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Trawl through official reviews of Salem and it is more than likely you will find mostly negative accounts of WGC America's latest scripted series, most of them bashing the horror drama for its lack of historical accuracy and inadequate acting. Personally, I don't think Salem deserves such a rude lashing based on these biased arguments.
Salem isn't meant to be a documentary to begin with. Viewers have to acknowledge that the show's premise is simply an alternate take by the producers on the Witch Trials and what could have transpired back in 17th-century Massachusetts. You can say Salem is inspired by history, since certain historical names and events have been retained, but re- adapted with a modern twist brimming with mayhem, malice, and murder. Last I checked, I don't recall seeing a "based on a true story" mention during the show's opening or closing credits.
Imagine this: A TV series which revolves solely around the Puritans persecuting the innocents, with presumed witches burnt at the stake, day in day out, without "real" witchcraft, without deceit, without debauchery, and let's see how long those elements will hold up. It won't be long before you have critics writing it off as the greatest bore of the season, wouldn't it?
Acting-wise, I can't say I am impressed by all the characters but Janet Montgomery (Mary Sibley) and Seth Gabel (Cotton Mather) do stand out among the main cast. They are the show's anchors, and their broad appeal and convincing acting make the series particularly engaging as well apart from its fantastic set and well paced plot. Special mentions also go out to Xander Berkeley (Magistrate Hale) and Stephen Lang (Increase Mather)for their believable bad-ass characterization. On the flip side, Shane West's constant frown and pained expression is getting old and tiresome although he does shine in some scenes from time to time.
In short, Salem is a riveting series soaked with a good dose of sorcery, debauchery, and of course, witchcraft. The storyline is compelling, and the theme is dark, but as mentioned earlier, please do not regard Salem as a history lesson. There is no full nudity involved if you are concerned about the kids, but be warned that the producers have pushed the limits by revealing as much skin as possible without exposing the intimate areas.
I am looking forward to catching episode eleven.
score 8/10
carnage71 29 June 2014
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3042011/ |
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22-11-2019 09:26:44
