Barkskins

I never read the source novel by Annie Proulx, and maybe that's an advantage, but I found the first two episodes to be enthralling. It's as if you have been inserted into a foreign society and you are trying to figure out the norms and the rules that govern.

The world of Wobik, "New France", and its surroundings feel authentic. An uneasy and changeable peace exists between the various cultures in the area, and justice is usually negotiated at the end of a knife. It's a look at one of the antecedents of modern society. Within this grimy province lie dreams of homesteads, cities, and even empires.

The acting is strong and the sets evoke the ethos of a burgeoning society, rising out of the mud and darkness.

It helps to pay close attention to the character's names so as not to be confused in the first episode. But like the best historically-based narratives, it is worth the effort.