Some characters are fleshed out but episode four doesnt bring enough to the table to justify its running time.
ThisThe Bastard Executionerreview contains spoilers.
A normal hour-long episode of basic cable TV is around 42-46 minutes.
Why is A Hunger/Newyn, not a season premiere or finale, 55 minutes long?
As it stands, however, its overstuffed and boring.
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Of course, our main character, Wilkin Brattle/Gawain Maddox, remains rather two-dimensional.
His constant hallucinations/visions of his wife robs the series of a sense of loss and purpose.
And his streak of Doing the Right Thing is admirable but boring.
And you know what?
The lead moral compass shouldnt be the most interesting character in a fantasy series.
Thankfully, Lady Love is established as a decent enough character to hang our hopes on.
We found out last week that Lady Love is Welsh, adding an interesting context to the series proceedings.
And A Hunger/Newyn provides that, at least for Lady Love.
- Still, Love treats her mission with the utmost seriousness.
Unfortunately, the King does not treat her arrival with the same importance.
And it inspires confidence that all the various schemers schemes actually stand a chance under an ineffectual monarch.
It also allows for Lady Love to really shine.
She lies that she is pregnant with the Barons heir.
And lands with a royal heir presumably cant be split up and traded to its neighbors like Pokemon cards.
Its a rare moment of competence and ingenuity and its downright cool.
The particulars are still cloudy but Annora seems involved with some kind of doomsday religious order.
The Bastard Executionerseems like it has some interesting scripts.
Something is just getting lost in the translation from page to screen.
And that something for now is excitement.
*Omg,Bastard Executioner, even the trade tariffs inThe Phantom Menacethink youre boring.
Rating:
2.5 out of 5
