Credit in this episode must be awarded to Rafe Spall as David Melmont for his performance as the series uber-villain. The scene where he rides slowly past Eli barring his teeth like a wolf in the title is absolutely chilling. And his later confrontation with Cornelia in London is disturbing because by this point, we the audience, fully understand the black depths of his depravity. A textbook episode in how a satanic figure can cunningly manipulate men to undertake base and evil deeds. Plus full marks to the Director Hugo Blick for not showing the massacre on screen. The relentless sound of rifles and Gatling gun on the soundtrack provides our minds with the grim information they need. We can visualise full well the details of this atrocity. And this episode is all the more chilling for it.
9 Reviews
Unsettling
ahmadz83921 November 2022
In its fourth episode, "The Wounded Wolf," the show continues its trend of presenting multiple timeframes, but this time it does so by offering some context, and it succeeds as a result. Thomas Trafford's past with Cornelia is detailed, as is Eli's role in all of this. Like the other episodes, this one is dialogue-heavy, and you'll need to pay close attention lest you miss something. Now that I've seen how everything fits together, I can appreciate the choice of structure Hugo Blick went with. Undoubtedly the finest episode to date, primarily due to Rafe Spall's unsettling performance, which keeps the viewer on edge while exhibiting horrific depravity. "The English" can only improve from here on out, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.
Rating: 8.2/10 (Great)
Rating: 8.2/10 (Great)
Rafe Spall
steve-0023916 November 2022
Rafe Spall does a brilliant impersonation of Thomas Hardy as Alfie Solomon in Peaky Blinders.
The rest of the episode starts to bring all the various threads together. We now have connection to Eli, Cornelia and Thomas. This is not going to end well for someone. My money is on Thomas taking the fall.
Has Tom Hughes got the same haircut as he had as Prince Albert? It does look familiar. He doesn't seem to have the required gravitas for the role. Too lightweight. Stars so far are Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer. Just the right combination of paced dialogue and expression.
Having watched 1883, and Yellowstone, the Italian countryside certainly is different.
Looking forward to the last two episodes.
The rest of the episode starts to bring all the various threads together. We now have connection to Eli, Cornelia and Thomas. This is not going to end well for someone. My money is on Thomas taking the fall.
Has Tom Hughes got the same haircut as he had as Prince Albert? It does look familiar. He doesn't seem to have the required gravitas for the role. Too lightweight. Stars so far are Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer. Just the right combination of paced dialogue and expression.
Having watched 1883, and Yellowstone, the Italian countryside certainly is different.
Looking forward to the last two episodes.
The pieces start to fall into place.
Sleepin_Dragon21 September 2023
We go back in time fifteen years, and learn the events that set in motion the events of the first three episodes, events which saw the paths of Eli and Cornelia crossing.
Finally, I felt as though I was able to put some of the pieces together, not all of them, but it did at least feel like some of the mist was beginning to clear, Episode 3 had me absolute banjaxed.
We learn a great deal more about Lady Cornelia and Eli, we realise why the pair are on their respective journeys.
I still have to say that it's not the easiest drama to follow, and it's one you certainly don't want to be watching with a glass of wine, you will need to concentrate.
Race Spall was awesome I thought, I didn't recognise him initially, but it was the voice, I thought he was absolutely brilliant, and stole the episode. Melmont has added a course edge that up until now we just haven't seen.
Terrific filming, sets and costumes once again, it's a true feast for the eyes.
8/10.
Finally, I felt as though I was able to put some of the pieces together, not all of them, but it did at least feel like some of the mist was beginning to clear, Episode 3 had me absolute banjaxed.
We learn a great deal more about Lady Cornelia and Eli, we realise why the pair are on their respective journeys.
I still have to say that it's not the easiest drama to follow, and it's one you certainly don't want to be watching with a glass of wine, you will need to concentrate.
Race Spall was awesome I thought, I didn't recognise him initially, but it was the voice, I thought he was absolutely brilliant, and stole the episode. Melmont has added a course edge that up until now we just haven't seen.
Terrific filming, sets and costumes once again, it's a true feast for the eyes.
8/10.
It's difficult to see good writing these days... yet The English delivers it
marquessarthur27 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The English follows the same threads of godless, which if you haven't watched, stop reading and please do. It builds the tale of the old western without any of the glamour from old movies or tv shows. It had well grounded-characters who look stoic and build on the image of old classics, but that at the same time twists them.
In this episode, we see how this is so subtle and how perhaps this might not attract the overall audience. By subtlety, I mean the tale about the wolf, we see a character who never fought a wolf, we see a coward and an opportunist who changes the story little by little to build his own image. There are no many shows that achieve this level of writing these days and the dialogue heaviness may put some people at odds, but hear me out... ten or more years from now screen writers will look back at discuss this master piece.
In this episode, we see how this is so subtle and how perhaps this might not attract the overall audience. By subtlety, I mean the tale about the wolf, we see a character who never fought a wolf, we see a coward and an opportunist who changes the story little by little to build his own image. There are no many shows that achieve this level of writing these days and the dialogue heaviness may put some people at odds, but hear me out... ten or more years from now screen writers will look back at discuss this master piece.
A dreadful knock off Alfie Solomon wannabe impersonation
glenhammond3 December 2022
I'm hugely enjoying the series. Some great characters & settings.
Rafe Spall is a very good actor, versatile and fun to watch
This performance though is a career low point. He's mimicked a very idiosyncratic Tom Hardy performance from Peaky Blinders. He's cheapened the entire show as a result. Someone should have had a word with him, to rein it in a bit. I know many will disagree with my point of view, but honestly I found Spall's performance an embarrassing watch. What was I'm sure supposed to be menacing, gritty and evil came across as just odd. It distracted from the drama.
At least we now know how the story pieces together. Spencer and Blunt truly have been excellent.
Rafe Spall is a very good actor, versatile and fun to watch
This performance though is a career low point. He's mimicked a very idiosyncratic Tom Hardy performance from Peaky Blinders. He's cheapened the entire show as a result. Someone should have had a word with him, to rein it in a bit. I know many will disagree with my point of view, but honestly I found Spall's performance an embarrassing watch. What was I'm sure supposed to be menacing, gritty and evil came across as just odd. It distracted from the drama.
At least we now know how the story pieces together. Spencer and Blunt truly have been excellent.
A great improvement
xmasdaybaby196613 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I couldn't decide whether this series was serious or a send up and was losing interest but, then, Rafe Spall turns up doing a send up of his real life dad's acting and brings a much more entertaining episode starting up as comedic then becoming much darker by the conclusion of the instalment.
It is so much better with the stars taking a back seat. It is almost like a different show as it goes back to the past and back to London (but could have been filmed anywhere with no vistas of the Houses Of Parliament or Buckingham Palace in view).
A great turnaround episode. Rafe isn't in the next episode so hope the regular cast can hold the Fort in episode 5.
It is so much better with the stars taking a back seat. It is almost like a different show as it goes back to the past and back to London (but could have been filmed anywhere with no vistas of the Houses Of Parliament or Buckingham Palace in view).
A great turnaround episode. Rafe isn't in the next episode so hope the regular cast can hold the Fort in episode 5.
The Wounded Wolf
Prismark1026 January 2023
The episode is a bit of an oddity. Mainly a flashback set fifteen years earlier that focuses on the backstory of Thomas Trafford who has come to America with a business idea.
Accompanying is loud, vulgar, mouthy and amoral David Melmont (Rafe Spall.) Trafford here is very different to the one we have seen on screen so far.
Here he is a naive Englishman, not yet hardened and made cynical by the wild west of America. He is also a fiance of sorts of Cornelia Locke.
This is a brooding and very talky episode. It shows the harshness and brutality of frontier life. For the native Indians it is hellish.
Melmont joins some soldiers to massacre some Indians. Later he returns to London to extort money out of Cornelia by claiming Trafford is imprisoned and risk of death.
I wondered how this episode will fit with the rest of the series. Unless it showed that even naive people will eventually toughen up and lose their humanity.
Accompanying is loud, vulgar, mouthy and amoral David Melmont (Rafe Spall.) Trafford here is very different to the one we have seen on screen so far.
Here he is a naive Englishman, not yet hardened and made cynical by the wild west of America. He is also a fiance of sorts of Cornelia Locke.
This is a brooding and very talky episode. It shows the harshness and brutality of frontier life. For the native Indians it is hellish.
Melmont joins some soldiers to massacre some Indians. Later he returns to London to extort money out of Cornelia by claiming Trafford is imprisoned and risk of death.
I wondered how this episode will fit with the rest of the series. Unless it showed that even naive people will eventually toughen up and lose their humanity.
Confused me
cuvtixo-1322 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A previous reviewer said "Rafe Spall does a brilliant impersonation of Thomas Hardy as Alfie Solomon in Peaky Blinders." I got this right away,as Alfie was a great character. But, going backward and forward 15 years was completely confusing. But later in the episode, he goes into Cornelia's estate and apparently rapes her. But all we see is him pointing his cane to her throat, we see him leave, and then her on the floor. I don't understand why she didn't scream, or didn't have some sort of protection on the premises, or even whether she was actually raped. Admittedly, I think I missed of lot of dialog and plot points, but when I'm lost about what perhaps is meant to be dramatic rape, that's on the episode writing. Really it's the only bad episode so far.
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