"Godless" Review S1 (Netflix): The Western in the Spirit

In New Mexico, the city of La Belle is deprived of its male population following a terrible mining accident. Women then took control of the city and tried to maintain the elderly and children as best they could. Frank Griffin and his band of outlaws go in search of their protégé, Roy Goode, who betrayed them. The latter took refuge in La Belle, thus endangering all its inhabitants. 

In November 2017, Netflix shares on the web a reinvented western that is not cold in the eyes. Initially imagined as a movie, Godless launched into a "mini-series" format. With a 5-star cast: Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Jack O'Connell (Skins), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Labyrinth, Game of Thrones) and Jeff Daniels (Dumb and Dumber, Alone on Mars) the series is nothing but a nugget lost in the rubble of Netflix. 

The western brought up to date 

Godless is positioned as a new western that reworks the codes of a classic. The story revolves around La Belle, a city run by women. Most of them understood that they could survive on their own. The characters in their lines keep reminding us of this. Even if the robbers and sheriffs are men, the story doesn't just revolve around them. The relationships between the women of La Belle and their way of life remain important.

In the trailer the series puts the woman in the middle of the story. A nuance would still be to bring: they are not the main story. We imagine on paper a more feminist story than what Godless is in reality. The women adopt a passive voice by staying at La Belle, while many actions take place outside the city. If cowboy stories are only made for men, the series manages to stand out thanks to the presence of the opposite sex. Passive or not, the heroines of Godless are not damsels in distress.

Transported to the West 

The episodes of the series often exceed 60 minutes. But with a dynamic staging time flies. The director, Scott Frank, alternates between the long contemplative shots of the Wild Wild West and the very energetic action scenes. More than a "mini-series", the story could be described as a "7-hour feature film". The photography and music are done wonderfully. Each scene plunges the viewer into the dusty Wild West of the 19th century.

The characters are authentic. Each of them brings a personal touch. Flashbacks allow us to better understand their intentions and actions without taking us away from the story. Small flaws remain, however. Spoiler Alert: We never have an explanation for the phrase "This ain't my death. I've seen my death; this ain't it." by Frank Griffin. His past is not exploited although he refers to it more than once. Characters come out of nowhere (like the German) towards the end of the season. And death ridiculously affects one of the main characters. Despite these details, the series remains at a high standard for Netflix. 

The series offers a new vision of the western little exploited on the small screen. The quality of the image and the staging makes Godless one of the best productions of Netflix. The plot, classic, brings a new taste to the western with the female presence. The 5-star cast is brilliant and does not disappoint the viewer at any time. Without revolutionizing the genre, Godless invites the public to rediscover the Wild West. 

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMUiRYoc76A