The summer TV season is here, so it’s fitting that NBC would fill Hannibal‘s time slot with Crossbones, which certainly has promise but comes nowhere close to filling Hannibal‘s shoes.
Crossbones is the story of Thomas Lowe (Richard Coyle, who looks so much like Simon Pegg that it’s actually distracting). Lowe is a spy for the British Empire, tasked with insinuating himself into the good graces of the pirate Blackbeard so that he can kill him. Lowe sails aboard the HMS Petrel, posing as the ship’s suregon and – wait, what? He actually is a surgeon? In addition to being a spy? Okay.
That’s my main complaint with Lowe – as of now, he’s basically flawless. He’s a spy, a surgeon, and near the end of the episode he takes his shirt off, and we see that he’s more shredded than a julienne salad. I guarantee at one point during Crossbones‘ run, we will see Lowe play an instrument or cook an amazing meal. At one point Blackbeard accuses Lowe of being vain, but it doesn’t stick because we haven’t seen any evidence of it. Coyle does an admirable job, but the character isn’t there yet, probably because the show is much more interested in getting to Blackbeard.
The Petrel is taken, and Lowe and his assistant Fletch are brought to Blackbeard’s island, where at first they meet Kate, a pretty pirate whom Lowe has a 100% chance of hooking up with. They’re taken to Blackbeard, who introduces himself by stabbing a man in the throat. Blackbeard wants a navigational device that Lowe destroyed on the Petrel; the device’s creator soon dies, and Lowe is tasked with deciphering the code to rebuild it. He quickly – and correctly – deduces that once Blackbeard has the code, Lowe’s life is worthless, so he memorizes it and burns the cipher. He has photographic memory too? Jesus. (See above paragraph for more.)
Malkovich is great as Blackbeard. Honestly, he’s the best reason to watch the show. He’s seductive and menacing and a little playful, and Malkovich tones down his tendency to shout lines, which make his threats and ultimatums that much more unsettling. He and Coyle have good chemistry together, and they circle each other like boxers stepping into the ring, testing each other, looking for weaknesses to exploit. They both know what the other is doing, but that doesn’t stop them from having civil conversations, and they seem to enjoy each others’ company, and oh shit I’m describing Hannibal. (Tonight’s pilot was, incidentally, directed by Hannibal vet David Slade.)
“The Devil’s Dominion” is a rocky but promising start. Malkovich is fantastic, Coyle is good but capable of much more, and the show looks gorgeous. Unfortunately we don’t get to see a hell of a lot of the scenery, as Slade keeps the action framed tightly and set mostly indoors. Pirate fortresses are expensive, I guess.
Crossbones is going to be a fun show to watch. I have faith that it can get better, and if nothing else, Malkovich alone will keep me coming back each week.
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