'Banshee' Season 1 Review
Getting into new shows can always be tricky; investing time into characters and storylines that may or may not pan out. Recently, I came across 'Banshee' by way of recommendation online, and my fiance and I decided to try out season one to see if we liked it or not.
After the first episode I could tell that this was going to be a show that we would enjoy. Just today we finished season one and LOVE this show!
The series is centered around Lucas Hood (though that's not his true name), an ex-con recently released for a 15-year prison sentence. Upon his release, he is seeking former girlfriend Ana, and eventually finds her in the ficticious town of Banshee, PA, a small town in Pennsylvania Amish country. "Lucas" and "Ana" were lovers and partners in crime, literally. Their last heist saw them stealing diamonds from a gangster named "Rabbit" that saw "Lucas" arrested while he let "Ana" escape.
"Ana" went into hiding in Banshee and started a new life with her newborn daughter, Deva, and eventually marries Gordon, Banshee's district attorney and they go on to have a son, Max. Lucas winds up at a bar on the outside of town, where he develops a relationship with Sugar, the bar's owner (also an ex-con). While in the bar, the new sheriff in town is killed during a fight with locals and Lucas assumes his identity and job position, as the sherriff had just arrived in town and hadn't reported to the police station yet.
Season one focuses on Lucas' quest to get back together with Ana, fighting the organized crime in the town, led by Kai Proctor, a shunned Amish man turned criminal. During the season, Rabbit is revealed as Ana's father and seeks her and Lucas out for stealing their diamonds and betraying them. The season ends on a cliffhanger as to whether the situation has truly been resolved.
'Banshee' is a crime drama with black comedy, action, and suspense intermingled. The violence is brutal, as bloodshed is commonplace. Being a Cinemax production, nudity is also prevalent as well as harsh language. The character dynamics make viewers have to suspend their disbelief, as you may wonder how such events could actually happen, but the story flows very well and has kept us coming back for more.
I highly recommend people checking out this show. We will be starting season 2 (probably today) and will continue to binge the show.
My rating: 9 out of 10
