The Bastard Executioner

The Bastard Executioner is an utterly brutal and uncompromising look at the price of imperialism and the inhumanity that comes in its wake.

Set in the 14th century Britain and Wales this series offers up a glimpse into the carnage and misery caused by Britain's imperialist ambitions as it seeks to conquer and pacify its neighbours, the Welsh.

Focusing on one Welsh soldier wearied by war and bloodshed we see how he like those around him is shaped by events he has little control over.

This series is an interesting premise that has a certain honesty about it. Knights and the so called nobility are seen for the murderous, sadistic thugs they really were. Indeed, this reflects the reality of what the Norman caste system was all about, entrenched, ritualized inequity and predatory economic parasitism.

The acting is of a good standard and there are a few well known faces, such as Stephen Moyer, of the True Blood series. The story is an interesting one too. That said, the extremes of violence depicted in this series may be a blood soaked trip too far for some. I have a strong stomach but even I was shocked by what I saw at times.

As it stands I'll offer up a seven out of ten for The Bastard Executioner, which I may review as the series progresses.

This show gets better and better and is now my "top watch" for the week. The first 2 episodes are harder to deal with but set up the plot line somewhat. There will be gore so I don't allow my kids in room while watching. As the show progresses, you see a lot of characters evolving in a way that leaves you wanting more and more. I believe it to be fairly accurate in time, nothing is jumping out at me as incorrect. Dismiss early on reviews, this show has a lot of promise and later episodes really make for great TV. I DVR'd the first 5 episodes and ended up binge watching to find out what happens next, then was left with a feeling of incompletion and heaviness. Kept thinking about it throughout the week as well while waiting for the next episode. Not many shows can make you feel that way. (Have watched & reviewed: From series premiere through 10/20/15 showing. There is a 2 week hiatus and it returns on 11/3/15).

If you are looking for complex character driven intrigue cloaked in a gritty, yet high quality medieval aesthetic, "The Bastard Executioner" is for You. TBE utilizes good looking props, costumes and sets and well choreographed action to create a exceedingly believable medieval world. Complex character interests ground a narrative with enormous entertainment potential. Driven by Lee Jones, who brings an atypical freshness to the lead role as Executioner. Additionally, Katey Sagal delivers in her performance as very cool and interesting druid character. As usual, TBE's future will ultimately rest on story quality and character development. For now, the show contains enough solid aspects to warrant continued watching as the intrigue unfolds.

Taking cues from Robin Hood and Braveheart, The Bastard Executioner is a tale of a warrior who has been forsaken by his kingdom and now on a warpath for vengeance. Instead of doing the stealthy guerrilla warfare, he opts for infiltration and direct slaughter. There are many fantasy aspects at plays here, from the unlawful monarch to supernatural premonition, but aside from extreme gore The Bastard is hardly memorable compared to other fantasy series.

The setting is in medieval Wales, where aristocrat rules with iron hand. There are many corruptions and Wilkin (Lee Jones), as one of the knights suffers from the repercussion of the ruler's ominous act. He escapes his destiny by donning another man's identity.

Perhaps the most hindrance this series has to deal with is how to differentiate itself. At times it looks a lot like other medieval action. The cast consists of many actors who have experience on TV series, although aside from Wilkin and a couple of other characters, they seem too identical to stereotype knight, shady magistrate or lady royalty.

Its introduction to these characters is plenty, yet majority of them don't have the hook for audience to invest in. Furthermore, the use of premonition, warrior deserter and awkward CGI has been done so many times by movies or other series. It does set a world filled with anguish and while the bleak ambiance can be engaging, there's barely any charm here.

The best set pieces it has to offer is definitely the action sequences. It's one of the most brutal showings in recent TV. Blood and limbs fly relentlessly, it doesn't even try to hide the massacre as camera intentionally focus on the killing. While this may seem excessive or blatant, it at least dares to depict the appropriate bloodbath fitting of its theme.

However, simply having chaotic action isn't enough to substitute its fundamental drama. There's certainly an effort for political or private relationship and The Bastard Executioner is decent enough to be an alternative medieval series, but it's just not the same level as Vikings, Game of Thrones or even Sons of Anarchy.

OMG...I'm in so much shock. Being an avid SOA fan and After so much anticipation for this show, what a let down. The first scene (dream) was an absolute waste and shouldn't have been shown at all in my opinion. That actors "war cry" was more like a welp cry. If you don't have the conviction to do it, cut it out. Ugh. And while Katey Segal was absolutely brilliant in SOA, she doesn't feel right for this part at all. Perhaps it's the bad accent? Whatever it is, she doesn't fit. Stephen Moyer is great and more natural in this (I wasn't a fan of him in Trueblood). My favourite character is the guy who loves the animals and talks to them. And let's not even get started on how poorly done that white/grey castle in the background (and up close) is. Heck, when the band came across their entire village being killed, I felt like they lost their livestock...it was so bad (especially the primary actor). This felt like I was watching a high school play. Some actors were believable, but I think the failure here is on Sutter for how it plays out in the end. I hope they flesh it out and I hope it becomes brilliant...I don't think I will keep watching it though. Just being honest. Oh, btw, Griffith is pretty hot at least lol