The Red King (2024– ) User Reviews

Quirky Weirdness

[stewartsmith-05568 · 8/10 · 27 April 2024]

Although this series is basically a police drama with a case to solve the whole weird cult thing and the slightly creepy locals make this a bit different to the normal formula.

I'm not sure the welsh tourist board will be to enthralled with the idea that it has places where the locals are members of a religious cult and seem to be a few brain cells short of an amoeba.

Some class A hammy acting add to the fun and creepiness with the odd piece of gore to satisfy the horror lovers.

It isn't the fast paced sort of drama you get with modern police series, more a Midsommer Murders meets wicker man vibe.

All in all a decent binge watch and hopefully a second series will materialise.

Proper Tasty Vintage Cheese

[Committed_to_nitrate · 8/10 · 4 May 2024]

Who needs originality! This has every cliché known to man - accept that and just enjoy this near fabulous entertainment.

The plot isn't too dissimilar to HOT FUZZ - a strait laced, by-the-book police officer is posted to an idyllic yet decidedly weird isolated community. It's populated by a collection of marvellously over the top stereotypes who seemingly all hate the new arrival. There's weird rituals, lots of thunder and lightning, the predictable sound of crows squawking in the fog and then we get the murder.

It's a complete rip-off of every spooky police story from WICKER MAN to SCOOBY DOO but it does it so well it's almost fabulous. The team behind this really know what they're doing and have essentially made "a best of" every quirky suspense tv show in the last twenty years.

Once you've finished moaning about the utter unoriginality of this you'll probably love it. Although completely formulaic, it's really professionally made to be entertaining. The acting is spot on and very naturalistic making this nonsense seem entirely believable. Super-gorgeous Anjli Mohindra plays the Simon Pegg type up tight police officer complete with the usual issues all police detectives seem to have in every other tv show. She tackles her crazily over complicated character with gusto and although she's a real pain in the bum, she's such a superb actress that you're immediately on her side.

An Enigmatic Blend of Suspense and Folklore

[jjjarsy · 8/10 · 28 April 2024]

"The Red King" emerges as a genre-defying series that intricately weaves elements of traditional police procedural with the eerie undertones of cult classics like "The Wicker Man." Set against the backdrop of a secluded Welsh island, the narrative follows Sergeant Grace, portrayed with compelling depth by Anjli Mohindra. Her character, a whistleblower ostracized from her previous post, finds herself grappling with the island's insular and mystifying ethos.

The series expertly employs a slow-burn narrative approach, reminiscent of "Midsomer Murders," yet infused with a palpable tension akin to "Hot Fuzz." This pacing allows the mysterious and slightly grotesque local customs to unfold with a rhythm that entices the viewer into its increasingly opaque world. The cinematography reinforces this mood, capturing the stark beauty of the Welsh landscape while accentuating the isolation that envelops Grace.

Supporting performances, particularly by James Bamford as Constable Owen, offer a nuanced counterbalance to Mohindra's intensity, enriching the dynamic between the outsider law enforcement and the wary local populace. The plot thickens around the disappearance of a local boy, unraveling over episodes peppered with subtle hints of gore and ritual, culminating in a finale that challenges the viewer's moral compass.

"The Red King" also deftly incorporates thematic elements of folklore and myth, portraying the local population's adherence to a cryptic cult. This motif is visualized through the use of symbolic and unsettling mask imagery, which serves as a constant reminder of the community's arcane secrets. The narrative complexity is further enhanced by the script's sharp dialogue and the characters' ambiguous moral alignments, creating a tapestry rich with thematic depth.

In sum, "The Red King" stands out as a meticulously crafted series that blends crime-solving with psychological horror, offering a fresh take on the detective genre. Its ability to maintain suspense while slowly peeling back layers of character and plot invites comparisons to the slow, menacing unravel of a classic Hitchcock thriller. For aficionados of finely tuned suspense and folklore-infused narratives, "The Red King" promises a uniquely haunting viewing experience.

Crime drama on a weird island

[scrubber · 7/10 · 27 April 2024]

Grace, Anjli Mohindra, is a police sergeant transfered, as a punishment, to replace Guffud,Mark Lewis Jones, the recently retired sergeant on a remote island off the Welsh coast. She is in charge of the entire island force. That is her and a constable, Owen, played by James Bamford.

This series has obvious similarities to the classic film 'the Wicker Man' with a solitary outsider police officer and a local population unwelcoming to incomers, although in this case Grace does slowly get Owen on side in the investigation of a local boy who went missing a year previously. She conducts a search of the island and inevitably finds a body and challenges Guffud on his inept handling of the investigation when he was in charge.

Trying to get the truth from a population that all seem to be members of a weird cult and spend much of their time wearing strange masks. Full marks to Grace for taking up the challenge.

I enjoyed this series and found Anjili Mohindra a very engaging character and definitely wanted her to suceed.

Watchable

[iris-54551 · 7/10 · 28 April 2024]

I really enjoyed this production for many reasons. The settings filmed on the Northumberland coast were breathtaking. I could listen to Adjoa Andoh all day her diction is impeccable and she was well cast as the Island matriarch. Anjli Mohindra was spot on as the lead policewoman with just enough background material to support her role. Far too often incidental and unnecessary details get in the way of the narrative. The assistant police constable was deliberately young looking it seems to portray the set up as unprofessional and lacking in basic police work. Grace's arrival as a follow the rules to the bitter end cop was in sharp contrast. I did however have problems with the plot. Very early she witnessed the suicide of a fellow cop whose last words concerned her. He later turned up in a photo but I could not follow the connection. Also the big reveal was that everything that had happened was all about her and this defeated me. Still all in all far better than any other cop shows of late.

Reimagined Wicker Man

[semaj-95339 · 9/10 · 26 April 2024]

Thoroughly enjoyed this show, you will get the wicker man vibes mixed with Hot Fuzz. Basically police sergeant forced out of her division due to whistle blowing on two other officers gets a new posting on a fictional Welsh island but the island has a secret. Coming to terms with a clearly weird populus she has to figure out the disappearance of a local child but uncovers much more. It will keep you guessing till the final episode and split your moral stance on what would you do in that situation. This had my wife and I gripped and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. The only thing that confused me is her last posting is in Newcastle and she's posted to St Jory a fictional island off the cost of Wales (shot in Cranstan, Alnwick Northumberland) which is reinforced with Jill Halfpenny turning up help with forensic investigation. Yet it seems Newcastle police have influence over this Welsh island and not say local Swansea police.

A solid 8 of absolutely awful!

[donttouchmeprimate · 8/10 · 29 April 2024]

By the 3rd episode I was watching this show as a comedy. It's so bad at everything that it becomes very fun to watch.

From the writing, acting "special effects", it's just so very lazy and low budget that I couldn't help but laugh!

If you take the main character played by Anjli Mohindra, she's some 'strong principled cop from the city' who seems to struggle with every day interactions and conversations, watching her stumble her way through a conversation can be painful at times, I feel as though the director only allowed 1 take per scene and accepted whatever came out.

The dialogue, well allow me to release this little gem (warning spoiler ahead) at one point Grace (Anjli Mohindra) has done some detectiving at starts to get suspicious about the residents of the island and says - in a very serious tone I might add, "The smartest thing the devil ever did was.. Convincing people that it was just a tourist thing".

It was at this point I realised that this was going to be quite an experience, and I wasn't disappointed, it's just a mess from start to finish yet I loved it.

I highly recommend that you watch his as its a genuinely intriguing mystery (even if you guess the twist) but when combined with awfulness with a show trying to take itself seriously then you'll have a great time.

Staggeringly banal, hilariously lowbrow

[grinningelvis · 2/10 · 28 April 2024]

"The Red King" is generic in just about every way that matters. It's loaded with tropes - some very old and some very new - and all of them are bad. From the self-righteous cop fallen from grace and excised to a podunk assignment to the lavish conspiracy so obvious that the reveal is actually stunningly simplistic, Red King has next-to-no original thoughts and few compelling performances.

Red King seems to think that its audience hasn't seen Wicker Man or Midsommar, nor has read any British poetry or folklore. It also assumes that if you have, you're going to find a pub called "John Barleycorn" a snapping allusion. It's all quite embarrassing.

Marc Warren is serviceable the grieving drunk father and Mark Lewis gets to play his typical round-faced racist, but the problem lies in Anjli Mohindra's sergeant. We never quite get a beat on who she's supposed to be or why. It's not the actress's fault, but rather the scattered, threadbare characterization. And the script fails pretty much everyone.

In the end, it doesn't really matter who was murdered and why. It's all setup for an elaborately stupid gotcha that doesn't tickle the heart or the brain. It just lies there, stupid, on the rug, desperately wanting to be petted.

Failure of directing

[soundwright · 4/10 · 7 May 2024]

The hallmark of good british crime dramas has always been roles being under played with dignity and respect for the viewers. In this one the lead actress gets a pass, just, but the important roles played by Adjoa Andoh and Mark Lewis Jones were unforgivably hamed up with a mix of amateur overacting and hyper theatrical speech that any director worth paying should have put a stop to immediately. That is what they are paid for. The younger cast members deported themselves well and I hope the self-indulgent performances of their elders does not rub off on them. Happy Valley and Marcella are modern examples of directors keeping tight reins on theatrical indulgence by actors, but casting should also answer for giving roles to those already guilty of overplaying roles in the past. Adjoa Andoh and Mark Lewis Jones have form.

Wicker Man "lite"

[matt-27768 · 5/10 · 13 May 2024]

Very cheesy, pretty much stealing its whole premise from the Wicker Man - but totally missing the underplayed sinister tone of that classic so it almost becomes a comedy. It's basically a Folk Horror you can watch with your kids, and therefore it might be a good introduction to that kind of thing... possibly?!

I'm not sure if it's the script or the direction that's most at fault here. It reminded me of an enjoyable Doctor Who story; it passes the time but never really grabs you as it should, and could.

The villain reveal is just silly, and I'm really surprised that nobody was on hand to reign in some of the OTT acting - especially the aforementioned. At times it was like a bad school play, and some of the characters were just incredibly annoying and pointless caricatures (Winter + the twins)

I think if you're going to try and play homage to the Wicker Man, you really should not ignore what made that story so especially dark and therefore horrifying; Literally nobody is your friend, you are doomed from the outset and there was never anything you could have done about it - your entire effort was a irrelevancy and you were doomed to die horrifically from the outset.

In this version she decides to go back and live happily ever after on the island.. like I said, it's OK for kids.