Historical fiction television series such as Turn are among my favorite genres of TV, and my first impression of Turn is that it is going to be a great series with this first episode delivering on what you would expect.
Jamie Bell (King Kong, Adventures of Tintin) stars in the series and having movie quality acting is more than welcome. His performance is one of the strongest aspects of the pilot. He plays real life Revolutionary spy Abe Woodhull, and this first episode basically sets up what will happen for the duration of the series as Abe is recruited into Colonial ranks as an undercover agent.As much as I like the historical fiction genre, movies are rarely given enough time to tell the story properly; however, a television offers ample time, which is why I have high hopes for Turn's future quality.
Plot: 8.4/10- As stated above, Turn's plot follows Abe Woodhull, and this pilot does a adequate job of setting up for the remainder of the series. The characters are introduced, and by the end of the first episode, we basically know all of the character's motivations. Some reviews have described the pacing of the first episode as slow, yet my brother and I never once thought of it as slow. From about 15 minutes into the story, I was hooked. However, when it comes to historical series or TV in general, I tend to be a little more patience than most. Considering that this pilot ran 63 minutes in length, opposed to the typical 45 minutes, it allowed for more story progression and development.
Acting: 9.2/10- Turn has an overall very strong cast with a few movie actors including Jamie Bell, Kevin McNally (Gibbs in Pirates of the Caribbean), Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises, Pacific Rim), as well as some newcomers. All in all, the acting is top notch.
Production Value: 9.5/10- I love high quality historical sets and costumes, and not surprisingly, Turn does not disappoint. In many respects it reminded me of the often underrated John Adams HBO series in terms of quality. While not mind blowing or epic by any means, it looks just as you would imagine the era would look. It is dirty and grimy, not like the usual glossy look of network TVs; it is AMC, why would anyone expect anything less?
Overall: 8.3/10- While not groundbreaking, Turn is a very strong pilot that makes me interested to see more, and with the absence of my favorite series, Turn will likely be an adequate replacement until October.
Have you seen the series? Are you interested in seeing it? Please comment below and let me know.
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ReplyDeleteThis likely sounds odd, but if Jamie Bell is in it I will have to watch it. (He is one of the best actors I've ever seen. So far I haven't disliked a role he has played.) Of course, I would have watched, or seriously considered watching, even if he wasn't in it. I like spy stories and they are even better if they are true.
ReplyDeleteI will see if Hulu has this one.
No, that's not odd, especially considering what everyone else has said. He is a great actor, and getting to see him every week is going to be fun. Definitely watch the series since you like Bell and the premise.
DeleteBy the way, did you accidently comment with the wrong profile?
-James
I've seen one preview for this and thought it looked wonderful, but had forgotten about it till now! It looks like a wonderful show...and since I'm missing The Blacklist and Agents of SHIELD, I will give Turn a go. Thanks for reminding me about it, James!
ReplyDeleteWhy are you missing Agents of SHIELD? The series is still going. Anyway I am glad that I reminded you! Let me know if you like the series if you decide to watch it!
Delete-James
All I meant was that they skipped a week, and I'm missing it :) Fixing to watch Turn right now with my family! :D
DeleteGot it! Thanks for explaining! :) I hope you like it!
Delete-James
I watched (and will probably continue to watch) this because of Jamie Bell. He's great, and so is the rest of the cast. I'd definitely agree the acting and production is the best aspects of the show. It doesn't seem to quite have its footing story-telling wise, but that's just based on the first episode and can easily work itself out. It's a very cool premise, so I hope it does. :)
ReplyDeleteFrom the comments, it seems Bell has quite the following. I am glad you liked it as well.
DeleteFor me, providing a pilot episode entertains me enough or the premise is good, I am usually willing to give the series a shot, and I am definitely going to watch the series to the end. :)
-James
I love a good historical fiction story, and since I haven't gotten to watch a TV series surrounding the Revolutionary war before(I've seen TV shows in other eras), I have added the series to my to-watch list. Hopefully it will continue to be a good series :)
ReplyDeleteSo far, the series is quite good and I think you should give it a shot something. Also, I would recommend the mini-series John Adams. It is a great series about the revolutionary era that focuses on the life of John Adams and the politics of the era. It is my favorite mini-series actually.
Delete-James