‘The Son’ is a television adaptation of Philip Meyer’s 2013 bestseller and Pulitzer Prize-nominated novel. It is also the first television series that Pierce Brosnan has starred in for over 30 years, giving viewers and producers very high hopes for its success. Interestingly, Philip Meyer has also taken on the role of co-creator and executive producer, giving us an insight to a rare occurrence of when an author is given such scope and creative control on a project such as this.
We were lucky enough to be invited to the premier of AMC’s newest television Western which was held in the infamous BT Tower. With my excitement levels peaking at the anticipation of going up to the top of the tower which is now closed to the public, I’m surprised I made it through the showing without sneaking off to that lift to the 34th floor.
The first episode begins in 1849, as it follows the story of a young Eli McCullough being kidnapped by Comanche warriors. The first few scenes display a gruesome setting, with Eli being dragged away from his family who are then brutally killed by the warriors. It then switches to 1915, where Eli is now successful rancher who is about to celebrate his birthday.
Eli is shown to have transitioned into a ruthless, business-minded individual who is hungry for power. All of his efforts now focus on breaking into the oil business while additionally, embarking on a war against the Mexicans who he believes are stealing his cattle. He is sure to face some challenges, including his kind natured son Pete (Henry Garrett), who does not share the same merciless mind-set as his father. Throughout this ten-part series, we are sure to be in for an emotional journey as we watch the McCullough family rise to be one of the most powerful to reign Texas.
As somebody who isn’t a huge fan of Westerns, I didn’t really know how I was going to feel about this. Obviously, after only watching one episode you can only pass so much judgement but I left with the inclination to want to watch the next episode which can only be a good thing. I also enjoyed that it wasn’t your typical ‘action’ filled series with loads of guns and shoot outs on horses. They are attempting to enter the ‘modern age’ and this comes across very clearly from the beginning. So far I can see substance, characters with likability and a complex and interesting story to be told.
Admittedly, Pierce Brosnan is not my favourite actor but he definitely does a recognisable job at making Eli’s character work which is important here. It’s clear that Eli is not your standard villain, and there is a lot of history behind his ruthless character traits, which will hopefully surface over the next few episodes. The relationship between Pete McCullough and Maria Garcia (Paola Nunez) also sparked an interest with me so I do hope they dig more into this as the series goes on.
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The Son airs Tuesdays at 9pm on AMC exclusive to BT.
Featured image credit – AMC