“If The Bastard Executioner’s cardinal season can be summed up with a single word, that word is “rushed.” From the show’s premiere to its finale, “Blood and Quiescence/Crau a Chwsg,” every narrative thread, every plot point, every character arc has felt unjustly compressed, like so many square pegs being stuffed into round holes. This, in … Continue reading
“Religion has played at least a subtle role in The Bastard Executioner from the beginning, but “Behold the Lamb/Gweled yr Oen” puts the misdeeds of the church at its forefront. Maybe that can’t be helped: the return of that dastardly archdeacon naturally courts episode-shaping discussions of God and belief, which begin immediately as Toran struggles … Continue reading
“Tough luck for all you Lowry/Wilkin shippers: You ship is still anchored at port. Those two crazy kids haven’t knocked boots yet, which is surprising, and not in equal measure. We’re only six (technically five, if you count the pilot as a single entity) episodes into The Bastard Executioner’s opera of suffering and misery, too … Continue reading
“I know nothing in my heart anymore.” Truer words have never been uttered on The Bastard Executioner, but if the show’s cast remain uncertain about who they’re meant to be, at least Kurt Sutter is confident in the series’ identity. His medieval soap opera has really hit its stride in the last two weeks, with … Continue reading
“After a two-part pilot and a pair of standalone episodes, The Bastard Executioner has become a show that’s fully worth watching. We’re too far past the point at which Kurt Sutter’s Welsh medieval torture baby could ever be called “perfect,” but where he’s contented himself playing solo rounds of speedball since the series’ premiere, he … Continue reading
“Effigies and snakes; that’s all The Bastard Executioner deigns to give us this week, all instances of rhinectomy aside. Annora’s growing collection of artisanal hanging serpents are probably the least important detail in “Effigy/Delw” (pronounced “del-oo”), but the sight of them suspended in air, gently lit by the blaze of her torch, does give the … Continue reading
“The clash of steel you hear in the two-part pilot for The Bastard Executioner, erstwhile Sons of Anarchy showrunner Kurt Sutter’s new FX passion project, isn’t just the sound of men crossing swords: It’s the sound of Sutter throwing down a gore-stained gauntlet somewhere in the vicinity of George R.R. Martin’s boots. A review of … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 