‘Reprisal’ takes its time to set up but Doris’ quest for revenge is made enjoyable with Hulu show’s messy world
May contain spoilers for season 1 of Hulu's 'Reprisal'
Once upon a time, Doris Quinn used to go by the name Katherine Harlow. It was a much happier time for her. "The future is ours; let's build it," she used to say. But betrayal was lurking around the corner and it hit her like a truck.
More specifically, she was dragged through a track by her hands with chains and left for dead. Years later, Abigail Spencer's Katherine is back for revenge and there is nothing she will stop at.
Our story begins slow; rather bit too slowly for our liking. For instance, the series begins to get interesting 50 minutes into the 57 minutes of the first episode. But once it gets going, there is no coming out till you've watched 'Reprisal' throughout.
Katherine's enemy is her brother Burt (Rory Cochrane) and she plans to not only rob him, his establishment and his gang of outlaws, The Banished Brawlers but omit his chapter altogether.
The de-facto leader of The Banished Brawlers, Joel, is trying to maintain order in a lawless world riddled with consternation while raising his young daughter. Today, Joel doesn't want war - he wants to maintain peace and wants to live to see his daughter grow old.
So all his desperate attempts are directed at keeping the war at bay. For years, there has not been a gang war owing to the several truces in place.
But there was once a time when the men wanted a war, when their blood burned with rage and they wanted to kill. "These are peaceful times we live in," Rodrigo Santoro's Joel says.
But it is inevitable and the fates of men are written in the stars, so when Katherine returns, she brings war with her. 'Reprisal' is a slow burner. Over ten hour-long episodes, it tells the story of revenge, love, betrayal, war, bloodshed, and above all, family.
Burt built a family out of The Banished Brothers from scratch, seeking it all his life. But he built it on the foundations of lies and manipulation. When this comes around and people surrounding him realize how his manipulation has played out, everything around Burt crumbles.
The story also opens up in layers, slowly and steadily, taking its time and tagging you along on Katherine's quest. And it is an enjoyable ride for the production team has left no stone unturned to pull you into the bloody, messy world of 'Reprisal'.
From the vintage cars and the pin-ups to the soundtrack, everything is captivating. Directed by Jonathan van Tulleken, written by Salvatore Stabile and Josh Corbin, 'Reprisal' has its own flaws and falls victim to revenge television tropes too, but it sure makes for a riveting watch.
However, might we suggest you pace yourself with the episodes. Don't opt to binge-watch 'Reprisal'; instead, take one episode at a time, it'll help keep the thrill from extinguishing, else it'll make for a tiresome affair.
Season 1 of 'Reprisal' is currently streaming on Hulu.