Worth watching
The first three episodes of the show are quite dark and serious in comparison to the rest of season 1. There are themes such as violence against women and children resulting in injury, murder and sexual harassment of a (presumed) minor (no sexual harassment takes place on screen). Episodes 4-8 are slightly lighter in tone, and I believe this is so they can keep the rating a 12+.
Nell is a fantastic character and I can only applaud the actress for her talent. Her sisters, Rassalas and Isambard Tulley are equally wonderful, and the character of Billy Blind grounds the fantasy theme that underpins the entire plot.
Some reviewers have complained about the use of an ethnically diverse cast for a show set in the 1700's, but this is a fantasy show which displays magic and magical creatures as real. The realities of real life in the 1700's are both irrelevant and unnecessary, in a plot that is clearly divorced from real history. Anyone looking to this show to provide real historical context is (in my opinion) crazy.
My criticism of the show is based on the last two episodes. I was a little disappointed by episode 7, as Nell's fight scene wasn't taken in the direction I was expecting. Episode 8 was even more disappointing. I think the show left too many character arcs and plot points to be concluded within the final episode. There's too much jumping around between characters, most of whom are facing separate (if overlapping) problems. I was surprised and disappointed, that the central villains of the show were not dealt with how I expected (or wanted) them to be, though they all did face consequences in different ways. Nell and her family do get a happy ending, so it's worth watching for that alone. Overall it's a decently entertaining show, that I didn't find difficult to watch, and would recommend to others.
There are a few musical numbers in the later episodes of the season, and there's a good soundtrack throughout, in particular Nell's fight song. Whoever created that should be very proud of themselves.
Nell is a fantastic character and I can only applaud the actress for her talent. Her sisters, Rassalas and Isambard Tulley are equally wonderful, and the character of Billy Blind grounds the fantasy theme that underpins the entire plot.
Some reviewers have complained about the use of an ethnically diverse cast for a show set in the 1700's, but this is a fantasy show which displays magic and magical creatures as real. The realities of real life in the 1700's are both irrelevant and unnecessary, in a plot that is clearly divorced from real history. Anyone looking to this show to provide real historical context is (in my opinion) crazy.
My criticism of the show is based on the last two episodes. I was a little disappointed by episode 7, as Nell's fight scene wasn't taken in the direction I was expecting. Episode 8 was even more disappointing. I think the show left too many character arcs and plot points to be concluded within the final episode. There's too much jumping around between characters, most of whom are facing separate (if overlapping) problems. I was surprised and disappointed, that the central villains of the show were not dealt with how I expected (or wanted) them to be, though they all did face consequences in different ways. Nell and her family do get a happy ending, so it's worth watching for that alone. Overall it's a decently entertaining show, that I didn't find difficult to watch, and would recommend to others.
There are a few musical numbers in the later episodes of the season, and there's a good soundtrack throughout, in particular Nell's fight song. Whoever created that should be very proud of themselves.
- NatashaWM
- Apr 16, 2024