Started off well with a smooth flow of anticipative suspense and possibilities. Then it quickly regressed to absurdity where logical actions cease to exist. Not referring to idiotic superstitions nor content of plot. It had promise but 3 key events clearly exposed either lazy or imbecilic writing. It's incomprehensible that the key characters are unaware of all the signals of sexual tensions amongst the group. It's outrageous to even conceive the urgency to fornicate in wide open public view when one had just departed, and inches away, from a possible serious witch hunt crisis. Lastly, it's just nonsensical to earnestly reveal one's most protected vulnerability in a crime encounter when the perpetrator could have had been simply satisfied with his original demand instead of the victim's futile dramatics of defense resulting in the unnecessary. The series ended with an emotional feeling summation of what I would term, rubbish illogic.
105 Reviews
Go ahead ... eat it ...
bosporan13 May 2022
A fine portrayal of religious superstition and rational thought colliding over unusual, unnerving and unexplained events. An intriguing, well paced story, with strong dialogue and scene-setting with no jarring exposition. Garden of Eden imagery abounds in the Cora serpent story, burgeoning relationships and the contrasting treatment of men and women.
A quality cast: Tom Hiddleston, known for range and ability, fulfils his reputation; Claire Danes is one-note, but Cora is unique and relatable, despite superficial similarities to Carrie Mathison (obsessed, troubled, flouts convention); Hayley Squires excels as the passionate, idealistic Martha, a whirlwind of confidence, character and charisma.
Fabulous cinematography employs unusual angles, especially the marshes' low level capture, presenting a gritty, sinister foreboding. Period trimmings work, with de rigueur frocks and interiors, despite some clear anachronistic choices.
This is marvellous TV.
A quality cast: Tom Hiddleston, known for range and ability, fulfils his reputation; Claire Danes is one-note, but Cora is unique and relatable, despite superficial similarities to Carrie Mathison (obsessed, troubled, flouts convention); Hayley Squires excels as the passionate, idealistic Martha, a whirlwind of confidence, character and charisma.
Fabulous cinematography employs unusual angles, especially the marshes' low level capture, presenting a gritty, sinister foreboding. Period trimmings work, with de rigueur frocks and interiors, despite some clear anachronistic choices.
This is marvellous TV.
Good beginning, but...
G_top12 June 2022
"The Essex Serpent" begins with great promise, but unfortunately fails to maintain its initial momentum. The series successfully establishes a suspenseful and intriguing atmosphere in the first few episodes, drawing in viewers with its eerie and mysterious storyline. However, as the plot progresses, the show loses its way, and the middle section drags on with little payoff.
The final few episodes of the series are particularly disappointing, as the story descends into a predictable and formulaic soap opera. Any tension and intrigue that were built up in the early episodes are lost, and the ending feels unsatisfying and generic.
Despite these flaws, "The Essex Serpent" does have its strengths. The show boasts an impressive cast, led by the talented and versatile actress, Claire Danes. The production design is also noteworthy, with the show beautifully capturing the atmospheric setting of rural England.
Ultimately, while "The Essex Serpent" has its moments of brilliance, its lackluster middle section and predictable ending prevent it from reaching its full potential.
The final few episodes of the series are particularly disappointing, as the story descends into a predictable and formulaic soap opera. Any tension and intrigue that were built up in the early episodes are lost, and the ending feels unsatisfying and generic.
Despite these flaws, "The Essex Serpent" does have its strengths. The show boasts an impressive cast, led by the talented and versatile actress, Claire Danes. The production design is also noteworthy, with the show beautifully capturing the atmospheric setting of rural England.
Ultimately, while "The Essex Serpent" has its moments of brilliance, its lackluster middle section and predictable ending prevent it from reaching its full potential.
A disappointing failure on all counts.
Laight16 June 2022
Looking at this cast you might think you're in for a treat. You're not. There's no plot, no character development, no action -- pretty much nothing except pretentious allegory spread over almost six hours. Worst of all is what the director, who seems to have lost total control over the show, must have said to the two lead actors: "whatever you do, in every scene, forget everything you did in the last scene." The two weave in and out of character like spinning tops, never coalescing into coherent people. Worse, poor Tom Hiddleston's role is basically just that of a clothes horse: somehow this impoverished country vicar has a wardrobe that would make any modern man envious, including what seems to be a $5K Tom Ford tuxedo. (There are quite a number of "huh?" moments in this mess, ranging from secondary actors seemingly wandering on and off the sets to the little details that ruin a period piece, such as doctors wearing wristwatches (a 1894 doctor would have had a doctor's pocket watch) and women in medical school (didn't happen til much later), and of course, the fact that the vicar's bedraggled, plain wife is played by one of France's most beautiful fashion models (who actually is an excellent actress but not here, where all she is allowed to do is look dour and smile wanly whenever her name is mentioned).
Just a mess of a mess of a mess. You wind up hoping the serpent comes and eats everyone up and puts an end to all this misery.
Just a mess of a mess of a mess. You wind up hoping the serpent comes and eats everyone up and puts an end to all this misery.
A pain in the asp.
willwatch22 May 2022
Sssssssslithers along at a snail's pace, and after 3 episodes I'm not sure -- nor is the show itself -- sure of what it wants to be. I think (?) it could function as a standalone suspense/ supernatural "Penny Dreadful"-ish movie. Only because there doesn't seem to be enough material for each episode as is.
Dark almost gothic drama
S3pt3m63r13 May 2022
First class production with Tom Huddleston and Clare Danes. A glimpse back to how life was lived before the modern age where life was lived around rumour and superstition. Religion versus science arguments against/for the serpent. Great acting and as mentioned Clare's English accent is spot on, although her hair colour is weird.
What a disappointment
Wookieetreiber11 June 2022
So much wrong with it
sipa_p11 June 2022
Starting with Clare Danes, she was astonishingly bad in this. She looked constipated most of the time and was so unlikeable that it didn't seem plausible that EVERYONE was in love with her.
I just kept thinking, this could have been Keria Knightley (original casting).
Although I am not sure she could have saved it. So many randon storylines and a very rushed ending.
I just kept thinking, this could have been Keria Knightley (original casting).
Although I am not sure she could have saved it. So many randon storylines and a very rushed ending.
Fantastic cinematography but awful story.
hobbitbev8 July 2022
I'm really not sure how I feel about this story but it isn't happy. I love period drama, I'd never heard of this, just found it and thought it looked good. I watched all six episodes today.
The score was beautiful, the cinematography and the costuming were wonderful. It was visually so pleasing no matter in the London slums or on the Essex marshes. I feel like some of the overview shots of the marshes were really marvelous.
I'm a fan of all the main actors: Posey, Danes, and Hiddleston and I feel like they did their best with the material. Posey was soooo underused though.
The story was so awful. It started out great but other reviewers have pointed out how implausible the relationship issues become in episode 4. By the end of the birthday party you pretty much know everything that will happen ... and it does. The story falls into predictable Victorian tropes and I feel really let down. In some ways, I finished it because I wanted to know what happened because I was hoping it would surprise me. It did not and the ending was wholly undeserved.
The score was beautiful, the cinematography and the costuming were wonderful. It was visually so pleasing no matter in the London slums or on the Essex marshes. I feel like some of the overview shots of the marshes were really marvelous.
I'm a fan of all the main actors: Posey, Danes, and Hiddleston and I feel like they did their best with the material. Posey was soooo underused though.
The story was so awful. It started out great but other reviewers have pointed out how implausible the relationship issues become in episode 4. By the end of the birthday party you pretty much know everything that will happen ... and it does. The story falls into predictable Victorian tropes and I feel really let down. In some ways, I finished it because I wanted to know what happened because I was hoping it would surprise me. It did not and the ending was wholly undeserved.
kept leading into something spectacular...then fizzled out every tine
alyson-english4 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
There was so much possibility here! The look is opulent, the relationships thick with possibility, the characters hinting at depths beyond role playing, and then...nothing. So many tantalizing snippets of so much more - her scars, Luke's goals, Martha's past and future, even Frankie's depths - and we are never invited to explore any of it. I kept asking myself what this was about, in the end, and there's simply not much to say. Watch to wrap yourself in high brown Victorian dysfunction that never quite gives you the meat of the dysfunction.
Being truly Victorian means never more than hinting at the fullness of any situation, any emotion, and that's all we get...but the emotions are still there, and that's what we want and deserve. The tiny hope of something supernatural is offered, then snatched back. The mysteries posited but never addressed again (how did a man who died peacefully end up in the middle of the march with his neck ostensibly snapped? What exactly happened to Naomi's sister? What was Naomi doing the last three episodes...and why?) are even more frustrating than the low-pressure drip of plot development.
Overall, a disappointment. So much more was right there for the taking, and its bounty sits and rots, like the stranded body of "the serpent."
Being truly Victorian means never more than hinting at the fullness of any situation, any emotion, and that's all we get...but the emotions are still there, and that's what we want and deserve. The tiny hope of something supernatural is offered, then snatched back. The mysteries posited but never addressed again (how did a man who died peacefully end up in the middle of the march with his neck ostensibly snapped? What exactly happened to Naomi's sister? What was Naomi doing the last three episodes...and why?) are even more frustrating than the low-pressure drip of plot development.
Overall, a disappointment. So much more was right there for the taking, and its bounty sits and rots, like the stranded body of "the serpent."
Was enjoying
lockout-5950628 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I was truly enjoying this series till the latest episode came out (episode 4). At the end of episode 3 it shows Will the priest has feelings for Cora. Episode 4 picks up with the atmosphere feeling weird and awkward. Every time Cora steps into sight, Will's jaw drops to the floor and he begans to drool while eye banging her while the wife stands next time him watching him do it. Not sure if I will continue. The show doesnt seem to be what I thought it was.
Bait and Switch
katharineshowalter15 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Sure, hire a big name actor known for genre movies, promote it as a horror movie, just so you can hook a soft-headed genre audience. And then, like the novel from which it was spawned, just give us a talky period soap opera. Love the Hiddleston, and Clémence Poésy is always amazing to watch. But this unfresh catch is way overlong, like too many current "mini-series," clearly created to fill in streaming hours and get more ad dollars. And, frankly, sadly, because as a two-hour movie in the theaters, this wouldn't make any money. Although it would work much better as a narrative.
Good period drama..
eclarkdog17 May 2022
I watched the first 2 released epis of The Essex Serpent (on AppleTV). Set in Victorian England (circa 1893?) around London and Essex, the show is superbly shot and acted. Danes does a good job affecting an English accent, and I forgot about it after the first 5 or 10 minutes. This show may not be for everyone, as it is slow-paced and a bit moody/dreary. However, if like me, you like period pieces that do a great job with its setting, then this one might be for you. It's based on a book I've never read or even heard of. There's bit of Vicky era science going on here, both medical and paleo, with a touch of theology and superstition of the time (and maybe a bit of politics as well). The Serpent of the tile is sort of a Nessy type. (although heard it's not seen in the first 2 epis)
Complete FAILURE
gbyzp11 June 2022
The story trudges along in very predictable ways.
The script is terrible. Unfolding like a drama written by a grade school student.
The acting is worse. Claire Danes fills her scenes with melodrama rather than depth or feeling.
If there is an Essex Serpent, I hope it takes the writers of this show so that Apple won't dare write a second season.
The script is terrible. Unfolding like a drama written by a grade school student.
The acting is worse. Claire Danes fills her scenes with melodrama rather than depth or feeling.
If there is an Essex Serpent, I hope it takes the writers of this show so that Apple won't dare write a second season.
bad
tasaras12343 June 2022
Boring, flat, soap opera like, predictable. Nothing really interesting apart from the 1st half of the 1st episode. Until the 5th episode there is nothing more than repetitive similar uninteresting scenes. I don't feel like watching any of the remaining.
Fascinating Twisty Tale
skpn12316 May 2022
Hated to see it go downhill so quickly.
doubleyewgee18 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Wait a minute .... Tuberculosis is super contagious and yet even though Stella coughs all around everyone in tiny little spaces not one person ever gets sick from her? They used to isolate patients even back then and yet they treat it like she's got an upset stomach as they openly handle the phlegm specimen, allow her to smother the children with hugs and then snuggle up to her dead body. The story is weak enough as it is but come on already. It had such promise at first but rapidly tumbled into a boring abyssal spiral.
Frida Kahlo was unbearable as Martha.
Frida Kahlo was unbearable as Martha.
Jury's still out for me
AfricanBro17 May 2022
I'm a sucker for anything mystical in the Victorian times so I'm enjoying this so far. I don't expect there to be a mind boggling unraveling in the end but I'm always excited when religion and sci-fi come together and looking forward to seeing how the mystery is going to unfold. It's alright so far, I don't think it's found it's footing yet, Tom hiddleston is probably what's going to attract most viewers to this but if you're not a fan of period dramas and all this might not be to your taste. It's set in a gloomy, muddy Essex town but the acting and dialogue add some vibrance to it so it's not gothic really. I'm curious to see whether the show's gonna end with a rational explanation as Cora suggests there is, or if it'll go down a mystical route and all the superstitious town folks' fears will be realized. It feels a bit monotonous Tom Hiddleston looks like he's capable of tackling challenging roles and showing his talent, this isn't that though. I'm not sure if 6 episodes will be enough to turn this into an amazing show, but on the other hand it's better than unnecessarily dragging a story and adding bits to make it a 10 or 12 episode miniseries. As asked in the show, the best way I could describe this is "Do you think there's something strange going on here?"
Episode 3: I've been enjoying this so far, more so because of the conflict between the religious folk and those looking for a scientific explanation. I like how it doesn't seem to be taking the conventional route, which is why I was surprised and in the slightest way possible disappointed as well at the ending of episode three. They didn't need to add the love interest and the whole 'I don't need to apologize to a man situation'. I mean you can see it coming all the way but I thought they'd stray away from the cheap shot of going down the infidelity route between Cora and Will; especially with Stella staring at them across the field through the window. The forbidden love story just seems like the easy(maybe even lazy) route for the writers, especially since the whole priest thing was already done in fleabag. I still think it'll end up being a decent show but the extra points I gave it for originally feel a little misplaced. I was intrigued by the series because I'm a sucker for gloomy, strange or dark shows so from that perspective I'm still enjoying the mystery of it; trying to figure out if it's God, Jo and her friends "witchcraft", or if it's just some animal and the people's paranoia of the unexplained is just fueling their fears. Anyway, on a silly sidenote, Tom hiddleston has a type here.
Episode 3: I've been enjoying this so far, more so because of the conflict between the religious folk and those looking for a scientific explanation. I like how it doesn't seem to be taking the conventional route, which is why I was surprised and in the slightest way possible disappointed as well at the ending of episode three. They didn't need to add the love interest and the whole 'I don't need to apologize to a man situation'. I mean you can see it coming all the way but I thought they'd stray away from the cheap shot of going down the infidelity route between Cora and Will; especially with Stella staring at them across the field through the window. The forbidden love story just seems like the easy(maybe even lazy) route for the writers, especially since the whole priest thing was already done in fleabag. I still think it'll end up being a decent show but the extra points I gave it for originally feel a little misplaced. I was intrigued by the series because I'm a sucker for gloomy, strange or dark shows so from that perspective I'm still enjoying the mystery of it; trying to figure out if it's God, Jo and her friends "witchcraft", or if it's just some animal and the people's paranoia of the unexplained is just fueling their fears. Anyway, on a silly sidenote, Tom hiddleston has a type here.
Moody, Riveting mix of Science vs. Superstition with Impossible Romance
cherold18 October 2022
In the period piece Essex Serpent, Claire Danes' Cora is a widow delving into a scientific mystery in a small town where folks think it's a religious mystery. Characters range from science enthusiasts to science deniers, with an abrasive, handsome priest falling somewhere in the middle, and eventually falling for Cora as well.
The scenery is harsh and desolate but beautiful, and the director loves shots of Cora walking across a monochromatic landscape with the only color her vivid red hair. The series plays with the monster-or-not trope and exudes in its bogs and ill-fated loves.
Essex Serpent is balances high-minded exploration of the battle of science and superstition with somewhat trashy, overheated romance, wandering from discussions of medical advances to children having religious fits to people who are perfectly happy to have wild sex on a popular thoroughfare. It's sometimes smart and sometimes silly but always affecting and atmospheric, with a terrific cast and a satisfying messiness to its story.
My girlfriend and I really enjoyed this. Recommended.
The scenery is harsh and desolate but beautiful, and the director loves shots of Cora walking across a monochromatic landscape with the only color her vivid red hair. The series plays with the monster-or-not trope and exudes in its bogs and ill-fated loves.
Essex Serpent is balances high-minded exploration of the battle of science and superstition with somewhat trashy, overheated romance, wandering from discussions of medical advances to children having religious fits to people who are perfectly happy to have wild sex on a popular thoroughfare. It's sometimes smart and sometimes silly but always affecting and atmospheric, with a terrific cast and a satisfying messiness to its story.
My girlfriend and I really enjoyed this. Recommended.
Excellent, slow burn, but exciting non the less
mhtannous13 May 2022
Love the moodiness of the show. There are so many storylines that could be explored here. Danes does well with the English accent, which is something that always stands out to me. She's phenomenal in any project she takes on. However, I'm unsure how they will do Justice to the story in just six episodes. Perhaps like Handmaid's tale, we'll get a season two.
What did I just watch? What was the point?
TruthSeeker4Life14 June 2022
What did I just watch? And what was the point of this show? I truly don't get it. The only reason I kept watching was because I thought there would be a serpent and it would get interesting because they kept giving hints that there was a serpent in the water. If you want to spend 6 hours watching a bunch of nothingness then by all means watch this show because it will leave you saying one word "why" lol.
I like it a lot.
stormbw15 May 2022
Very intriguing. I guess I can't fault people for their opinions but when I read so of the stuff on here sometimes I wonder what people expect out of these shows.
It's good. Makes we wonder what will happen next. I can't imagine the twist that's to come. Characters are diverse and seem to all have lives and their own struggles.
To me the show comments on society and each of the character's roles/struggles within.
In closing, the pace is slower than people are used to I guess. Their are 80 stars jockeying for screen time. No CGI monsters tearing the city apart. Just something pleasant to watch with a spouse or loved one on a Sunday afternoon.
Good show.
It's good. Makes we wonder what will happen next. I can't imagine the twist that's to come. Characters are diverse and seem to all have lives and their own struggles.
To me the show comments on society and each of the character's roles/struggles within.
In closing, the pace is slower than people are used to I guess. Their are 80 stars jockeying for screen time. No CGI monsters tearing the city apart. Just something pleasant to watch with a spouse or loved one on a Sunday afternoon.
Good show.
Just not doing it for me
anthonymcdonald-5290217 May 2022
Really disappointed with this show, good cast, sets etc but some silly mistakes with period or machine knit clothes. The Doc character doesn't work, the London setup really is unnecessary. Keep the story where it matters Essex.
Like it so far
staciarose2016 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
First, the atmosphere is so good. The foggy saltmarsh, Victorian time period, and Tom Hiddleston! Who fits period pieces so well as a vicar. It has a dark moody Gothic look. Claire Danes isn't so bad either. I don't mind her accent or her wig. Looks pretty good as a redhead. I hope the creature is real.
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