I'm not usually a reviewer but felt compelled to write one after watching the two hour premiere of The Bastard Executioner (stylised as TBX). A period drama from the creator of Sons of Anarchy! Ed Sheeran to sing the title and have a small part! One of the most anticipated shows of the new TV season! Who wouldn't be excited?
On paper this show was going to be the next big thing. Most TV news sites had already hyped it up so I sat down eager to immerse myself into a world of blood, gore, drama, castles and sword battles. First off, I've seen a lot of people complaining about the use of sex and violence in the opening episode. It was not that long ago when shows such as Rome, The Tudors, True Blood, Spartacus, Da Vinci's Demons and even Game of Thrones built they're foundation on scenes of sex and violence. It's what gave cable shows they're appeal so I find it a little unfair that TBX is being slated for following the same format. The show is designed to make you flinch so if that's not what you're into, don't watch it!!
That being said I was disappointed with the first episode; at the beginning at least. The opening scene was littered with bad camera work, lazy editing and terribly cheap special effects. This was followed by a title sequence that felt low budget and below par for a show of this type. It's like they spent all the budget hiring Ed Sheeran to sing the theme song so had no choice but to hire a media student to rustle up some shots to go with it. The poor editing, bad effects and awkward acting continue after the title sequence and for a few minutes I couldn't believe I was watching an A-list show. It would have felt more at home in a late night slot on the SyFy network. However, just when I thought I was going to have to turn it off early, Katey Sagal appeared almost unrecognisable. Her presence renewed my interest and she was compelling as an Eastern European witch. From then on the TBX started to climb up hill. The unusual editing had stopped, the actors seemed to be more comfortable and the story started to appeal. In fact, the struggle up hill continued and I have to say I'm so impressed that the climb didn't stop. All of a sudden the two hours were over and I found myself excited for the next episode. There was drama, shock, twists and turns galore!!
Don't get me wrong TBX still has a lot to achieve in order to be in the same league as some of the fore-mentioned shows but after such a bumpy start this show has made a speedy and worthy recovery. I will gladly continue to watch it and I'm confident that the ratings will improve as TBX finds its way.
On paper this show was going to be the next big thing. Most TV news sites had already hyped it up so I sat down eager to immerse myself into a world of blood, gore, drama, castles and sword battles. First off, I've seen a lot of people complaining about the use of sex and violence in the opening episode. It was not that long ago when shows such as Rome, The Tudors, True Blood, Spartacus, Da Vinci's Demons and even Game of Thrones built they're foundation on scenes of sex and violence. It's what gave cable shows they're appeal so I find it a little unfair that TBX is being slated for following the same format. The show is designed to make you flinch so if that's not what you're into, don't watch it!!
That being said I was disappointed with the first episode; at the beginning at least. The opening scene was littered with bad camera work, lazy editing and terribly cheap special effects. This was followed by a title sequence that felt low budget and below par for a show of this type. It's like they spent all the budget hiring Ed Sheeran to sing the theme song so had no choice but to hire a media student to rustle up some shots to go with it. The poor editing, bad effects and awkward acting continue after the title sequence and for a few minutes I couldn't believe I was watching an A-list show. It would have felt more at home in a late night slot on the SyFy network. However, just when I thought I was going to have to turn it off early, Katey Sagal appeared almost unrecognisable. Her presence renewed my interest and she was compelling as an Eastern European witch. From then on the TBX started to climb up hill. The unusual editing had stopped, the actors seemed to be more comfortable and the story started to appeal. In fact, the struggle up hill continued and I have to say I'm so impressed that the climb didn't stop. All of a sudden the two hours were over and I found myself excited for the next episode. There was drama, shock, twists and turns galore!!
Don't get me wrong TBX still has a lot to achieve in order to be in the same league as some of the fore-mentioned shows but after such a bumpy start this show has made a speedy and worthy recovery. I will gladly continue to watch it and I'm confident that the ratings will improve as TBX finds its way.