An important thing that makes a great Western is not only the elements of the story but also its execution. The conventional points of the genre sometimes fail to sustain the viewer’s interest throughout as the pace of the narrative slackens. Scot Frank, the creator of Godless, takes enough care to ensure that the series maintains a steady flow even while paying enough attention to the details. Through its seven episodes, which clock around 75 minutes at an average, Godless entertains not only through its visual grandeur but also the way the familiar good versus evil plot is expertly brought to a complete circle. A television series mixed with the flavor of a movie, Godless does not offer the breathless frenzy of action but it builds up the drama steadily, enhancing the anticipation for the climax where it roars down like a foaming waterfall.

Set in the 1880s, the series develops around a basic conflict between Frank Griffin, a notorious outlaw (played by Jeff Daniels) and his protégé Roy Good (played by Jack O’Connell). The first scene itself sets up the ground for the conflict to come as we see a Marshall riding into a massacred town with the camera finally shifting to the dead body of a child hanging from top. We are then introduced to the town of La Belle which is placed at center of the conflict to come. The silver mine in the town had taken the lives of 83 men three years back, leaving the town devoid of men with the widowed women being the ones in command. There is also the character of Alice Fletcher, a woman struck by multiple tragedies in her life, who owns a ranch some distance away from the town and gives refuge to an injured Roy Good. Apart from strong independent females, multiple other characters come in the forefront with the show developing them in a rich format. The show creator builds the narrative around feminist ideas but does not over emphasize them, rather delving into the lives of these women in a matter of fact manner. Godless triumphs by not portraying the men or women as heroes who save the day but rather focusing on the synergy brought about as both the sexes act in tandem, respectfully independent of each other.

One of the highlights of the series is Mary Agnes Mcnue, a no nonsense lady in the town of La Belle and is played with great panache by Merritt Wever. Mary Agnes shoots straight, both with her guns and her mouth and is equally caring while putting her widowed brother’s children to sleep or while cooking and feeding the young deputy sheriff Whitey Winn. The show does not shy away from taboo topics of that era either and does put some focus on Mary Agnes‘s relationship with another woman. The other female lead, Alice Fletcher, played by Michelle Dockery is almost equally good though her character is not given much range to develop. Alice, another tough widow with a son, is having a tough time while handling her ranch and seeks help from Roy Good to break her horses. These two tough female characters develop the show and broaden its scope over the basic framework of the conflict between Frank and Roy.

Jeff Daniels plays Frank Griffin, the aged outlaw who considers Roy Good as his adopted son but when the two fall apart he pursues Roy ruthlessly across the land. Frank lost his own family at a young age and has built his gang of about 30 men whom he treats as family. His beliefs and faith run in complex patterns as at one end he allows blood to flow freely and on the other, shows care and pity for a group of small pox infected people. Jeff Daniels, who rarely plays a negative character, brings out the deranged depths of Frank’s character vividly as he leads his band of criminals across the “ godless country”. The other actors fit perfectly in their roles with Jack O’Connell leading as Roy Good; the quiet young man brought up by Frank, whose life is plunged into violence but still has the prudence to avoid a gunfight as much as possible. Scoot Mcnairy plays Bill Mcnue, the sheriff of La Belle and the brother of Mary Agnes, who is gradually losing his eyesight and is considered a coward by the town’s residents. Bill sets about to bring an end to Frank Griffin leaving the town under Whitey Winn, the young and naive Deputy Sheriff, played by Thomas Sangster. Godless does not lose control with so many varied and complex characters within its frame and never fails to keep the viewers interests up through great performances and well balanced storytelling. There are flashbacks, depicting the back stories of the characters and they are perfectly blended into the overall narrative.

The cinematography, steered by Steven Meizler deserves special mention with gorgeous landscapes, which at times almost seem to be telling their own story, filling up the screen quite often. The high production quality is evident with the colours and effects imparting a rich tone into the series. Violence comes naturally into Godless as per the demands of the story. From a chase across the wilderness to a tense standoff at a dinner table, each action set piece is crafted in detail like all other parts of the series. The show does not celebrate violence but weave it into the fabric of the story as the clash between good and evil is depicted in a grand scale. The conflict that is set up in the first episode is scaled up to epic proportions as the show moves its pieces perfectly in the interim, bringing up its climax in the last one. It is this blending of the right flavors in perfect proportion that makes Godless top class entertainment.

Godless comprising of seven episodes is available in Netflix.

 

 

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