Is The Reprisal any good? Worth your time?

They say blood makes you related but it is loyalty that makes you family. But what happens when your own family plans your death? Reprisal is a classic story about revenge, family and betrayal. From the executive producers of Fargo and The Handmaid’s Tale, the show has all the elements of a great thriller story.

1.Quick Review

The neo-noir drama is different, raw and intriguing. But it fails to go deep enough to conquer new grounds for a variety of reasons.

2.Series and Info Links

3.Is It Worth Watching?

The background, execution and style of Reprisal are bound to pique the interests of all fans of the thriller genre.

I.Plot

At the centre of the story is Kathryn Harlow. Her family consists of her brothers and they are heavily involved in gangs. Burt, one of her brothers, is the founder of the gang The Banished Brothers.

Years ago, Burt had chained Kathryn to his truck and dragged her through a field in order to kill her. But Kathryn had survived that and she wished to get revenge on all those who tried to hurt her.

She changes her name to Doris Quinn and starts building a crew who can help her with her mission.

With her crew, she devises a plan to get back at each and every one of those who had a hand in her pain and suffering. While her brothers have a gang to do their bidding, Doris has her smartness and a relentless drive to depend upon.

She leaves destruction and dead bodies in her wake but finally succeeds in getting revenge on her brother and her lover, who helped her brother.

II.Detailed Analysis

In its core, Reprisal is a story about vanquishing patriarchy. Doris comes back to ensure that her brothers suffer through the same pain that she has suffered. And she stops at nothing to get that.

This means that the show involves a lot of violence. Much blood is shed – from a few drops spattered artfully over the killer’s face to being completely bathed in it.

However, the story takes too long to take off. It only starts getting interesting after the first few episodes and the ending becomes quite painfully predictable. The show uses flashbacks to give some exposition about the characters to the audience.

Along the way, there are a few twists in the story that can unsettle the audience slightly but they are not strong enough to carry the whole show.

What is undeniable about Reprisal is that it has style. It builds a world that relies on the appeal of the neo-noir, rockabilly genre. The blood and gore add to the style. Doris’ world is somehow removed from the world we live in. It is frozen somewhere in the middle of the 50s and the present time.

But the show fails to exploit its strengths and plus points. Instead, it tries to cram many other things which, frankly, are not interesting enough. This is what makes the show slightly deficient.

III.Characters

Doris Quinn, played by Abigail Spencer, is a complex character and her development has been shown perfectly. Abigail Spencer’s performance is spectacular. If there is one reason the show is watchable, apart from the unique background of the show, it is her performance as the lady bent on revenge.

Even though the show gets the protagonist right, it falls short while developing the other characters.

The other members of Doris’ crew, especially the women, have fascinating backstories. But the show never focusses much on that. Had the show dived a little deeper into the other characters, it would have been immeasurably better.

It is the same for people in Burt’s gang, The Banished Brothers. There are many characters that could have been developed more. If they were, the show would have had some standout characters.

From the surface, the show is pretty enjoyable. But beyond that, the story and the character development fall short and can’t keep up with the ambitious style of the show.

4.Grade

5.Final Thoughts

The show will be very entertaining to fans of mystery and thriller genres, especially those who like shows such as Sons of Anarchy and Banshee. The show does not resort to the mind-bending tactics that upend the audience.

Instead, it establishes a great protagonist and gives her a sympathetic story, so that the audience is hooked to the one storyline: Doris getting her revenge.

Other than that, the show does not spread much nor does it go too deep. Overall, Reprisal is a show that will amuse the audience but will not leave them with a hangover.