Article first published as KLONDIKE Review on Seat42F.
Discovery Channel’s first scripted
miniseries, KLONDIKE, tells the story of the gold rush in Alaska in the
late 1890s. It paints a picture of many types of characters who just
might make it in a frontier setting, where rules and laws give way to
survival of the fittest and nature, as well as the hero who struggles to
adjust his morality. Who will thrive and who will perish? Tune in to
find out.
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It’s good to see more cable
networks getting into the scripted game. As someone who detests most
reality programming, and even finds many of the so-called “educational”
stuff on Discovery and History hokey and annoying, I don’t typically
appreciate the offerings of these networks. But a good drama, which
either tells a true story (in a fashion) or presents a period of time
most people don’t know a lot about, is welcome. KLONDIKE may fit this
category.
KLONDIKE reminds me a lot of AMC’s Hell
on Wheels. It has a similar tone and wild spirit, and the players feel
familiar. It took me awhile to get into Hell on Wheels, likely because
the frame of reference is so far off between today and that era.
KLONDIKE, too, begins a little slowly, but it has good enough cast that
I’ll give it the same chance, hoping it will grow on me the way the AMC
show has, though KLONDIKE is a limited-run piece. Plus, a twist late in
Part One really got me excited about what’s happening.
After the obligatory, out-of-sequence
hook, which nearly all shows seem to feel the need to include these
days, though they really shouldn’t, the first part begins with two young
men, Bill Haskell (Richard Madden, Game of Thrones) and Byron Epstein
(Augustus Prew, The Borigas), setting out to make their fortune beyond The Wall
in the snowy wilderness.. They have a spirit of adventure, brave souls,
and a naivety that will definitely bring them more trouble than good.
They’re familiar types, but not unwelcome ones.
Upon reaching their destination, the
town of Klondike, Bill and Byron quickly learn that they are not at all
prepared for the life they’ve embarked upon. They don’t understand the
attitudes of the local Native Americans, and are surprised by the
unscrupulous and selfish nature of their new neighbors. They get in over
their heads in a compelling way, and by the end of the first part,
viewers should care about them.
Among the characters they meet in their
new home are mill owner Belinda Mulrooney (Abbie Cornish, Outriders),
who is very protective of her business ventures, wise, kind priest
Father Judge (Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff), whom the locals don’t care
for nearly as much as Bill does, con-artist Soapy Smith (Ian Hart, Luck
Dirt), who tries to seem harmless, The Count (Tim Roth, Lie To Me), the
clear villain of the piece, and aspiring writer Jack London (Johnny
Simmons, The Perks of Being a Wallflower).
Yes, that Jack London. For whatever
reason, many historical tales feel the need to stick in real-life
figures. London isn’t the only such person in KLONDIKE, but is the most
famous one. I think they feel this gives the story some legitimacy,
tying it to the real world by using a familiar name. But rarely do such
projects care much about portraying the person in an authentic light,
bending them to the whims of the script, instead, so London, like many
that came before him in other shows, is a failed experiment, which
KLONDIKE would be better off without.
The others are mostly types, too, to be
honest. We’ve had plenty of woman who spur the traditional gender roles,
or businessmen who are ruthless. Perhaps these archetypes work for a
reason, but it still leaves one, who has already born witness to so many
of them, yearning for something more fresh and original.
That being said, there is some strong
casting here, and hopefully the actors will raise the parts above their
starting position. I already like Bill, and the others have just enough
potential that they might salvage the program, though in lesser hands
than those currently guiding them, they would very much waste away.
KLONDIKE airs at 9 p.m. ET this week on Discovery Channel, starting Monday.
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