NOTE: I feel obligated to mention, that I'm reviewing this show as _entertainment_, as a TV-show, and I'm not commenting on the actual history or characters of history that it portrays. I have little exposure or knowledge about those things so I will not attempt to bring them in. This is based purely on the show, and I regard it as such. I will make a few anecdotal comments about these, but it will be apparent when this is the case.
I'm not completely buying all those 10/10 reviews voted crazily helpful, written by supposedly western reviewers. Influenced partly by those reviews I decided that it might be a good time to finally visit this show, since I had eyed it in the past in intrigue. It's definitely not a straight 10/10 show...
That being said, I'm not even halfway through the first season (these are some long seasons...) and have no intention of stopping as it's certainly interesting. But I had to come and share my thoughts in case someone else from the western sphere is thinking of checking it out and feels equally wary and suspicious of the flood of 10/10 reviews. I will gladly update the score and the review itself if it gets noticeably better (or worse, for that matter).
It's not a bad show at all. The scenery and the props look beautiful, and as for their authenticity in the time period, that I cannot comment. I am not familiar with the history of Middle-East, which is actually precisely one of the reasons why I thought it looked visually so interesting and beautiful -- it's certainly different from the western-centric shows I've been comsuming my entire life.
There's a recurring theme of cheesiness. I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet -- right now everything just feels corny, but the first seasons of any show tend to have that quality to them. Certain shows, like "The Last Kingdom" pull off this style of corny, but most don't make it work at all. There are a couple of sides to it:
Where western-centric historic entertainments seem to traditionally portray the Islamic peoples as the bad guys when there's an arc that has to do with them (usually crusades or something like that), this one doesn't shy away from reversing that dynamic completely and portraying the crusaders as these corny caricatures of evil people that just do evil things, seemingly out of joy or whatever. I find it's appropriate, and completely warranted, and I'm not going to be a hypocrite and act like that is in any way different from what a lot of western productions do. However, I find it equally cheesy when shows like Knightfall do similar things. It's just not really good writing in my opinion, no matter who does the writing. I had kinda hoped that the position of always (well, almost, in recent years there's been a lot of more complex and flattering writing and portrayals) being portrayed with ill intent would've allowed the writers to overcome the trope and be clever about it, but I guess people are the same, no matter where they hail from. And again, I'm not saying it's uncalled for, it definitely is, crusaders were foreign invaders with intent to conquer, kill and plunder, and the material I've read has not painted a very pretty picture about their methods. But it's still boring and dimensionless to watch (although I have to say there are a lot of things that take the focus and make you entertained anyway, but more on them later).
Then on other hand, some of the main (good) characters have so far been nothing short of perfect in terms of skill, mind and morale. Which is a little bland in my opinion. The timing in which some scenarios go down is just downright offensive to someone who's got a little bit accustomed to more complex and forward-looking writing of the recent years. I mean it's not a bad thing per se, it's certainly entertaining to have a classical hero saving the day with his buddies who don't get a scratch and all that, but I guess it feels a little old and musty by now.
I taste a lot of similar flavors here as I did with the "Vikings" show. I'm not sure where those flavors come from, since Vikings actually did a good job of humanizing the opposing forces (and even going as far as openly embracing the "vikings are just plain bad guys" theme!), but I think it has to do with the lead character, and him being charismatic and likable and has an authority and confidence to him. Or maybe it's the way it's filmed and edited, that could be it too. We do get scenes with leaders portraying the other sides of the conflicts, which is kind of similar to what Vikings does. I don't know.
The actor who delivers the lead character is very charismatic and has a very cool air about him. Again, the writers made him cheesily good in all things he does (so far). Also modest and humble... you know, perfect. But on the other hand that does increase the charsima of the character, and the actor does a very good job portraying this. He's a likable character (so far, anyway), and I think the only problem with him is the lackluster fighting choreography (I mean, most of the other actors have very convincing fighting scenes, whereas this dude is kind of laxly strolling around and doesn't have the same weight behind his swings and all that) and the corny writing.
The show shines when we follow this lead dude. It's actually very entertaining and very similar to "The Last Kingdom" that has Uthred, who's almost equally corny honestly. So it's not hindering the show all that much when you put it in perspective.
There's a lot of lovely details that a foreigner like me gets from a show like this. The recurring sayings (often about the islamic faith, but there are some others too) are interesting, even if they feel a little weird and over-the-top to someone who was raised mildly christian and turned atheist by his own accord very early on in life. It seems their god plays a big part in all they do. Which is fine, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just feels a little weird (partly since I can't judge whether it's faith-backed propaganda or a realistic portrayal of the time).
Also, the clothing, the jewelry, the general visual styles are amazing. It's very different to what I'm accustomed to, and definitely interesting. I often thirst for a similar portrayal of my own country's history, where there were points in time where we weren't so close to the major European cultural strands. This, in a way, satiates that thirst somehow. Or, maybe it's about it just being different and interesting.
The scenery is just beautiful. The mention of the animals, the general way the people live and behave, it doesn't differ all that much from a western point of view. But then there's the huts, the way of life that is definitely very different, the clothings, and the people that do act different when looked at individually. It seems the influence of their god makes them a little bit humbler (and certain) than I'm accustomed to, though that might be a intentional (or forced?) propagandist maneuver to write the support cast that way. I don't know... I hate that I have to think about this, but I can't just turn it off either, seeing as how a lot of islamic authorities and states, even today, with unwavering support from their leaders, theologians and institutions, behead dissidents, hang non-hetero or otherwise different people and all that, a thing I can't in good consciousness simply ignore when a show has these themes.
It's also pretty funny to witness the absolutely unhinged, weird behaviour of the arabic leaders (I think that's what they are, it's hard to tell since the subtitles I found are not perfect exactly). They are written in a even cornier way than the European characters, and it's absolutely ridiculous I have to say, the way they just do the dumbest things because they are evil, without profiting from it or anything, just plain murdering people and smiling orgasmically. But they are hilarious a good way, since I think it's intended to be a comedic relief from the otherwise cheesy, preaching and serious tone of the show. Also, you can not NOT laugh at some of the actors who play the crusaders being regular Turkish shade of tan, but have a hilarious, obviously fake bright blonde wigs, akin to the children's wigs you see in markets, on their head :D Not very convincing, but then again I sympathize that it can be harder to find naturally Scandinavian looking actors who can also speak Turkish. Though most of these background characters never say a word, so I don't know what that's all about.
I mean I'm into it. It's different, it looks visually beautiful, people act in an interesting way (other than the leading cast or the antagonists who are just cheesy) and the actors do a good job, especially in the supporting roles. I also think Turkish (I think that is the language they use?) sounds beautiful to me (a thing I would not have expected to say, having their current dictator's speeches as my only previous exposure to the language). I have to admit that I find a lot of the characters pleasing to the eye as well, especially the very lead character.
I don't necessarily like the cheesiness, and the constant praise of their god (which I understand can be a very accurate portrayal of the time period, so I'm not saying it's a bad thing on its own), but it's entertaining enough.
I suspect it gets better with each season, as shows tend to do, until the one breaking season that falls flat and brings the whole thing down. According to the ratings, this one doesn't seem to have that specific season, so I'm optimistically waiting for what's going to happen.
I'm not completely buying all those 10/10 reviews voted crazily helpful, written by supposedly western reviewers. Influenced partly by those reviews I decided that it might be a good time to finally visit this show, since I had eyed it in the past in intrigue. It's definitely not a straight 10/10 show...
That being said, I'm not even halfway through the first season (these are some long seasons...) and have no intention of stopping as it's certainly interesting. But I had to come and share my thoughts in case someone else from the western sphere is thinking of checking it out and feels equally wary and suspicious of the flood of 10/10 reviews. I will gladly update the score and the review itself if it gets noticeably better (or worse, for that matter).
It's not a bad show at all. The scenery and the props look beautiful, and as for their authenticity in the time period, that I cannot comment. I am not familiar with the history of Middle-East, which is actually precisely one of the reasons why I thought it looked visually so interesting and beautiful -- it's certainly different from the western-centric shows I've been comsuming my entire life.
There's a recurring theme of cheesiness. I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet -- right now everything just feels corny, but the first seasons of any show tend to have that quality to them. Certain shows, like "The Last Kingdom" pull off this style of corny, but most don't make it work at all. There are a couple of sides to it:
Where western-centric historic entertainments seem to traditionally portray the Islamic peoples as the bad guys when there's an arc that has to do with them (usually crusades or something like that), this one doesn't shy away from reversing that dynamic completely and portraying the crusaders as these corny caricatures of evil people that just do evil things, seemingly out of joy or whatever. I find it's appropriate, and completely warranted, and I'm not going to be a hypocrite and act like that is in any way different from what a lot of western productions do. However, I find it equally cheesy when shows like Knightfall do similar things. It's just not really good writing in my opinion, no matter who does the writing. I had kinda hoped that the position of always (well, almost, in recent years there's been a lot of more complex and flattering writing and portrayals) being portrayed with ill intent would've allowed the writers to overcome the trope and be clever about it, but I guess people are the same, no matter where they hail from. And again, I'm not saying it's uncalled for, it definitely is, crusaders were foreign invaders with intent to conquer, kill and plunder, and the material I've read has not painted a very pretty picture about their methods. But it's still boring and dimensionless to watch (although I have to say there are a lot of things that take the focus and make you entertained anyway, but more on them later).
Then on other hand, some of the main (good) characters have so far been nothing short of perfect in terms of skill, mind and morale. Which is a little bland in my opinion. The timing in which some scenarios go down is just downright offensive to someone who's got a little bit accustomed to more complex and forward-looking writing of the recent years. I mean it's not a bad thing per se, it's certainly entertaining to have a classical hero saving the day with his buddies who don't get a scratch and all that, but I guess it feels a little old and musty by now.
I taste a lot of similar flavors here as I did with the "Vikings" show. I'm not sure where those flavors come from, since Vikings actually did a good job of humanizing the opposing forces (and even going as far as openly embracing the "vikings are just plain bad guys" theme!), but I think it has to do with the lead character, and him being charismatic and likable and has an authority and confidence to him. Or maybe it's the way it's filmed and edited, that could be it too. We do get scenes with leaders portraying the other sides of the conflicts, which is kind of similar to what Vikings does. I don't know.
The actor who delivers the lead character is very charismatic and has a very cool air about him. Again, the writers made him cheesily good in all things he does (so far). Also modest and humble... you know, perfect. But on the other hand that does increase the charsima of the character, and the actor does a very good job portraying this. He's a likable character (so far, anyway), and I think the only problem with him is the lackluster fighting choreography (I mean, most of the other actors have very convincing fighting scenes, whereas this dude is kind of laxly strolling around and doesn't have the same weight behind his swings and all that) and the corny writing.
The show shines when we follow this lead dude. It's actually very entertaining and very similar to "The Last Kingdom" that has Uthred, who's almost equally corny honestly. So it's not hindering the show all that much when you put it in perspective.
There's a lot of lovely details that a foreigner like me gets from a show like this. The recurring sayings (often about the islamic faith, but there are some others too) are interesting, even if they feel a little weird and over-the-top to someone who was raised mildly christian and turned atheist by his own accord very early on in life. It seems their god plays a big part in all they do. Which is fine, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just feels a little weird (partly since I can't judge whether it's faith-backed propaganda or a realistic portrayal of the time).
Also, the clothing, the jewelry, the general visual styles are amazing. It's very different to what I'm accustomed to, and definitely interesting. I often thirst for a similar portrayal of my own country's history, where there were points in time where we weren't so close to the major European cultural strands. This, in a way, satiates that thirst somehow. Or, maybe it's about it just being different and interesting.
The scenery is just beautiful. The mention of the animals, the general way the people live and behave, it doesn't differ all that much from a western point of view. But then there's the huts, the way of life that is definitely very different, the clothings, and the people that do act different when looked at individually. It seems the influence of their god makes them a little bit humbler (and certain) than I'm accustomed to, though that might be a intentional (or forced?) propagandist maneuver to write the support cast that way. I don't know... I hate that I have to think about this, but I can't just turn it off either, seeing as how a lot of islamic authorities and states, even today, with unwavering support from their leaders, theologians and institutions, behead dissidents, hang non-hetero or otherwise different people and all that, a thing I can't in good consciousness simply ignore when a show has these themes.
It's also pretty funny to witness the absolutely unhinged, weird behaviour of the arabic leaders (I think that's what they are, it's hard to tell since the subtitles I found are not perfect exactly). They are written in a even cornier way than the European characters, and it's absolutely ridiculous I have to say, the way they just do the dumbest things because they are evil, without profiting from it or anything, just plain murdering people and smiling orgasmically. But they are hilarious a good way, since I think it's intended to be a comedic relief from the otherwise cheesy, preaching and serious tone of the show. Also, you can not NOT laugh at some of the actors who play the crusaders being regular Turkish shade of tan, but have a hilarious, obviously fake bright blonde wigs, akin to the children's wigs you see in markets, on their head :D Not very convincing, but then again I sympathize that it can be harder to find naturally Scandinavian looking actors who can also speak Turkish. Though most of these background characters never say a word, so I don't know what that's all about.
I mean I'm into it. It's different, it looks visually beautiful, people act in an interesting way (other than the leading cast or the antagonists who are just cheesy) and the actors do a good job, especially in the supporting roles. I also think Turkish (I think that is the language they use?) sounds beautiful to me (a thing I would not have expected to say, having their current dictator's speeches as my only previous exposure to the language). I have to admit that I find a lot of the characters pleasing to the eye as well, especially the very lead character.
I don't necessarily like the cheesiness, and the constant praise of their god (which I understand can be a very accurate portrayal of the time period, so I'm not saying it's a bad thing on its own), but it's entertaining enough.
I suspect it gets better with each season, as shows tend to do, until the one breaking season that falls flat and brings the whole thing down. According to the ratings, this one doesn't seem to have that specific season, so I'm optimistically waiting for what's going to happen.