Grade: 78%
Cast doesn’t matter as much, though,
when it seems like BANSHEE is willing to put thrills ahead of story.
That’s a shame, considering there are enough interesting elements here
to build something on. That’s where it parts ways from Justified, which
has the same sort of bad-boy protagonist and Western style, but relies
more on believable twists that make sense and enriching back story,
rather than excuses to shove steak sauce bottles into someone’s head.
Maybe this is what Cinemax viewers want; the network is known for its
action. But it’s not what a discerning TV viewer wants, and when it’s
possible to have both, it’s a shame that the execution doesn’t quite cut
it.
Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!
Article first posted at Seat42F
CINEMAX premieres a new series this
Friday, January 11th at 10 p.m. Entitled BANSHEE, the show sees a man
(Antony Starr, Outrageous Fortune) get out of prison after fifteen years
served for thievery. Hs tracks down his partner in crime to get his
fair share from the robbery that put him behind bars, only to find that
she has assumed a new identity as upstanding citizen Carrie Hopewell
(Ivana Milicevic, Casiono Royale), has a family, and says that their
take is long gone.
What’s a directionless guy to do in a
situation like that? Drink, of course. But as he sits in Sugar Bates’
(Frankie Faison, The Wire) bar, he is drawn into a conflict that results
in the death of the new sheriff. Since no one has yet seen this
sheriff, and the mysterious protagonist has no where else to go, he
assumes the identity of Lucas Hood, law man of the town of Banshee.
The first half of the pilot is exactly
what one might expect from a Cinemax series. There is lots of action,
gratuitous nudity, and gruesome injury. It’s the typical high-octane
thriller, set on the small screen, rather than the big. For those tuning
in just for this type of thing, the series will definitely deliver.
But as the episode plays out, BANSHEE
begins to take on more of a Justified feel, a definite good thing. The
man now known as Hood may be a criminal, but he has some type of moral
code. He is good to Bates, and there isn’t any sense that he is a threat
to Carrie. He sticks his nose in where it doesn’t belong, but only to
defend those who need defending.
The town on Banshee has plenty of
problems for Hood to solve. It is practically run by the ruthless Kai
Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen, Hitman), who owns a slaughterhouse, and is from
an Amish family. He will be good to you if you do what he wants, and he
does have affection for his father, who still lives by the old ways.
But he’s not trustworthy, is a control-hungry, perverse S.O.B., and he
certainly doesn’t have the public’s best interests at heart.
This sets up a typical hero story. Hood
will try to clean out the corruption, while also dodging his past, which
threatens to come back to haunt him. He has to deal with his new police
department, especially senior office Brock (Matt Servitto, The
Sopranos), who had expected to take over, and Hood has also awakened old
feelings in Carrie, whose daughter, Deva (Ryann Shane, Lights Out), is
probably his. So there’s a lot pulling the lead character in many
directions, but we’re sure he will handle it all and do the right thing.
He has to, right?
Unfortunately, this leaves a number of
pilot holes. For instance, where did Hood get this sense of right and
wrong? Are we expected to believe that his misdoings were in the Robin
Hood vein, only stealing from those who deserve it? What would motivate a
guy like that to get involved in the going-ons of a small town he knows
nothing about? No good reason is given.
More importantly, how can our main
character get away with becoming Lucas Hood? No one in Banshee may have
met Hood yet, as he is hired remotely, but that doesn’t mean they’ve
never seen him. Surely, any background check run would have included
viewing pictures of the man? While the new Hood does have his friend Job
(Hoon Lee, Premium Rush) work his magic on the web, isn’t this too
little, too late? And how long before Hood’s family or friends come to
check up on him, or google search Hood’s name to see the new face?
The cast is good. I have no complaints
about any of them, who all seem fully invested, and sell their parts
just fine. Starr is appropriately brooding, while Thomsen can send
chills down one’s spine with the best of them. Sexy Milicevic,
thankfully, actually seems like more than just eye candy, and Faison and
Lee could be more than sidekicks, if the story ever calls for them to
be, which it probably won’t.
Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!
Article first posted at Seat42F
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