If you like Game of Thrones, you might like…Britannia

Game of Thrones is between seasons right now, but there’s plenty of entertainment out there that might tide fans over. Case in point: Britannia, a co-produciton between Amazon Prime Video and Sky Atlantic about the ancient history of the British Isles.

This review is difficult to write, mainly because Britannia is like a skillet of messy scrambled eggs about to catch fire. If they’re handled just right, they might make a fine meal.

I’ll be honest: if I wasn’t reviewing this show, I’m pretty sure I’d have bailed after the second episode. For most of the way, the story elements are loose and lack cohesion, the characters are generally unlikable, and the show seems too self-aware, emotionally distant and unable to get out of its own way. But then, in the last two episodes, the drama takes hold (for the most part), the characters come into focus and the narrative pulls us in. I’m glad I stuck it out. But is the effort worth the reward? Let’s discuss.

All nine episodes of Britannia’s first season are now available to stream/binge on both Sky and Amazon. The series has arrived with high expectations. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has long been looking for a show to rival Game of Thrones, and Britannia boasts an impressive above-the-line pedigree: it’s produced by Rick McCallum (Star Wars), written by award-winning playwright Jez Butterworth (Black Mass, Spectre) and stars David Morrissey (The Walking Dead) Kelly Reilly (Pride and Prejudice) and Ian McDiarmid (Star Wars).

Britannia also features Game of Thrones alumni Mackenzie Crook (Orell), and even includes a cameo from David Bradley (Walder Frey). Crook plays Varan, one of the show’s most interesting characters. A dark, frightening, powerful being who answers only to the will of the gods, Veran is supposedly 10,000 years old according to local lore. It’s something of a star turn for Crook, although he’s barely recognizable under layers of makeup.

So what exactly is Britannia about? The official synopsis:

"Set in 43 AD, the captivating, anarchic drama follows the Roman army as they return to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia, a mysterious land led by warrior women and powerful Druids who claim to channel the powerful forces of the underworld."

The Romans, led by the brutal and inscrutable General Aulus Plautius (Morrissey), enter the unforgiving British wilderness, where they have to deal with the ancient druid Varen and two warring Celtic tribes. On one side there’s the Cantii, led by King Pellenor (McDairmid) and his warrior daughter Kerra (Reilly). They’re in a long-simmering conflict with their old foe, the Regni, led by the older Queen Antedia (Zoe Wanamaker). The Regni are very partial to the color blue. Magic and myth further complicate the scenario, for in the world of Britannia, the powers of the druids, the underworld and the capricious gods are real.

Perhaps Britannia reflects the theatrical pedigree of its creator Jez Butterworth, because it loves going over the top. Quoth General Plautius: “Behold, gods of Britannia! I am Rome! And where I walk is Rome!” The opening credits are a psychedelic, ’60s-inspired spin of bright colors set over Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” When the orgiastic druids and their natural hallucinogens get involved (which is often), this show does a lot of tripping out. That is, however, only one way to access the underworld; the other is to throw yourself off a high cliff into the ocean.

Donovan’s music never feels like it fits with the show. I’m also not a fan of modern-day dialog and sensibilities inserted into period pieces, and Britannia has a lot of that. It’s jarring. I fast-forwarded through the opening title sequence in each episode so it didn’t hamstring my sense of being in Britain in 43 AD. The use of blurry and distorted lenses is rampant as well, probably to illustrate the weird border between the physical world and the magical, and the shift between reality and another state of being. And it’s all big and sumptuous and loud.

Watching Britannia is at times like accidentally veering off a mountain trail while skiing and hurtling down a steep, unmarked incline with trees and rocks whipping past. It’s out of control and exasperating and you’re looking for a way to get off…but there’s also an exhilarating abandon to the experience, as if you’re secretly proud of hanging in there.

The actors embrace this chaos and dig into their roles with unfettered gusto, from Crook’s slithering, black-eyed Veran to Wannamaker’s conniving Queen Antedia to Morrissey’s demonic Roman Aulus to Nikolaj Lie Kaas’ frenetic outcast druid Divis. The actors who play their parts in a more reserved fashion, like Reilly as Kerra and Stanley Weber as Lindon, can seem stuck in the mud by comparison.

Britannia also occasionally suffers from draggy pacing, primarily when the creators seem to become enamored with dialogue sequences that don’t drive the narrative. For example, there’s one long sequence where two Roman soldiers (minor characters) discover a medicine hut and spend what appears to be weeks there getting stoned. They discuss a range of topics that they don’t remember. It all goes nowhere and never pays off.

Although Britannia starts out with several massacres and a few characters worthy of our empathy, such as the orphaned girl Cait (Eleanor Worthington-Cox), somehow it manages to keep the viewer emotionally detached. Conspiracies, betrayals and mysteries abound, but they’re not very engaging. The show takes a sharp turn towards the magical side midway through the season, at which point it seems in danger of going so over the top of the top.

But it doesn’t. Britannia keeps a tenuous grip on it’s own loose world building, and slowly, it all starts to come together. Somewhere in Episodes 8 and 9, the unhinged narratives finally line up. The odd anachronistic tone backs off. Characters—especially Cait, Divis and Veran—pop into empathetic life as the drama of their storylines catch fire. Unexpected things happen that surprise you. The show gets good.

Britannia is too funky to ever match the success and popularity of Game of Thrones, but it’s also more than a quick Thrones knockoff. It has a unique look and voice. The problem is that it’s weirdness has to be your cup of tea to start with if you’re going to like it. And watching the first seven disjointed episodes is something of a challenge, even if the last two installments are vast improvements.

It seems Britannia found itself just as its first season ended. I don’t know if that’s enough to earn it a second season.

Grade B-

Have you seen the show? Let us know what you think!

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