Godless – A Review. How good is it?

A masterpiece in acting and cinematography Godless is a pure Western filled with tense gunfights and galloping horses. Godless sets up an eventual clash between two warring outlaws Frank Griffin and his protégé Roy Goode in the first episode.

It uses the next five episodes to examine the human cost and emotional toll that it takes on the innocent swept inside this storm of violence.

Godless challenges the notions and mythology of the Wild West, which America has been glorifying and incorporating into its culture. The heroes and villains are complex and layered characters. The characters connect with you so that every death feels personal.

1. Quick Review

Godless chooses to focus on the emotion rather than the action. It depicts the struggle between the independent, strong outlaw, and the well-ordered and civilized society. Showcasing the absence of a higher power in the gun-toting crime-infested Frontier, Godless is critical of the unnecessary violent lifestyle.

Marketed as a feminist Western, the show features strong female characters while incorporating modern themes in the classic landscape. Looking for love outside your race or in the same gender while being aware of the taboo nature of such activities in those times is just one such notion.

2. Is It Worth Watching?

In the opening minutes of the show, we see the violent aftermath of a town through which Frank Griffin has passed. As Marshall John Cook examines multiple bodies and train wreckage as a dust storm swirls around him, the silence is only broken by wailing women and crashing timber.

Godless Season 1 Trailer | Rotten Tomatoes TV

The opening minutes are a triumph of cinematography and direction. As we see a small boy who has been lynched and pinned to a post to understand Griffin’s monstrous nature, Godless sets itself up as a gruesome Western.

I. Plot

The story revolves around and builds up the monumental clash between Frank Griffin and Roy Goode. Frank is an inhumane outlaw who ironically dresses like a preacher. During a train heist, Roy saves a woman from being raped and then runs off with the bounty.

Frank, who had raised Roy like a son and considered him his successor, decides to stop at nothing to get his revenge for this betrayal. Bringing wrath down on towns which let Goode pass through them and sheltered him, he is on the hunt.

Roy seeks sanctuary in the home of a widow living outside the town of La Belle. She’s been shunned by the city for marrying a Native American, which makes it a perfect hiding place. Roy befriends her son and becomes his mentor.

Slowly the town run by women whose husbands died in a mining accident recognizes Goode and agrees to help him. As we prepare for this clash, stereotypes are examined, and the lore of the Wild West is given a realistic depiction.

II. Characters & Performances

Jeff Daniels (Frank Griffin) is a convincing villain, drooling whiskey down his beard and shooting stuff. There is a tension every time he makes an appearance as you can never predict what he’ll do given volatile nature. He has managed to forge his autocratic band of brothers around his moral code.

He takes in people on the run and, on multiple occasions, helps families in distress. The fact that a child-killing mass murderer is sometimes the kindest person on-screen shows the dystopia in which society had fallen in the West.

Merritt Wever plays Mary Agnes, the wife of the mayor of La Belle. She is a fierce personality, a force to be reckoned with who has managed to get the town back on its feet. She’s done with caregiving and child-bearing and dates a woman fighting the prejudices of society with a handy rifle by her side.

Jack O’Connell adds a layer of charm and mystery to his depiction of Roy Goode. He is not one to rush to use his guns and explains that there are innocent people in the street as well. He is the white hat, and the gunfights surrounding him are tense and engaging standoffs.

The supporting cast of Michelle Dockery and Scott McNairy also turn in authentic performances.

III. Visuals & Direction

Written and directed by Scott Frank Godless is a visual treat that features several episodes that are more than 70-minutes long. The directors and writers create enough time to develop each story arc and character so that each development and death feels personal.

There are endless sprawling shots of the harsh Western Frontier with canyons and blue skies. Shot in the cinematic 2:39 ratio, any of these shots could feature in a Hollywood movie. The opening sequence, as I’ve already said, is a mighty triumph of cinematography and direction.

3. Final Thoughts

The Western genre and the long episodes might keep some people away from this series. But, it is a masterpiece that is not a revival or a reinvention but manages to paint history in a different light. It forces fans to introspect what they were glorifying with a solid plot at its center.

The show is filled with passionate scenes and committed performances that are shot and directed brilliantly. If you’re a fan of Westerns, you’ll enjoy Godless, and if not, this is the perfect place one to start with.

4. Grade

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