Masterful historic re-creations, making use of their emphasis on flawed waste
management and primitive medical care, have become so commonplace that the
orderly Colonial farms and even nascent New York appear more quaint than
exciting.
The leads of HBO's miniseries "John Adams" were more glamorous, those
of History's miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys" were grittier, but the first
episode of "Turn" moves with the overly controlled precision of the British
army.
But the acting is universally fine, the twists of plot reveal the often arbitrary nature of heroism, and if the
show remains true to history, you will see more than one turning because the
whole story advances.
More important, the statelier pace reminds us how
unruly our notions of "action" have grown to be, how demanding of gunfire and
twitchy monologues. The birth of the nation was, in lots of ways, historically
miraculous, the task of a comparatively small group against all odds and minus
the aid of dragons.
Ultimately, "Turn" is bound, pallid and derivative.
WHEN I appreciated its sets even, attention and costumes to historical detail, I
longed to value the people or the events these were experiencing in the
unsettled colonies of NY, New Connecticut and Jersey. During the period of three
episodes, I never did care really.
The only real unequivocally positive thing I
could say about "Turn" is that it is much better than "Low Winter Sun," another
recent AMC drama, but that's an extraordinarily low bar to clear.