Klondike

Klondike is one of those series I picked up because it looks fascinating, with a somewhat unorthodox setting. With gold digging as the historical background, you assume that this is what the series will also be about mostly - aside from all the frauds and the harsh climate. Alas, everything seems to be addressed only once throughout the series, because there isn't time to remind the viewer what's so perilous about the environment, and what's at stake. Instead the show aims to be a classical Western story featuring cold weather.

The gold digging itself is also left completely out of the story. While I wouldn't want to watch a 6 hour series about digging gold, it's striking that a 20 page chapter of "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck" is more detailed in the process of extracting gold, than a 6 hour series produced by Discovery. At times it's easy to forget that the show is even taking place in Klondike, and not just any saloon in Santa Fe.

Despite a good crew of actors, the characters are one-dimensional and there is little room for any character development. Although some of the characters undergo transitions, there's no development - they simply go from A to B while not giving the viewer any credible reason for their transition. The same goes for the relationships between the characters. Some characters that take up a lot of screen time are even completely redundant, and a waste of the precious time of a 6 episode mini-series. I can think of at least two subplots, without which the show would have lost virtually nothing, while gaining both time and coherence.

"Klondike" bit off more than it could chew. A mini-series of 6 episodes is not equipped to deal with profound questions on the true value of gold, while also dealing with the position of females, the suppression of Native Americans, the presence/absence of hope and God, and so on.

This series could and should have been a lot better.

Man, six interminable hours! Tons of commercials. And, for what? Something that would've been much better in a two-hour documentary.

Discovery has done well with other projects, like "The Challenger Disaster" with William Hurt. But, they definitely chose the wrong people to helm this project! This whole thing is like a watered-down version of "Deadwood," or something like that. Just lots of ugliness with no real point. Tim Roth is, by far, the chief irritant here. He's doing his thousandth (or so!) portrayal of the sociopath who gets off on tormenting people before killing them.

Even though it takes pretty much forever to get there, the synopsis of this miniseries is: hard-working people mine for gold, and scumbags kill them off to get their gold. That's it! The script endlessly meanders and has no narrative thrust. The direction is uninspired. The cinematography is muddy. The score seems disassociated from the goings on.

In short, please skip it! (Unless this reaches you too late. Sorry 'bout that!)

** (2 Out of 10 Stars)

I was looking forward to this series as I have done the Chilkoot Trail and spent a fair amount of time in the Yukon. I saw an interview with the producer stating how they went out of their way to be accurate so I had high expectations. Yes the scenery was spectacular, but not at all like that of the real Chilkoot Pass. The first disturbing piece of footage was at the beginning when the miners were working their way up the pass and in the background there is a ski area! You would think in this digital age they would be able to "photoshop" it out. Did not one person in their crew notice this? At the pass they are greeted with a spectacular view of the Yukon River. Sorry, but that's not what you see. Also, each miner had to prove they had 1000 pounds of gear to get over the pass, an important fact left untold. Okay, all this technical geography stuff aside (most folks would never know anyways), I just thought they did a poor job making this look like the late 1890s. Modern phrases are used and everybody is way too clean. It was a good attempt on the Discovery Channel's part but it ended up being a disappointment for me. There are great books on this great historical time out there for folks who are interested. Think I'll go pull out some Robert Service poetry and get a better fix!

Klondike was much-hyped on Discovery, and looked interesting. As a period-piece, it works on some levels, offering a gritty look at the Gold-rush era in the Yukon. However, the story-telling and logic of the plot is sadly wanting. It's almost as if the scriptwriters didn't want to use any clichés in their dialogue - so, they wrote obscure, pompous phrases that are not clichés - but they don't make any sense either. I wouldn't say that the acting is flawed - Tim Roth is brilliant as a psycho land baron-villain - but the lines they are given just don't explain the plot or what the characters are supposed to be thinking.

We watched 'Alaska-Ultimate Survivor' during which we saw how real-life survival experts dealt with frigid cold, especially after unexpected encounters with icy water. The Director should have watched that series before setting up some of his shots. (Once your core temperature drops, so do you).

There was also some explicit 'skin' scenes, thrown in to further narcotize the viewers who may have been nodding off. Unnecessary. Try writing a realistic script instead, Ridley Scott!

I watched this mini series for entertainment. If that is your purpose - enjoy!! The scenery is spectacular,the photography is beautiful, the acting is solid and the story is ENTERTAINING (somewhat melodramatic)!!! I thought the cast was excellent.

Much of the criticism that comes from the other reviewers seems to stem from the lack of realism. I have always felt that the hallmark of a good television show or movie is the ability to suspend disbelief. There are dramatic elements to this series that stretch the imagination BUT it is a story not a documentary. If you want it to be absolutely realistic don't watch it. I LOVED IT!!!!!