Was a little skeptical going in on a quiet Friday night, settling in just to see what it was like after a fruitless search on my service's guide.
Put it on series record before the first commercial.
Tom Mison's Ichabod Crane had me from his first scene, coming during a superbly filmed Revolutionary War battle scene. Despite his slightly upper class British accent which would have been unintelligible in 1776.
Historically incorrect but so what. That's what's the suspension of disbelief is all about and there's a lot of that suspension required here; like Crane's virtually instant acceptance that he really has been asleep for 250 years.
Could have been a flaw but, in this case, just keeps the story moving along - and it does has a lot of distance to cover. Which the script does skillfully.
There are lot of little bits and pieces that carry the plot forward, all little gems in themselves, until the really heavy guns come in: the why's and how's of what's going on, driving towards a crescendo that climaxes with a shootout brought only to a halt by dawn, whose light the Horseman cannot abide. All nearly flawless.
Complementing Mison's Crane is Nicole Beharie's Abby Mills, whose character and performance equals Mison's. They're both a pleasure to watch. The rest of the cast is up to the same standard.
Writing is intelligent and occasionally witty. Pacing, framing, cutting and all of the other technical elements are top notch.
So, great characters set in a story well-told and well-shot equals a series worthy of a shot, whether your cup of tea or not.
Put it on series record before the first commercial.
Tom Mison's Ichabod Crane had me from his first scene, coming during a superbly filmed Revolutionary War battle scene. Despite his slightly upper class British accent which would have been unintelligible in 1776.
Historically incorrect but so what. That's what's the suspension of disbelief is all about and there's a lot of that suspension required here; like Crane's virtually instant acceptance that he really has been asleep for 250 years.
Could have been a flaw but, in this case, just keeps the story moving along - and it does has a lot of distance to cover. Which the script does skillfully.
There are lot of little bits and pieces that carry the plot forward, all little gems in themselves, until the really heavy guns come in: the why's and how's of what's going on, driving towards a crescendo that climaxes with a shootout brought only to a halt by dawn, whose light the Horseman cannot abide. All nearly flawless.
Complementing Mison's Crane is Nicole Beharie's Abby Mills, whose character and performance equals Mison's. They're both a pleasure to watch. The rest of the cast is up to the same standard.
Writing is intelligent and occasionally witty. Pacing, framing, cutting and all of the other technical elements are top notch.
So, great characters set in a story well-told and well-shot equals a series worthy of a shot, whether your cup of tea or not.
