Ann_Who

Classified as a comedy it has more depth and authenticity than you'd expect. You get the slightly nutty and unpredictable French characters that you might have come to love from Call My Agent! (the French original) mixed with eccentric US people. The dialogue floating in and out between English and French, never feels artificial or annoying. It's always refreshing when US filmmakers dare to use languages appropriate to the characters.

Set against stunning and rich locations, the acting is blended with short performances from unnamed characters (dancers) that make you forget the main cast for a moment. Scenes that would otherwise be used as fill-ins between dialogue are just as enjoyable. The skills of the dancers match the grand buildings and sets; they really belong there.

The only mismatched casting is Simon Callow. He is not believable in his role, and his trademark whimsical and clever older gentleman that he's been doing for the last decades or so is becoming boring, predictable and unnuanced.

The slightly hazy and down-toned lighting and colors are genius. It gives the scenes credibility. It's a welcome reprieve from the color explosions and mood lighting that we usually get bombarded with in movies now.

All in all, you might want to see the series twice, just to catch up on all the details.

The story is fresh and builds up to unexpected twists and turns that seem believable. Strong characters and good acting in good down-played settings. The story takes the view of the settling of the West to the view of individuals, rather than big epic topics.

Unfortunately, this all gets drenched in over-the-top cinematography. Taking its inspiration from graphic novel angles, characters so exaggerated they look like from the silent movie era, and coloration that will put Technicolor to shame, this looks good at the beginning of the series. About halfway through, these repetitive scenes get predictable and stale, as they stop bringing anything new to the narrative.

The story evolves and grows in complexity, but the cinematography doesn't follow, and that is the big letdown of the series.

I haven't read the book, so I'm watching it purely from a small screen series point of view. As such it starts off rather mainstream and a bit cliché, but as the episodes go on, it evolves into something much more and better. The plot gets more engaging and real, touching on more serious topics. The series moves on with twists and turns that don't seem forced or too unbelievable.

The casting is excellent, once you get around seeing actors so much associated with other big series in new settings. Clothes and sets are great and meticulously made. Only downside of having all female roles in true period hairstyles and makeup, is that they look so alike and it takes a while to recognize who is who.