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The Bastard Executioner - Kurt Sutter takes on Medieval Times - S1 - Tuesdays on FX

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C

Cornballer

Member
- Denver Post review
The series is packed with intriguing characters and great performances in a mostly untapped period. If only we could tolerate watching through covered eyes, cringing and fast-forwarding through the goriest scenes, we'd probably be in for a rich and rough drama. But with so many fine dramas currently in line, the thoroughly repulsive violence of "Bastard Executioner" may push it to the back of the pack.
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- WSJ review
Unfortunately, “The Bastard Executioner” will be unwatchable for a lot of us because of the violence. Yet this may be a rare occasion where those who can get beyond that problem are lucky. They can have a sensational experience savoring the slow burn of vengeance delayed and while testing their own moral compass in a malestrom of spilled guts and supernatural grace.
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- Detroit News review
“The Bastard Executioner” is going to be compared to many other shows, most obviously “Game of Thrones,” but also “Sons” and “Deadwood,” even “Breaking Bad,” “The Sopranos” and, for the violence alone, “The Walking Dead.” The thing is, those are good shows to be compared to. As harrowing, dark and bloody as the premiere episodes are, and as open as the show’s direction seems to be, the comparisons seem apt. This “Bastard” rocks. Grade: B+
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C

Cornballer

Member
- Variety review
Given “Sons of Anarchy” creator Kurt Sutter’s let’s-get-medieval sensibilities, the wedding of his knack for dark and violent material with an early 14-century setting sounds like a match made in a hellacious Heaven. Yet the collision proves a trifle jarring in his latest FX series, “The Bastard Executioner,” which proves too uneven to be satisfying — flitting from grisly violence to elaborate dream sequences to the occasional flourish seemingly plucked from Mel Brooks’ “History of the World.” Watching the first three hours isn’t torture, but nor is it as compelling as the series to which it will be inevitably compared.
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A

Akahige

Member
Fuck it, I'm in for a few episodes, I've watched enough shit in my times to know when to bow out before it get too terrible.
 
T

Troy

Banned
I think I'll pass. I've had enough hyper violent TV shows for a long time. I actually found Daredevil to be unpleasant.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- Maureen Ryan review for Huffington Post
Between its first two installments, “The Bastard Executioner” had more than 170 commercial-free minutes to hook me, and it didn’t. Despite director Paris Barclay’s repeated attempts to amp up the energy, which worked in some instances, especially in the battle scenes, the show's world-building and characters were so bland and unremarkable that the dilemmas of Brattle and his friends ended up being simply … boring.
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- Tampa Bay Times review
Sussing out the message Sutter's trying to send with the constant brutality will take an iron stomach and an expert eye. But if it's as engaging as the possibilities laid before us in the show's first three hours, we can put off dinner on Tuesday nights for a while.
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RPGCrazied

RPGCrazied

Member
I hope its like a Vikings season 1 situation. When I first started to watch it, I was having doubts. And look at it now, it can't be stopped.
 
K

karmaforgotme

Member
Officerrob said:
Overrated? Isn't it viewed as having a good couple of seasons followed by mostly garbage?
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That is how I view it myself, but I agree it is the most overrated show of maybe the last 10 years. Why? Because I know several people that claim it is the greatest show of all-time. Hell some of them cried over that stupid awful finale. These are the same people that claim they couldn't watch 'Deadwood' because of the verbal cadence or that 'Mad Men' is not about anything or 'The Wire' was boring after one episode. These are the people that me cringe.

I know all subjective, but SoA is the 'greatest show' for redneck biker wannabes or people with shit taste.
 
N

NotTheGuyYouKill

Member
NYR said:
548836d848de990f76760c3f_jaz-jesus-sons-of-anarchy-finale.jpg


I'm good, thanks.
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My cousin was a hardcore fan of SOA (I don't watch it) and he was telling me about this scene and how he literally had tears streaming down his face cause he was so emotionally wrecked.

I was chuckling throughout his story.
 
D

dead souls

Member
I was teary eyed as well. A mix of laughing so hard I was crying/tears of relief because the show was finally fucking over.
 
P

Pachimari

Member
I'm getting a little more excited about this show, reading those reviews at the top of the thread. Though the trailer didn't do anything to me. I'll watch the pilot most definitely though, and go from there.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Dead to Rights said:
I just realized that Charlie Hunnam isn't in this, so who is Kurt Sutter going to get to fill in for the mandatory Jax Teller ass shots?
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He jokingly addresses this at the end of this clip:
Cornballer said:
- Kurt Sutter with a special video message for all the SoA fans that are thinking about watching The Bastard Executioner
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"I'm working out a deal with Charlie Hunnam right now to be able to spontaneously put his ass in as many shots as possible."
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- NY Daily News: Lee Jones plays Wilkin Brattle, aka The Punisher, in 14th century Wales in FX's new drama 'The Bastard Executioner'
- YahooTV: ‘The Bastard Executioner’ Sneak Peek: Trouble Rides In With Stephen Moyer
- Cleveland.com review:
The first hour of FX's "The Bastard Executioner" is a bit of a slog. It lurches from character to character and plot to subplot in such artless fashion, you become increasingly certain that writer-producer Kurt Sutter ("Sons of Anarchy") has lost his celebrated narrative touch.

But don't retire from the bloody field too soon. Just when you're thinking the battle is lost, Sutter goes all medieval on us and pulls everything together in a fiercely compelling manner. Patience is rewarded, and "The Bastard Executioner" suddenly becomes every bit as addictive as it is intriguing.
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C

Cornballer

Member
- Tim Goodman's review for THR:
There’s a lot more going on in the series, which is why it kicks off with that two-hour premiere. The ensemble cast is large and strong and littered with enough character intricacies to fuel long-tailed story arcs. And while there’s much to set up, the series moves briskly enough (and with enough action to liven up the detailed story set-ups) that everything gains clarity by the end of the second episode.

Shot in Wales, Executioner is given strong visual cues by Barclay (including color drain right before act breaks), who doesn’t rely on just a dark, foreboding mud-and-horses look but brings out the vast countryside in daylight as well. Credit Sutter and this strong cast, led by Jones, with surprising on a number of fronts and giving FX the sprawling historical epic it lacked. Sometimes change can be good for all involved.
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C

Cornballer

Member
- NY Daily News review:
Since there is no scorecard by which to easily track the players, the show’s first essential task is establishing Brattle as a strong, identifiable center to the unfolding story.

Some viewers may not feel that kind of assertion in the two episodes with which the show will debut Tuesday night. It’s not that Jones won’t get there, or can’t get there, but he’s not quite there yet.

In the broader picture, happily, “The Bastard Executioner” doesn’t require any extensive knowledge of British or Welsh history. It may require some patience to understand where it’s going and start heading toward the payoff.

Grade: 3 out of 5 stars
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- Boston Globe review:
On the one hand, the 14th-century drama, which has a two-hour premiere on Tuesday at 10, is the promising product of a rich, far-flung, and, it must be emphasized, violent imagination. It’s a dark fantasy of a time when laws were meaningless and power was absolute, when only the basics of human nature — the deepest hungers and taboos — were like our own. Sutter has invented a harsh world that, despite its resemblance to “Game of Thrones” and some of TV’s medieval-set series, has its own distinct identity, too, with hallucinogenic visions and twisted characters (including a sheep lover) amid portentous political struggles. To Sutter’s credit, the show doesn’t look as though it will follow any story blueprint familiar to TV viewers.

On the other hand — yes, it’s time for me to take the other road — “The Bastard Executioner” is saddled with a plotline that bothered me until the point at which it made me break into peals of hate-laughter. Katey Sagal was good and intense as Gemma on “Sons of Anarchy,” but she’s far less dramatically sound here as a witch named Annora who is a kind of spiritual guide to Wilkin.
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C

Cornballer

Member
- NY Times review:
So far “The Bastard Executioner” is just interested in dealing the punishment. The characters are many but thin, and compared with the lavishly imagined societies of “Thrones,” its 14th-century Britain is one turkey leg away from a Renaissance Faire.

In one of the fleeting interludes of mundane world-building, we see an aged sculptor instructing an apprentice in carving a delicate figure. “Too much force,” he chides. “A gentler hand.” That’s advice “The Bastard Executioner” is not inclined to take. It has a raging heart, but one that, like those in the chests of Wilkin’s unfortunate clients, is too easily separated from its head.
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- Flavorwire review:
Kurt Sutter’s latest venture looks like some of the best shows on TV, but it doesn’t feel anything like them. With its ample bloodshed and hints of the supernatural, the series reads like a clear attempt on the part of FX to capitalize on the success of Game of Thrones as well as Sutter’s long-running hit Sons of Anarchy; with its themes of a minority’s doomed rebellion against their English oppressors, there are even shades of Outlander in its DNA. But The Bastard Executioner is all genre, no subversion. Do you like Game of Thrones’ high production value, but find its moral complexity distracting? Do you watch Outlander and think that what’s really missing is a heaping dose of the male gaze? Congratulations, you’re in The Bastard Executioner‘s target demo.
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- Cinemablend review
Game of Thrones and Vikings have proven that TV audiences are hungry for historical(ish) stories, sometimes with a fantastical bent. And given that Sons of Anarchy rode off with the highest ratings of its seven-year run, people are clearly ready for more of Kurt Sutter’s dramatic storytelling. Time will tell if The Bastard Executioner is the successful sum of those parts, but I’m optimistic that it will emerge from the battle as the victor, probably covered in all the blood. 4 out of 5 stars
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- Lincoln Journal review
One thing’s for sure: Sutter tells a good yarn -- albeit a violent one. The pilot isn’t short on blood or hewn limbs (and heads). He also has a knack for creating compelling characters. Stephen Moyer (“True Blood”) is just downright nasty as Milus Corbett, the baron’s right-hand man, and Flora Spencer Longhurst gives the series a strong female protagonist as the sharp, kind-hearted baroness.

If you’ve enjoyed “Sons,” you’ll be taken with “Executioner.” Sutter’s swapped swords and horses for the guns and motorcycles. Grade: B.
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- Collider review
Fans of Kurt Sutter’s long-running (and recently concluded) series Sons of Anarchy won’t be surprised to hear that his new FX series, The Bastard Executioner, is unrelentingly brutal. And for some, that will be a draw. For others, who see glimmers of a story hidden beneath the mounds of corpses and rivers of blood, it’s mostly frustrating. 2 out of 4 stars
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C

Cornballer

Member
- Capsule review from The Onion A|V Club:
You have to watch it because: Surely your bloodlust needs a new supplier now that Sons has ridden off into the sunset, and Executioner is one of the goriest shows to hit basic cable in a while. Between its rampant sex and violence and feudal intrigue, Executioner could make a great substitute while waiting for Game Of Thrones to return.

You can skip it because: Just like Game Of Thrones, Executioner requires a high level of dedication and patience early on. It’s also a bit too gritty at times, placing greater emphasis on swordplay than exploring the characters behind it.

Priority level: 4. Sutter’s writing can occasionally be a blunt instrument, but he’s a savvy storyteller who seems genuinely jazzed by the historically based subject matter. Plus Sutter is irascible and has access to swords now, so you probably don’t want him mad at you.
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- YahooTV review
On the basis of the two-hour pilot and one subsequent episode made available for review, The Bastard Executioner is good on action scenes, but inferior to your average Masterpiece Theatre entry when it comes to period-piece, costume-drama intrigue.
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- Andy Greenwald's review for Grantland:
But what The Bastard Executioner appears to lack, at least for now, is a pulse. The pilot is frontloaded with adrenaline and horror in order to test viewers’ mettle — a test I clearly failed — but also, perhaps, to distract them. Once you move beyond the terrible poles of murder and mercy, there simply isn’t very much here to savor. It doesn’t help that Jones is a wan performer, but I’m not sure if anyone could raise Wilkin above the level of noble cipher.
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- Seat42F review:
The one thing THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER is missing is a solid hook. Wilkin is interesting enough, and there are not any obvious weak points in the cast. But neither are there a lot of stand-out characters, save perhaps Annora and The Dark Mute. Game of Thrones, for instance, has personalities like Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, Daenerys Targaryen, and many more that suck one in and motivate viewers to come back. Wilkin and Milus are intriguing, but they don’t have the same level of magnetism, and because of that, I’m not really excited about the show. This can develop in time, though, and overall, it is well made, so I’ll give it a chance.
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- Globe and Mail review
What Sutter has embarked on here is extremely ambitious, a saga about power, revenge and identity that is never frivolous. It is often about what we call today “the root causes” of terrorism. It is about state authority and how that authority blithely undermines individual, family and tribal identity.

The cast is excellent. (By the way, look out for Welshman Matthew Rhys, from FX’s The Americans, under a thick beard in the pilot, and singer Ed Sheeran makes an appearance later on.) The dialogue often sparkles with a flinty eloquence and, if you can tolerate the gore, it is as smart as it is entertaining.
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- EW review
I wish the storytelling was ambitious as the concept. The aesthetic is too conventional, the grit not gritty enough. The action is rote, and the depravity ranges from sick to shruggy. The acting needs to go next level, too. As Wilkin, Jones is naturally if generically appealing, yet he strains when trying to express his character’s tumult. There’s a lot of huffing and puffing and trembling of scruffy cheeks. Perhaps he’ll connect more easily and deeply with the part as time goes on. You can say that about the whole enterprise, actually. Bastard has some cutting themes, but it needs more inspired execution. It’ll take a leap of faith on your part to see if Sutter and company can get there. Grade: C
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- Kansas City Star review:
The least profane part of “The Bastard Executioner” is its title.

For its first two hours, every aspect of FX’s new medieval drama is obscene, from the needlessly degrading sex scenes to the gleeful throat-slitting. Its most heinous offense is burying its promising premise in a pile of corpses before a talented cast can find the story’s pulse.
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C

Cornballer

Member
- Slate.com review
For all its flaws and clichés The Bastard Executioner is not quite boilerplate. This is decidedly not a show for me, but it is someone’s idea of a really cool TV show: lots of sword fighting, lots of brooding men, lots of momentous destiny. In some of the fight scenes, you can almost hear someone saying, “Dude! That was awesome!” It’s a kind of TV-analogue to the action movie: For some, it doesn’t matter if the movie is bad, so long as it blows things up real good. Bastard Executioner cuts off heads with panache. Jones’ Wilkin is never more graceful than when he whirls his broad sword through a neck. The resulting dead body, like everything else here, will stink pretty good.
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- Minnesota Star Tribune
This is supposed to be a morality play about what lengths man is willing to go to rid himself of authority — in this case, a land-grubbing English army — but Sutter fans will be engrossed in the mystery of where his penchant for colorful heroes and villains has gone. 2 out of 4 stars
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- IGN reivew
The two-hour pilot takes a long time setting up the show's true intention -- a man who has laid down the sword in order to become a different man is forced back into that life in a much bloodier way than ever before. But when it does get there, it's a worthy journey of self-preservation and exploration of the human soul. Gratuitously violent at times and bordering on confusing, the pilot is saved by strong acting and interesting juxtapositions that inform all of the characters -- big and small. 7 out of 10
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C

Cornballer

Member
Series premiere tonight:
Pilot

Wilkin Brattle, a warrior knight in the charge of King Edward I, trades his sword for a peaceful farming life - until the violence of his past finds him and forces him to pick up the bloodiest sword of all.
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Note that this will be a 2hr premiere.
 
Jag

Jag

Member
I love hack-n-slash medieval stuff, but not sure about the gratuitous violence part. I'll probably give it a shot.
 
styl3s

styl3s

Member
Shit i had no idea it was premiering tonight for some reason i thought this was still pretty far out.

Loved Sons and as bad as that last season was i still loved 1-5 and enjoyed 6 so i am hyped for this.
 
chris121580

chris121580

Member
Are reviewers really complaining about a Kurt Sutter medieval show being too violent?? I expect nothing less from him and can't wait to watch
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Zombie Lyle said:
Should have been first post. Those last 2 seasons were so bad.
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I gave up on sons after I want to say season 5 (the one where they run a whore house with Jimmy smits) and I don't feel like I missed out on much based on what I hear. It was already starting to get too out there. Same thing with Dexter after season 4. In my head that series ended after the Trinity killer.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- Sepinwall's review:
The hope was that Sutter, teaming once again with Emmy-winning director Paris Barclay, would curb some of his weaker instincts as a storyteller — to go back to the lean, mean early days of "Sons," or his work as a writer/producer on "The Shield." When he puts restraints on himself, Sutter can be an incredible writer, and the start of a new series seemed a fine opportunity to do exactly that.

Instead, "Bastard Executioner" more or less picks up where "Sons" left off in terms of self-indulgence. The two-hour premiere is technically two episodes aired back-to-back, but with barely enough story to fill one. It's not until the last 10 minutes or so that the show actually sets up its premise, and the time before that doesn't feel particularly well-spent in establishing who Wilkin is, beyond a man-mountain who hates how good he is with a sword in his hands. (Jones is built like an action hero, but doesn't yet have the charisma to match.) Nor do most of the supporting characters come much to life, save for the clear fun Moyer is having as a figuratively mustache-twirling villain, and the strange and unfortunate role Sutter has given wife Katey Sagal to play as Annora of the Alders, a mystic of some kind given to cryptic pronouncements delivered in a Slavic accent that seems right out of a '50s black and white monster movie.
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- LA Times review:
By the end of the third episode (the premiere will include the first two), it is still not clear what "The Bastard Executioner" is about. It has many promising elements: evocative locations, a potentially fascinating time period (hey, everyone, the Black Death looms!) and a very strong cast (Matthew Rhys plays a rebel leader, and Timothy Murphy is a priest reminiscent of Derek Jacobi's "Cadfael"). Even with the wig and accent, Sagal's Annora is formidable; Spencer-Longhurst makes the Lady Love instantly compelling, and as Isabel, her childhood friend turned lady-in-waiting, White lends "Executioner" its few kindly and mischievous moments.

Sutter has epic intentions, and epics require exposition. But as Peter Jackson found, you've got to cut that wearisome Council of Elrond down to the bone and get the Fellowship on its journey. Wilkin's journey can be complicated or contradictory, internal or external, but there has to be one.

Otherwise, he's just one more sweaty guy made brutal by grief and the merciless nature of his surroundings, which include sorcerers, sadists and women straining against the sexism of the period. And frankly, we've got enough of those.
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F

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
A show called The Bastard Executioner, created by Sutter as a another vehicle of her wife.

I'm guilty of enjoying a good chunk of SoA, but this seems a bit too much for me. Sutter is basically indulging himself at this point.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Funky Papa said:
A show called The Bastard Executioner, created by Sutter as a another vehicle of her wife.

I'm guilty of enjoying a good chunk of SoA, but this seems a bit too much for me. Sutter is basically indulging himself at this point.
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Wait Katey Segal is in this? Does she do a British accent? That alone might be worth watching.
 
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