Strange Empire

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!

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!

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.

There is much to like about Strange Empire. Character driven by relatively unknown actors, the fact that it is gritty and flawed works well within the context of the strange world of trauma and loss these women find themselves thrust into. Those who want to nitpick about historical accuracy or whatever else are missing the thrust of the piece. I applaud the fact that a chance was taken with this story by Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik. There is a deeper and darker truth about what it is to be human when faced with survival, and this series does a damn good job of giving the viewer a window into it. Word of mouth could very well elevate the series to some level of cult status.