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The Western is having a comeback lately. From Jane Campion's Oscar-winning The Power of the Dog to Martin Scorsese's upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon, the genre is having a resurgence, and The English, a new series from the BBC and Prime Video, is the latest addition.
It stars Emily Blunt as Lady Cornelia Locke, an English woman who arrives in the US in the late 19th Century in pursuit of vengeance and on the hunt for the man she believes to be responsible for her son's death. On her journey, she meets Eli Whipp, played by Chaske Spencer, an ex-cavalry scout and member of the Pawnee Nation, and the pair form an unlikely bond.
The show was written and directed by Hugo Blick, who's previously helmed series like The Honourable Woman, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Black Earth Rising, starring Michaela Coel. But what are the critics saying about his latest small-screen venture? We've got a round-up below.
Financial Times
"Between the exquisitely choreographed stand-offs – all twitching fingers and shifting eyes – the Morricone-inflected soundtrack, the sweeping vistas and the cool, broody dialogue, Blick delivers a stirring love letter to the great westerns of yesteryear. But this is as much a human drama as it is a laudable pastiche, driven by strong, textured characters who manage to stand out in the vast expanse. Amid the ubiquity of death, The English doesn’t forget to emphasise the richness and complexity of life."
The Hollywood Reporter
"In short, The English is a revisionist Western, but the revision focuses on brutality in a way countless revisionist Westerns have done before – which may well be the series’ point. If Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood and their myriad imitators built a body of work tweaking the artificiality of the John Ford Western, Blick has built his series tweaking the artificiality of the revisionist Western. It’s all iconic and it’s all an artistic construct, The English seems to be saying, and if that sounds convoluted to you, you’re not exactly wrong."
The Playlist
"Early on, it becomes clear that this story of revenge and staking a claim on identity are not mutually exclusive. The exploration of these goals is an intimate experience with an expansive backdrop. Set primarily in 1890 (flashbacks reveal nuggets of information throughout), The English tackles a period when venturing across middle America was a fraught and often bloody experience. It is a tale as old as time, but Blick isn’t simply regurgitating an overdone vision of the past. Instead, The English offers a nuanced depiction that conforms to and contradicts expectations of new frontiers, gunslingers, and the deep wounds of this period."
Rolling Stone
"Blunt is fantastic, as are many of her co-stars. The whole thing looks gorgeous, and it has some thoughtful variations on Blick’s pet theme about what happens when people from one culture get mixed up in the affairs of another. But despite a seemingly straightforward revenge plot, its storytelling frequently turns too complicated for its own good."
IGN
"The series so far lives up to its name in an unapologetic examination of Imperialist powers, class, and race spread to the so-called “New World” but finely attuned to presenting the diverse reality of the indigenous people beyond the genre’s historically reductive, monolithic stereotypes. The English showcases phenomenal production value, great casting, and reflective writing which, so far, provides intense and enlightening entertainment that leaves you eager to see what further drama these rare kinds of hero might be heading towards."
The English arrives on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on November 10 and Prime Video on November 11. For more viewing inspiration, check out our picks of the other best new TV shows coming our way.
