Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton) is a quiet, polite man who takes pills, so he doesn’t hear voices in his head. It doesn’t work, and Guy finds himself brought into the orbit of the Talamasca, a secret order almost as old as human civilisation, dedicated to observing the more, and less, than human…

The latest show to join the Anne Rice Immortal universe has turned out to be a single season wonder, but there’s still a lot to enjoy here. Much of that is wrapped up in the cast, and Denton’s Guy Anatole is an easy protagonist to like both through his slightly awkward approach to life and his sincere reactions to the world he’s thrown into. There’s a hint of the ‘Chosen One’ to his abilities certainly, but the very real, very human cost of them offsets that and leads the show to some surprising moments. Possibly my favourite beat this episode is Guy travelling to LA to talk to his mother, having discovered she was in the ‘family’ business too. There’s a moment where the pair see each other, for the first time in a while, that aches with familiar familial caution and estrangement and it’s great to see beats that subtlely hit the same universe as Mayfair Witches and its offhand approach to sex, violence, immortality and accents.

I joke but Mayfair Witches is a fun show that knows what it is and oddly both it and Interview with the Vampire are brought into focus by the very idea of the Talamasca. This is a show about the watchers, one with inherent distance and human fragility and this episode is at its best when it collides that fragility with the subjects being watched. William Fichtner’s Jasper is a brooding, not quite vocal presence this episode but Jason Schwartzman’s Burton is a different story. A charming raconteur, four centuries old and acutely aware that he’s a prisoner of the Talamasca and an outcast from his people, Burton is what Guy may yet become; trading community for perspective, safety for freedom. He purrs some fantastic dialogue and ‘I’m the prisoner guilty of his sins. The inmate who loves his jailer. The rebellious teenager who looks up to his parents because I need purpose in life. Which is a terrible burden if your life is forever.’ is flat out brilliant.

Elisabeth McGovern’s Helen, head of the New York Motherhouse,is the final piece of the puzzle and she’s fascinating. McGovern has always been a performer of quiet focus and intellect and she’s great here as something halfway between George Smiley and John Constantine. Helen always knows what’s going on, doesn’t feel the need to explain anything and is nowhere near as in control as she thinks. She and Guy get on, and don’t trust each other, instantly.

Verdict: This is a great start, humming with urgency and big ideas. Let’s see where it goes. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart

 

Talamasca: The Secret Order is on Netflix and Blu-ray now