'Barkskins': Nat Geo miniseries transports viewers to 16th century New France, premiere night has fans hooked

'Barkskins' has already earned itself a lot of praise from its audience with just its first episode in
UPDATED MAY 26, 2020
(National Geographic)
(National Geographic)

Spoilers for 'Barkskins' Season 1 Episode 1 'New France'.

Blood. Land. Empire. That is what National Geographic's latest limited series 'Barkskins' all about. Set in Wobik, a small settlement in what is now the Canadian province of Quebec, in New France, series examines the mysterious massacre of the settlers in the area. This massacre is threatening to throw the entire region into an all-out war to gain control over the area.

National Geographic's new eight-part series is created by Elwood Reid and is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Annie Proulx. It transports the audience to the wilderness of the late 16th century and through a plethora of characters, narrates the struggles of settlers and immigrants. Premiered earlier tonight, 'Barkskins' has already earned itself a lot of praise from its audience with just its first episode in. "I. Am. Hooked. #Barkskins @NatGeoChannel," tweeted a fan. "Good first episode of #Barkskins #NatGeo," concurred another. "Watching #Barkskins Nat Geo bringing some fire," added one. Many fans had been waiting a long time for the show to air. "I love how there is two episodes of  #Barkskins tonight. Been waiting for this to finally come on," tweeted one. "Watching Barkskins on National Geogrpahic. I love these period series," reiterated one. 

Apart from a thrilling story that explores the process of encroachment of a region, the series boasts of a stellar star cast. And while that definitely adds to the weight of the series, it has completely impressed fans. "So, we have Remus Lupin, King Richard III, Crow Daddy, and Jerry from ‘ER’ all in one period piece drama. Very interesting. #Barkskins@NatGeoChannel," tweeted one. 

(National Geographic)

"My singular thought watching #Barkskins: I love Aneurin Barnard, I love Aneurin Barnard, I love Aneurin Barnard," tweeted a fan. Many fans are already nominating their favourite stars for accolades. "Life seemed a bit harder back in the 1600s @NatGeo #Barkskins David Thewlis will get an Emmy for his performance in this show."

Many fans have had the same insight into the first episode as we had. There are moments where it feels like you are in the middle of a story that has already been going on, as a result of this, a lot of the first episode just goes over your head. "Anybody else not following #Barkskins so far? I had to double-check the listing to make sure it was episode 1. Feels like I started in the middle," tweeted one fan. "A lot of storylines going on at the same time in #Barkskins in the first 30 minutes... Stunning scenery so far," added another. 

But that is not enough to just dismiss the story for there is a lot more to come that will blow your mind. 

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