The English

I'm impressed by how good The English was, it's every bit as good as I had hoped it would be. As a huge fan of Westerns I was excited from the first moment I heard about this and then when I saw the trailers I was even more excited. This mini-series not only met my expectations but exceeded them. Emily Blunt was absolutely terrific. She plays Cornelia Locke, an English lady who's looking for revenge for the death of her son. She teams up with Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer) who is a just retired calvary scout and also a member of the Pawnee Nation. It's a brutal series about revenge and one of the better westerns I've seen in a while.

Starts off real slow so requires patience; only 6 episodes but you're in for a long ride and it's a show that needs to be watched in it's entirety so if you're not going to finish it, don't bother starting.

It's a western, feels a lot like 1883 so if you enjoyed that, this is down the same street. I loved that they didn't change the lighting to that dusty shade of yellow just to show it's desert, the green plants actually look green, small detail but a lot of western or movies based in the middle east or Mexico always feel like you're watching it with the night light or reading mode setting on.

You can say Emily blunt and Chaske Spencer were bound to carry the show since they're the only omnipresent characters, but they actually did a great job while at it. They also had this "will they, won't they?" chemistry, wasn't annoying although it is the second time Emily blunt has had such a role after Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, also in the desert but completely different movie, just thought of mentioning it.

This is an elegantly made western, yeah sure it's the land with no law, survival in the wild Wild West with constant conflicts between cowboys, outlaws and Indians; but it's not just mindless bullets and arrows flying. The plot isn't that long really, similar to 1883 you could summarize it as the characters move from one part of America to another with things happening in-between. In this case it's Cornelia(Emily blunt) looking to revenge her son.

It isn't dialogue heavy for the most part, but it puts the little it has to great use. Also makes it feel like every scene serves purpose, there aren't any fillers. However I still think some of the side plot stories felt off, I didn't know were they were heading yet a decent amount of time is spent on them. Several graphic scenes and characters, some even horror-esque, most notably black-eyed mog with her nightmarish stare.

The ending is well thought out, I never saw it coming. There's a big reveal moment in the finale that I thought was a wrap on the show, but it's then followed by another. They made sense, there were subtle inklings throughout that you only realize their significance at the end when stories come together.

I suggest binge watching it; if you can't just pay attention. At first glance it's a series that doesn't seem to require it but it does need attention to fully grapple everything. There were several moments in the last episode were I thought 'oh now that scene/that detail makes sense now'. Great miniseries but could've easily been a movie as well.

The English is a pretty good western that's absolutely worth watching. It does start a little slow but by the end of episode 2 it picks up. Each episode just gets better and better. You really come to care for these characters by how well written and acted they are. I'd be shocked if Emily Blunt wasn't nominated for some awards for her job in this. She's that good in this. As is the vastly underrated Chaske Spencer, who's good in just about everything I've ever seen him in. It's a beautifully shot series that captures the reality of the old West. It's a mini series that's only six episodes long so it won't take long to binge it and it's worth every second?

Emily Blunt is magnificent and she carries this show, adding sense and grace to a series that has a bit too much nonsense dialogue (shades of Deadwood?) and disgraceful white males who are at times cartoonish in their villainous bigotry and psychopathy. Chaske Spencer also cuts a fine hero as the noble Pawnee who is astride two worlds having served in the US Army and bystander to some of their atrocities.

There were a number of parallels to 'Godless' which I rated a 10 such as the romantic duo that are thrust together on a Western adventure fighting injustice, and the heroine's skill with horses and weaponry. Unfortunately there were a few drawbacks to this one as well, starting with the aforementioned dialogue that got a bit too poetic for my taste, and the seemingly endless supply of Snidely Whiplash types without an ounce of empathy for natives that just seemed a bit over the top in the effort to drive home the race relations point.

Beyond that there were some truly awful uses of green screen that seemed terribly out of place when so much of it was shot with beautiful on-location vistas (shot in Spain, but you'd never know it wasn't the American West). There were a lot of characters that came and went that got to be confusing at times, and one in particular that seemed crucial to the story that died off-screen with a very random explanation that made it seem like they left his real ending on the cutting room floor.

The plot twist reveal in the final episode was certainly a surprise yet earned through some clues along the way, but also felt like it really changed the type of story being told and required a bunch of audience exposition that seemed out of place that late in the game.

Even with all that it was a compelling show that I enjoyed watching for the most part so I gave it a 7. It seems most reviewers thought more highly of it than I did which I respect. They can make another Western with Emily Blunt anytime and I will surely watch it.

The first thing that occurred to me when I finished the six episodes of The English was to watch them again.

This show is an absolute tour de force and works on every level. A fabulous script (Hugo Blick) with deft ducking and weaving and some clever conceals and reveals, a great sound-track and music (Federico Jusid), phenomenal cinematography (Arnau Valls Colomer), and some extraordinarily sensitive and carefully paced acting from a great cast of actors, with Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer taking the lead. The supporting cast also offers real depth and some delightful performances. Every word spoken and minor action adds to the dramatic tension and exposition - and the camera catches a lot of subtlety along the way. It all adds up to truly top shelf direction and production (Blick and Blick & Blunt respectively).

Having said all of that, the story will be difficult for some people to stomach. It has found a poetics (which is heart wrenching) in its difficult subject matter and much of the violence occurs off-screen, but it is still covering matters that are uncomfortable and confronting to think about and witness.. On the other hand The English offers a realistic and pragmatic encounter with these harsh realities - realities that the native American Indian population are still struggling with to this day - a tragedy when one considers their deep wisdom and connection with the land. The stories also make it clear that for settlers in the new land the reality was also harsh and brutal - but it's much harder to find sympathy there.

The English leaves one in no doubt that America was founded and built upon blood and violence and life threatening struggle - and that 'the land of the free' is a sentiment that some citizens are probably yet to experience.

On the other hand, The English is not sentimental. Its main characters endure their 'lot' with a resigned pragmatism and with little resentment - saving their revenge for those who truly deserve it, and otherwise only handing out justice when left with little other choice.

I can't quite believe this is a TV show as opposed to a movie such is its depth and quality.

2022 has been a treat full of some really good television shows and The English deserves to be right up there amongst those judged as the very best of the crop.

It's a very solid 9.5 stars, and I can see why some reviewers have given 10.

Exceptional TV!