As a fan of the Ripper Street series and Sean Bean, I looked forward to this tale. As of March 2018, Netflix has aired Seasons 1 and 2. As I watched the first few episodes, I enjoyed the interweaving of history, characterizations, and the Frankenstein literature theme with that particularly harsh and gritty setting in 1800's England. As some reviews state, this is not just another rehash of the standard Frankenstein monster tale. Despite the fictional basis of what the bad guys were doing, there is little need to suspend disbelief. I will say I was having some trouble differentiating one character from another, but by episode 6, that was the least of my concerns.
*** SERIOUS SPOILERS BELOW *** In the last 15 minutes of episode 6, we see our hero, John Marlott (Sean Bean), hanged for a crime for which he was framed. I was sure someone would come and save him, or at least cut him down in the nick of time, but (to quote Star Trek), 'He's dead, Jim.'
The show then promptly ran off the rails, as if the writing staff seemed to suddenly find themselves without a fresh idea, and so caved in to the temptation to create six more episodes of a B-grade horror movie. Marlott is brought back to life by the very people he has been pursuing, but in what appears to be a different body to which his head has been attached. His syphilitic hand is now healed, but he's acquired, at least temporarily, a lumbering gait reminiscent of Karloff's monster. He lapses through hallucination, lucidness, and a stupor-like state.
I gave up on the series, but did watch the S2E6 to see whether the viewer is hung out to dry. Much is left unresolved, but we do see Marlott paired up, Elsa Lanchester style, with a woman also revived from the dead as the wagon train drifts slowly into the sunset. They share a moment when you know the writers are leaving bread crumbs to keep it going for another season. Having misplaced my Suspend Disbelief button, I must pass.
*** SERIOUS SPOILERS BELOW *** In the last 15 minutes of episode 6, we see our hero, John Marlott (Sean Bean), hanged for a crime for which he was framed. I was sure someone would come and save him, or at least cut him down in the nick of time, but (to quote Star Trek), 'He's dead, Jim.'
The show then promptly ran off the rails, as if the writing staff seemed to suddenly find themselves without a fresh idea, and so caved in to the temptation to create six more episodes of a B-grade horror movie. Marlott is brought back to life by the very people he has been pursuing, but in what appears to be a different body to which his head has been attached. His syphilitic hand is now healed, but he's acquired, at least temporarily, a lumbering gait reminiscent of Karloff's monster. He lapses through hallucination, lucidness, and a stupor-like state.
I gave up on the series, but did watch the S2E6 to see whether the viewer is hung out to dry. Much is left unresolved, but we do see Marlott paired up, Elsa Lanchester style, with a woman also revived from the dead as the wagon train drifts slowly into the sunset. They share a moment when you know the writers are leaving bread crumbs to keep it going for another season. Having misplaced my Suspend Disbelief button, I must pass.