, and if you're lucky enough to get a female character in the setting, she's either a damsel in distress or a whore. Neither of which are bad, but some variation would be nice. This show has everything I've been looking for for a long time. The three main characters are female, two women of color and they are awesome (well, two are). It's a great look at the women of the wild west and it has actual Cree and Blackfoot characters as part of the main cast. Also, Helo from BSG, what more can I say. Except that Kat is bad ass and Rebecca is the most adorable genius ever. Watch this show!

Incredible show. Just re-watched the first three episodes. All four lead characters are brilliant actors. Such talent. Visually stunning with the British Columbia foothills as a backdrop. So many words to describe this show, mystical, bizarre, quirky, tragic, etc. Historical perspective of women and their lot in life during these times. I recommend this show for anyone who enjoys a good and oddly bizarre drama. Hindsight now gives us historical accuracies, but at the times depicted they were not quite sure where they were. But interesting, the coal mines, think of Coleman area, the railroads, the hard life of the early settlers. Thankyou CBC for producing this excellent show. I am enthralled!

Perhaps the color palette is a little too desaturated and perhaps the dialog is a bit over the top, but I thoroughly enjoyed this show. The three female leads are fascinating and beautiful, and the actor playing the main villain does a great job as well. Cara Gee looks inspiring and formidable in that outfit! For sure, this show lacks any varnish and gloss, but that is part of its charm. The whole story takes a lot of unexpected turns. Sometimes it almost felt like no one was keeping track of story threads because characters like Caze and Mrs. Biggs would go from bitter and hateful to sympathetic and helpful depending on the episode. But this ambiguity felt both real and somewhat novel for TV. Mrs. Blithely asks at one point, would all these people be doing these horrible things if not for this place they find themselves in? I also liked it when Mrs. Blithely mused about how she and Mrs. Loving and John Slotter were all cut from the same cloth. They are, all three, scary people in their own ways. (Don't tell Mrs. Blithely that your heart belongs to her, as she will literally keep it in a jar on the shelf.) Really like the title sequence as well.