"Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands" is a new British series that aired on Esquire Network, inspired by the Anglo-Saxon poem "Beowulf." Fans of the famous epic will not recognize the newly designed story that creator James Dormer has woven, as many of the known characters and events of the poem have been either altered, or removed completely. But does that mean the new show is not worth watching?
As the high left by "Game of Thrones"’ intense Season 3 finale leaves fans fidgeting, many were excited by the prospect of a new series focusing on the Old English epic, but illustrated their disappointment on Twitter with ferocity. Not merely a fellow "Game of Thrones" fan, I’m also a fanatic of epic poems (choosing to spend thousands of dollars in a minor in classics to study them in depth). Therefore, the news of a new television show based on the Anglo-Saxon epic had me heading straight to the Esquire Network during the premiere.
I shared the same disappointment among others on the Internet after viewing the pilot, though not at the same level as others:
The show was a clear reflection of "Game of Thrones," right down to the opening sequence (where I experienced strong déjà vu). The dark-haired main lead, Beowulf, himself, brought back feelings of affection usually directed to John Snow, while Slean, the arrogant and envious prince, certainly had an attitude held in the standards of Joffrey (not nearly as extreme, but nevertheless)...
Despite the similarities in the direction each show had taken, Beowulf tones down the entire atmosphere of the show to become the somewhat gentler twin. While "Game of Thrones" lacks modesty and thrives on sticking to the historical accuracy of the ancient times, Beowulf sneaks the modern world into the very feel of the show within the dialogue, and its handle on the characters. This should have turned me away, but instead, it was this very fact that piqued my interest.
I decided to give the next episode a shot, and certainly enjoyed it more than the previous. Overall, my reaction rates Beowulf three and a half stars out of five. In my view, the fans had expected too much for this show to be as grand and as intense as "Game of Thrones," and were anguished when it failed to. Kieran Bew, who plays the protagonist, Beowulf, has stated in an interview with Mirror that the show is “not elitist or overly earnest,” and that they want “families to enjoy it.”
"Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands" doesn’t appear to depend on shock value, but rather, it leaves trails of potential mythology, backstory, and setting that urge us to stick around, and decipher where the trail is leading us. To restate, "Beowulf" is in need of more character and world development, but it has a unique tone that drifts it away from "Game of Thrones," and will help it stand as its own unique show.
