February 5, 2025 • 9 mins
A mother and son fleeing from their past form a found family while confronting a harsh landscape of freedom and cruelty in the American West.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
As you all know, I binge watch a lot on Netflix, but I was pumped for this man, Peter Berg,
(00:04):
who I think is a good filmmaker, and a big Western limited series.
It has all the makings for something special.
Let's talk about it.
What do you think's out there?
The year is 1857.
Pain is everywhere.
Innocence and tranquility are losing the battle to hatred and fear.
(00:25):
Peace is the shrinking minority.
There is no safe haven in these brutal lands, and only one goal matters, survival.
This is a fictionalized dramatization and an examination of the violent collision of
culture, religion, and community as men and women fight and tie to keep or control this
land.
Man, does that not sound like just a hardcore Western summary.
(00:48):
And obviously this is rated TV mature for numerous reasons, but the most prominent one
is violence.
Unflinching, bloody, brutal violence.
I mean, just the first episode alone.
There is the sequence, and that's what I'm going to call it here, that catches you off
guard will call it the attack.
It's one of the more brutal and cruel things that I've seen in the TV show and quite some
(01:13):
time because regardless of who we're following and what storyline we're on at the time, you
never know what's going to happen next and no one we are following is safe.
And that's one of the cool things about this series is it keeps you on your toes.
Now, using the word cool was probably a poor choice of words because it is, it's tragic
(01:34):
in a way.
It does showcase a few things very well.
A lack of grace and empathy, obviously living in the mid 1800s.
You are fighting for survival, fighting to survive, but some people in this show, and
we'll talk about it here in a second, are fighting to gain wealth, to expand your territory,
to own all of the land you possibly can.
I think it's so crazy looking back at these times, how easy it was to kind of obtain the
(01:57):
things that make you wealthy, right?
Well, at least that's what I thought prior to watching this show, but there is a lot
of violence that takes place between numerous groups of people.
And there are a couple of storylines that we're following here.
Now, Peter Berg does a very nice job of going back and forth, but there were times where
I wish we could have focused on one or two things as opposed to spreading so much information
(02:21):
everywhere and bouncing back and forth to these storylines.
We start with a simple story, a woman and her son just trying to find her husband.
Now it's not simple, but it's probably one of the more simple stories of the bunch.
You also have Governor Brigham Young, or really if you don't recognize that name, dealing
with and hitting on the Mormon faith in this series.
Now, Brigham Young may not be handled in this show the way that some Mormons will be happy
(02:45):
with, but there is a realism and a groundedness to his character, but also he's wanting to
expand territory.
So at times you got to be a little bit ruthless to do that.
Fort Bridger is your central focus here.
You have Jim Bridger played by Shay Wiggum, who does just an incredible job.
Exactly what you want him to play in a hardcore, gritty Western series is the character that
(03:09):
you get.
And of course, with coming in and taking land, you're going to have the indigenous tribes
trying to defend themselves, but also those posing as tribes.
I don't want to dive too much into detail because this is not a spoiler review, but
there was a very interesting thing they did there, but also this brutality to where you
understand a lot of the violence that is happening.
(03:29):
It's not just senseless.
Now some of it's senseless.
There are a couple of scenes where it's senseless, but for the most part you understand why
some feel the need to attack others.
But this show also does a nice job of distinguishing those two things.
Sometimes the violence just comes from the intent of being violent.
(03:50):
And that's the ruthlessness of this show, American Primeval, that genuinely gets as
dark as you could possibly imagine.
I mean, the attack sequence that I referenced earlier, man, it's unflinching.
I mean, across the board, it never lets you off the hook and you are seeing some brutal
(04:10):
scenes and sequences, arrows going through people's skulls, people getting stabbed,
attacked, scalped.
I mean, everything you can imagine.
So if you don't like a show that is very cruel in nature, I don't think you're going to
like this.
And I understand that.
Also, if you're of the Mormon faith and you're watching this, you may not be happy with how
some things are handled.
(04:31):
You got the Mormon militia in this show and they are, we'll say, committing some bad acts.
Again, these things don't personally piss me off, but I'm curious to see how they are
handled.
But again, that's with a show like this that is willing to take these chances and make
these decisions.
Peter Berg is not a filmmaker that is going to shy away from that.
More recently, his movies haven't worked as well for me.
(04:53):
And then didn't he do the battleship movie, which I thought was really bad.
And so from Peter Berg to go from that to then your Deepwater Horizons, your Patriots
Days and just that run of, well, survivor, my God, that run of phenomenal films, Mile
22, which, you know, it's something about him handling more of a truer grounded story.
Mile 22, I guess, was kind of not very good.
(05:16):
But this is like, this is a beautiful pairing.
I keep using words like beautiful, just know it's not beautiful because it's tragic.
But in a way, it's beautiful that they're able to showcase this time period in this
way.
Now, there are some things about the cinematography and the Dutch angles and presentation and
the POV shots and just some filmmaking techniques used in this show that you rarely see in a
(05:40):
Western.
Now, the look of it, the color grading, the aesthetic is very Western, is very timely.
It takes advantage of its setting.
The production design is magnificent.
The costume design is fantastic.
And you can tell they're filming on location.
Everything you're getting visually is phenomenal.
It's very stylistic, but I kind of enjoyed it the longer we went.
(06:03):
But those camera angles and the Dutch angles and certain things, I'm like, okay, that's
throwing me off.
It took me about an episode to get there.
And episode one in general does, it's scattered a little bit once we kind of diverge from
that initial storyline with our mom and her child.
But it inevitably finds its way back and as this show continued to move along after the
(06:23):
attack sequence, it slows down definitively, but it starts to pick back up.
And I just love, I love a show like this where you're just in the lives of these people.
These numerous storylines, Dane DeHaan, by the way, is in this series.
His wife gets abducted and he has to go through something absolutely tragic.
But to see the emotion from that, combined with what's happening over here with Brigham
(06:48):
Young, combined with kind of our main character, played by Betty Gilpin, who has an interesting
dynamic with Taylor Kitch.
I haven't, how have I not mentioned him?
Obviously, a relationship with Peter Berg as a director, but I really liked him.
Now he doesn't say much in this show, but he handles himself in a way to where you
first see him, you're like, this guy's going to be badass.
(07:09):
I know he's going to be badass.
And sure enough, he is the most badass human being in this series by a long shot.
And there are times where Betty Gilpin's Sarah is kind of doing some things.
It's getting on my nerves as a main character.
I'm like, all right, if you just, if you just listen, she's a little overconfident in the
beginning, which is respectable, commendable, but at the same time, it's like you should
(07:30):
probably listen.
But when shit hits the fan, she understands and Taylor Kitch is like, I got this guys.
And sure enough, he absolutely does.
So a great performance again.
And as I'm watching this, I'm like, this kind of just the overall vibe of it reminds me
of something like the Revenant.
Obviously more unflinching Westerns back in the day, because we don't get a lot of these
(07:51):
anymore.
Even these Yellowstone spinoffs and what territory on Netflix last year, very different, more
Hollywood eyes, less gritty, which I appreciate.
But at the same time, it's nice to get something like this every now and then.
And I'm seeing a little bit of a division from critics, not a super great rotten tomato
score.
And I'm sitting here going, I think I'm on the good side because how often do we get
(08:12):
a show that is so ruthless, but gutsy?
And I like the guts, but it also reminded me of the Revenant.
And sure enough, it's from the writer of the Revenant.
And I'm like, Oh, all right.
Am I tying these together in my head?
I just really, that was crazy when I found that out because I just my brain threw me
(08:33):
to the Revenant and just kind of the bad assness, the bad assness of our, well, not our lead,
but of Taylor Kitch's character and sure enough from the writer.
So guys, this show really worked for me.
Again, it's not going to be for everyone.
It will piss some people off.
Others will just not be able to handle the violence.
And I get that, man.
Like my mom watching stuff like this, she says to me, I feel like my bones are breaking while
(08:56):
watching.
So she obviously don't watch the show, mom, but dad, dad, you'll love it.
Before giving my score six episodes, so you'll be able to binge it for sure.
If you like these Netflix reviews, you want me to tackle all of the series I can drop
and that thumbs up is the best way to let me know.
I appreciate it.
American primeval is unflinching, often ruthless and extremely emotional due to the constant
(09:16):
fight for survival.
This is a series that isn't for the faint of heart, but the consistent risk taking inevitably
pays off with the production that places you in the heart of the battle.
And sometimes that's a scary place to be, especially in this show that is extremely violent.
But as a sucker for a good Western folks, you don't get much like this on TV anymore.
(09:41):
So let me know what you think.
Recommend this to your dad, because this is a very dad show, but tell him to be prepared
for something crazy.
All right, I'll see you soon.
As you all know, I binge watch a lot on Netflix, but I was pumped for this man, Peter Berg,
(00:04):
who I think is a good filmmaker, and a big Western limited series.
It has all the makings for something special.
Let's talk about it.
What do you think's out there?
The year is 1857.
Pain is everywhere.
Innocence and tranquility are losing the battle to hatred and fear.
(00:25):
Peace is the shrinking minority.
There is no safe haven in these brutal lands, and only one goal matters, survival.
This is a fictionalized dramatization and an examination of the violent collision of
culture, religion, and community as men and women fight and tie to keep or control this
land.
Man, does that not sound like just a hardcore Western summary.
(00:48):
And obviously this is rated TV mature for numerous reasons, but the most prominent one
is violence.
Unflinching, bloody, brutal violence.
I mean, just the first episode alone.
There is the sequence, and that's what I'm going to call it here, that catches you off
guard will call it the attack.
It's one of the more brutal and cruel things that I've seen in the TV show and quite some
(01:13):
time because regardless of who we're following and what storyline we're on at the time, you
never know what's going to happen next and no one we are following is safe.
And that's one of the cool things about this series is it keeps you on your toes.
Now, using the word cool was probably a poor choice of words because it is, it's tragic
(01:34):
in a way.
It does showcase a few things very well.
A lack of grace and empathy, obviously living in the mid 1800s.
You are fighting for survival, fighting to survive, but some people in this show, and
we'll talk about it here in a second, are fighting to gain wealth, to expand your territory,
to own all of the land you possibly can.
I think it's so crazy looking back at these times, how easy it was to kind of obtain the
(01:57):
things that make you wealthy, right?
Well, at least that's what I thought prior to watching this show, but there is a lot
of violence that takes place between numerous groups of people.
And there are a couple of storylines that we're following here.
Now, Peter Berg does a very nice job of going back and forth, but there were times where
I wish we could have focused on one or two things as opposed to spreading so much information
(02:21):
everywhere and bouncing back and forth to these storylines.
We start with a simple story, a woman and her son just trying to find her husband.
Now it's not simple, but it's probably one of the more simple stories of the bunch.
You also have Governor Brigham Young, or really if you don't recognize that name, dealing
with and hitting on the Mormon faith in this series.
Now, Brigham Young may not be handled in this show the way that some Mormons will be happy
(02:45):
with, but there is a realism and a groundedness to his character, but also he's wanting to
expand territory.
So at times you got to be a little bit ruthless to do that.
Fort Bridger is your central focus here.
You have Jim Bridger played by Shay Wiggum, who does just an incredible job.
Exactly what you want him to play in a hardcore, gritty Western series is the character that
(03:09):
you get.
And of course, with coming in and taking land, you're going to have the indigenous tribes
trying to defend themselves, but also those posing as tribes.
I don't want to dive too much into detail because this is not a spoiler review, but
there was a very interesting thing they did there, but also this brutality to where you
understand a lot of the violence that is happening.
(03:29):
It's not just senseless.
Now some of it's senseless.
There are a couple of scenes where it's senseless, but for the most part you understand why
some feel the need to attack others.
But this show also does a nice job of distinguishing those two things.
Sometimes the violence just comes from the intent of being violent.
(03:50):
And that's the ruthlessness of this show, American Primeval, that genuinely gets as
dark as you could possibly imagine.
I mean, the attack sequence that I referenced earlier, man, it's unflinching.
I mean, across the board, it never lets you off the hook and you are seeing some brutal
(04:10):
scenes and sequences, arrows going through people's skulls, people getting stabbed,
attacked, scalped.
I mean, everything you can imagine.
So if you don't like a show that is very cruel in nature, I don't think you're going to
like this.
And I understand that.
Also, if you're of the Mormon faith and you're watching this, you may not be happy with how
some things are handled.
(04:31):
You got the Mormon militia in this show and they are, we'll say, committing some bad acts.
Again, these things don't personally piss me off, but I'm curious to see how they are
handled.
But again, that's with a show like this that is willing to take these chances and make
these decisions.
Peter Berg is not a filmmaker that is going to shy away from that.
More recently, his movies haven't worked as well for me.
(04:53):
And then didn't he do the battleship movie, which I thought was really bad.
And so from Peter Berg to go from that to then your Deepwater Horizons, your Patriots
Days and just that run of, well, survivor, my God, that run of phenomenal films, Mile
22, which, you know, it's something about him handling more of a truer grounded story.
Mile 22, I guess, was kind of not very good.
(05:16):
But this is like, this is a beautiful pairing.
I keep using words like beautiful, just know it's not beautiful because it's tragic.
But in a way, it's beautiful that they're able to showcase this time period in this
way.
Now, there are some things about the cinematography and the Dutch angles and presentation and
the POV shots and just some filmmaking techniques used in this show that you rarely see in a
(05:40):
Western.
Now, the look of it, the color grading, the aesthetic is very Western, is very timely.
It takes advantage of its setting.
The production design is magnificent.
The costume design is fantastic.
And you can tell they're filming on location.
Everything you're getting visually is phenomenal.
It's very stylistic, but I kind of enjoyed it the longer we went.
(06:03):
But those camera angles and the Dutch angles and certain things, I'm like, okay, that's
throwing me off.
It took me about an episode to get there.
And episode one in general does, it's scattered a little bit once we kind of diverge from
that initial storyline with our mom and her child.
But it inevitably finds its way back and as this show continued to move along after the
(06:23):
attack sequence, it slows down definitively, but it starts to pick back up.
And I just love, I love a show like this where you're just in the lives of these people.
These numerous storylines, Dane DeHaan, by the way, is in this series.
His wife gets abducted and he has to go through something absolutely tragic.
But to see the emotion from that, combined with what's happening over here with Brigham
(06:48):
Young, combined with kind of our main character, played by Betty Gilpin, who has an interesting
dynamic with Taylor Kitch.
I haven't, how have I not mentioned him?
Obviously, a relationship with Peter Berg as a director, but I really liked him.
Now he doesn't say much in this show, but he handles himself in a way to where you
first see him, you're like, this guy's going to be badass.
(07:09):
I know he's going to be badass.
And sure enough, he is the most badass human being in this series by a long shot.
And there are times where Betty Gilpin's Sarah is kind of doing some things.
It's getting on my nerves as a main character.
I'm like, all right, if you just, if you just listen, she's a little overconfident in the
beginning, which is respectable, commendable, but at the same time, it's like you should
(07:30):
probably listen.
But when shit hits the fan, she understands and Taylor Kitch is like, I got this guys.
And sure enough, he absolutely does.
So a great performance again.
And as I'm watching this, I'm like, this kind of just the overall vibe of it reminds me
of something like the Revenant.
Obviously more unflinching Westerns back in the day, because we don't get a lot of these
(07:51):
anymore.
Even these Yellowstone spinoffs and what territory on Netflix last year, very different, more
Hollywood eyes, less gritty, which I appreciate.
But at the same time, it's nice to get something like this every now and then.
And I'm seeing a little bit of a division from critics, not a super great rotten tomato
score.
And I'm sitting here going, I think I'm on the good side because how often do we get
(08:12):
a show that is so ruthless, but gutsy?
And I like the guts, but it also reminded me of the Revenant.
And sure enough, it's from the writer of the Revenant.
And I'm like, Oh, all right.
Am I tying these together in my head?
I just really, that was crazy when I found that out because I just my brain threw me
(08:33):
to the Revenant and just kind of the bad assness, the bad assness of our, well, not our lead,
but of Taylor Kitch's character and sure enough from the writer.
So guys, this show really worked for me.
Again, it's not going to be for everyone.
It will piss some people off.
Others will just not be able to handle the violence.
And I get that, man.
Like my mom watching stuff like this, she says to me, I feel like my bones are breaking while
(08:56):
watching.
So she obviously don't watch the show, mom, but dad, dad, you'll love it.
Before giving my score six episodes, so you'll be able to binge it for sure.
If you like these Netflix reviews, you want me to tackle all of the series I can drop
and that thumbs up is the best way to let me know.
I appreciate it.
American primeval is unflinching, often ruthless and extremely emotional due to the constant
(09:16):
fight for survival.
This is a series that isn't for the faint of heart, but the consistent risk taking inevitably
pays off with the production that places you in the heart of the battle.
And sometimes that's a scary place to be, especially in this show that is extremely violent.
But as a sucker for a good Western folks, you don't get much like this on TV anymore.
(09:41):
So let me know what you think.
Recommend this to your dad, because this is a very dad show, but tell him to be prepared
for something crazy.
All right, I'll see you soon.
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