"On paper, Netflix's new series The Abandons has it all. It's a Western action drama, starring recognizable faces, created by a successful showrunner, Kurt Sutter, who made the FX hit Sons of Anarchy. The premise is promising: In 1850s Oregon, we follow a group of orphans, now in their 20s, who were adopted by Irish immigrant Fiona "Mam" Nolan ( Game of Thrones' Lena Headey)."
"Headey's face will probably always summon forth the memory of Cersei Lannister-another powerful mother, but one whose true skill was in manipulating others to be violent on her behalf. In this turnabout story, though, it's Headey's character, who has grown up hungry in Ireland, who's ready to draw blood with her own two fists, assist in horrific backwoods no-anesthetic surgeries without blinking an eye, and bring death on those who threaten her children."
The Abandons is a Western action drama set in 1850s Oregon that follows a group of orphans in their twenties adopted by Irish immigrant Fiona "Mam" Nolan. The adopted siblings are racially and culturally diverse: Elias and Dahlia are white, Albert is Black, and Lilla is Lakota Sioux. The opposing Van Ness family is wealthy from a silver mine and led by Constance, a calculating matriarch supported by retainers. Mam and Constance are both brutal in distinct ways, with Mam personally violent and hands-on while Constance exerts power through wealth and hired muscle. Tensions revolve around family loyalty, survival, and status.
Read at Slate Magazine
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