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Netflix’s American Primeval is a promising but ultimately clichéd and unsatisfying Western miniseries.
Pros:
* A propulsive, enthralling opening two episodes
* Several impressive set pieces and gunfights
* An admirably sprawling visual and narrative scope
Cons:
* A numbingly punishing story
* Multiple clichéd, problematic plot lines
* On-the-nose, ham-fisted dialogue throughout
* Dane DeHaan and Saura Lightfoot-Leon’s weak lead performances
American Primeval’s opening scenes follow Sara Rowell (Betty Gilpin), a headstrong woman, and her son Devin (Preston Mota) as they arrive in 1857 Utah on a train from Boston and make their way to the territory’s first and safest outpost, Fort Bridger. There, they meet the fort’s builder and mountain-man owner, Jim Bridger (Shea Whigham), who tries unsuccessfully to dissuade Sara from trying to reach her distant “husband” in the prospecting town of Crooks Springs, which lies on the other side of a nearby, treacherous mountain range. When his subsequent efforts to convince Isaac Reed (Taylor Kitsch), a gruff scout habitually covered in rags, to guide Sara and Devin to their destination fail, Sara persuades Jacob (Dane DeHaan) and Abish Pratt (Saura Lightfoot-Leon), a young pair of Mormon newlyweds, to let her and Devin join them on a nearby wagon train.
The journey is upended when a group of Mormon militiamen don white hoods and massacre the entire wagon train in an effort to help their leader, Brigham Young (Kim Coates), keep all non-Mormon settlers from traveling into their growing “Zion” of Utah. Behind the camera, Berg constructs this sequence out of a series of canted, handheld oners that make the horrifying violence that unfolds throughout simultaneously all the more legible and unnerving. The attack’s brutality and chaotic visual quality make it a rare piece of stomach-churning TV spectacle.
As the series progresses, Sara and Devin’s journey with Isaac is buoyed by Gilpin and Kitsch’s capable, unwavering performances. The long-brewing conflicts between American Primeval’s Mormon faction and its “enemies” are also rendered both riveting and unsettling by Brigham Young’s infuriating, repeated attempts at strong-arming Jim Bridger into giving up his fort and by the impassioned efforts of a good-hearted U.S. military Captain named Dellinger (Lucas Neff) to hold Young and his followers accountable for their savage, unlawful deeds.
However, American Primeval finds far less success in Jacob and Abish’s diverging paths. Jacob’s search for his kidnapped wife goes nowhere, and it gives DeHaan little to do other than scream and become increasingly unhinged over a romance that American Primeval did nothing to develop in the first place. That fact only makes DeHaan’s performance seem all the more distractingly outsized and anchor-less.
Even greater problems arise in Abish’s scenes. The character is taken in early by Red Feather, and it isn’t long before she finds herself drawn to his Shoshone culture. The problematic, clichéd nature of this storyline might be forgivable were it not for later scenes in which Abish condescendingly explains the cost of war to Red Feather, a Native American man who has seen far more death than her, and then dictates the direction of American Primeval’s entire Shoshone storyline with a handful of speeches that turn out to be more impactful than they logically should.
American Primeval’s biggest flaws are, for the most part, absent in its first two episodes, which impress with their Western sprawl and their commitment to a kind of propulsive, action-packed style of storytelling that is still rare on television. Aside from their over-reliance on CGI blood and gore, the series’ action sequences remain consistently gripping and kinetic throughout its six hours. However, it is a series in which the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making it are frequently apparent onscreen, but the clear difficulty of its production isn’t enough to stop American Primeval’s flaws from overwhelming it, nor are the committed performances of several of its cast members or the technical craftsmanship of its direction.
Conclusion:
American Primeval is a series that, despite its contemporary Prestige TV look and budget, feels in its ideas, countless clichés, and perspective dated by 20 or 30 years, at least.
FAQs:
* What is American Primeval about?
American Primeval is a Western miniseries that follows a group of settlers as they try to reach their destination in the 1850s American West.
* Who is the main cast?
The main cast includes Betty Gilpin, Taylor Kitsch, Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Shea Whigham, and Kim Coates.
* What is the tone of the series?
The tone of the series is often brutal and punishing, with a focus on the violence and danger of the 1850s American West.
* Is American Primeval available to stream?
Yes, American Primeval is available to stream on Netflix.
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