Trading in motorcycles, leather and guns for horses, sickles and swords, Kurt Sutter's highly anticipated new series The Bastard Executioner debuted Tuesday night on FX.
While die-hard Sons of Anarchy fans are looking forward to the spinoff series Sutter will create based on the Mayans, his latest show – set in a whole different place and time – has the potential to become one of the must-watch new series this fall.
The medieval drama takes place in 14th-century northern Wales under the reign of King Edward II. It follows the story of a former knight who served under King Edward I – the monarch known for his attempt to recover the Holy Land during the Crusades – who puts down his sword for a more peaceful life as a farmer.
The series highlights the rebellion of the Welsh peasants who are brutally ruled by the English baron Ventris (played by Brian F. O'Byrne) and his right-hand man Milus Corbett (Stephen Moyer). Rebelling against unfair taxes, the main character, Wilkin Brattle (Lee Jones) joins his neighbors to raid Ventris' men, which later leads to brutal (and disturbing) consequences. This causes Wilkin to become fueled by revenge, returning him to a life of violence as an executioner.
There is no denying that this is definitely a fresh series (though there are similarities to Games of Thrones), but there are some noticeable parallels to Sons that may please fans of the popular FX series that ended last December.
Both shows tell the story of a group of outlaws — led by a man who is haunted by his past, but whose future holds a long and bloody journey on the quest to fulfill his destiny.
While fans of Sons of Anarchy will probably never completely get over the loss of Jax Teller, Sutter's Wilkin Brattle does sound a lot like the beloved SAMCRO president. Both are capable of barbarity and are motivated by vengeance. But while they have their demons to battle, they also show a softer side when it comes to family and have no problem being emotional. These broken heroes have tried to give up a life of bloodshed for the sake of their families, but no matter how much they want a clean start, their fate holds them to this dirty life.
"There's nothing more dangerous than a Welshman with nothing to lose," says Baroness Lowry "Love" Aberffraw Ventris (played by Flora Spencer-Longhurst) — a statement that couldn't ring more true for both characters.
Then, of course, there is the fact that The Bastard Executioner features some similar faces. Gemma returns – or rather actress Katey Sagal is teaming up with husband Sutter again – this time, ditching her rocker mom look to play an older healer/witch character named Annora, who pulls some strings when it comes to the show's plot. Sutter also makes an appearance as The Dark Mute (the disfigured character), along with Sagal's daughter, making it a family affair.
A photo posted by Kurt Sutter (@sutterink) on Sep 15, 2015 at 6:15am PDT
The Bastard Executioner and Sons of Anarchy have common themes of sex, violence, power and revenge. There is also this strong sense of brotherhood – something that was crucial to the plot in Sons – which is shown through the relationship between Wilkin and his neighbors as well as the Baron and his evil advisor. We see that these characters are willing to do anything for each other, especially after blood has been spilled.
Which brings us to a point about the blood. There is no doubt that Executioner is more brutal than Sons. Both shows feature power struggles that motivate the characters to do ungodly things — but in this series, there are many more savage murders that really bring the gore. Because of the time period, these executions are put on public display — with the entire episode leading up to the point that we finally get to see heads roll. The scenes fade to black and white (always before a commercial break), which plays on punishment at this time as a black-and-white issue.
And then Sutter doesn't have to worry about going too far with gun violence, as swinging swords and warfare were a way of life in this era. Live by the sword, die by the sword. That means no one is spared when it comes to the violence between the Baron and the peasants — not even women and children.
There is no room for moral conflict in this world. Sound like a familiar struggle? Yep, we think so too.
Yet while there are striking similarities, Executioner is very much its own series. It took some time to set up the season in episode 1, but it has the potential to really cut deep among Sutter fans.
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