The Bastard Executioner

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

THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER: (FX) If you're going to steal ideas, steal from the best and that's what the Bastard has done. It out-bloodies Game of Thrones, it has the atmosphere and spectacle of Outlander and a plot devise taken straight out of The Return of Martin Guerre / Sommersby. and a cast of thousands. However, the show captures all this with a certain degree of success, if not excess. It is bloody (worth mentioning twice), gruesome, brutally violent (not for the squeamish) and all filmed in excruciatingly close close up. Basically, a good man from the 1400's turns vengeful when his family is massacred and his village is destroyed by the minions of the oppressive Baron when the people rebel against unfair taxation. He takes on the identity of another man and the wife of that man vouches for him because he displays a kinder version of the real SOB husband she had. His first duty is the execution the one man who knows who he truly is. And thus the tail begins. All the elements appear to be there. The language sounded a little artificial at first, but I guess that's the way they talked in 1400 Wales. Score: 8. It has potential.

Anyone who judges a show or writes a show off after only watching one episode is a complete idiot. Just like all the idiots who decided not to watch game of thrones because they didn't like the first episode. These are character driven series. Game of thrones is awesome because of the way the characters develop. This show will do the same. Enemies will become friends, likable character will become hated, and the boring will become exciting. Characters have not developed and the plot hasn't thickened yet. So hold your criticism for a few more episodes before you say no to this show.

The cast is great and this show has all of the awesome Kurt Sutter violence you could ask for. So chill out and watch.

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.

I have been watching this series since the beginning, and find it quite well done as to costumes, scenery, production values in general. I nearly fell out of my seat, however, when Wilkin picks up a bible in the home of the executioner and says to the son something like "Exodus is my favorite book." Bibles appear in later episodes as well in the hands of lay people, and a cherished personal bible is central to one of the later episodes.

Basic history of England, folks, there were no English language bibles prior to 1380, and the fact that lay people could not read bibles, which were in Latin Vulgate, became the impetus for revolution many, many years later. By setting this in the time of Edward II, who died in the early 14th century, this plot point, minor as it may be, is a jarring anachronism.