Crossbones debuts on NBC on May 30 with “The Devil’s Dominion.” The pilot is written by creator Neil Cross (anybody else struck by the connection to the series title? No? Just me then?) and directed by David Slade. Cross has also written for MI-5, Doctor Who, and Luther all of which helps to explain the snappy dialogue. Actually, the series is based on a book, The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard. Slade’s credits include Hannibal, Breaking Bad, and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The direction is solid and atmospheric without the overtly ‘artsy’ overtones that sometimes go too far (for me) on Hannibal. This show is definitely worth checking out - I'm looking forward to the next episode!
The costumes are good, though not great enough to really transport me to a different time, and the sets left me feeling the same way. The details are good, but don’t seem quite early eighteenth century. That being said, the focus is clearly on the characters and the action. John Malkovich stars as Blackbeard. His main opponent is Tom Lowe played by Richard Coyle. Lowe’s trusty sidekick, Fletch, is played by Chris Perfetti. Rounding out the male leads are Julian Sands as William Jagger, Peter Stebbings as James Balfour, and David Hoflin as Charles. Jagger is the one to send Lowe on his mission, Balfour has a secret (which I won’t reveal here!), and Charles answers to Selima (Yasmine Al Massri), Blackbeard’s first lieutenant. There are two other women rounding out the cast. Claire Foy plays Kate who is in charge of all the pirate spoils and Tracy Ifeachor plays Nenna another one of the pirates who answers directly to Selima.
Malcovich is outstanding as Blackbeard and handles the terrific dialogue just as you would expect him to. There is one possibly supernatural element that I could have done without and that I felt the acting was a little over the top. However, if you are a Malcovich fan, you aren’t going to want to miss this show. Coyle is also terrific and delivers the often humorous comebacks of Dr Lowe perfectly.
The pilot episode is full of action – both on land and at sea – and the special effects are terrific. The plot is wonderfully twisty and turny with enough surprises to keep you wondering about the things that seem obvious. At times, I did find it difficult to really get a handle on characters’ motivation, but that may be just because it is a first episode and we just don’t have enough evidence to connect all the dots yet.
Final verdict? Check it out if you like Malkovich, Coyle, pirates, spy stories, or mysteries. Crossbones airs on NBC Friday, May 30 at 9EST/10C.
