The English; Mammals

“Hugo Blick’s script is as spare and gorgeous as the landscape. If he could have spent some of the time afforded the plot machinations on interrogating more intensively the myths of the Old West, the colonial impulse, the difference between retribution and justice and the other questions his western raises, the ambition that is everywhere in it would have been even more gloriously realised. But it remains a sweepingly wonderful thing.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“I can see that there are many things to admire about The English. The cinematography, for instance; the sparky, economical use of dialogue; the stillness of Emily Blunt’s acting. But I can’t seem to take to it. I sense the fiendish violence is only going to get worse. I know you can’t pretend that these things didn’t happen in late-19th-century America, and you don’t come to a western expecting a rom-com, but the older I get the more I find I don’t have the stomach for it.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“It is a bold, brutal Western with moments of beauty and ugliness to put it in the top ranks of this year’s television dramas. But it is also flawed, which makes it a frustrating experience to watch. You will need subtitles, or bat-like hearing, to decipher all of the dialogue. The subplots are difficult to follow, and large stretches go by in which you wonder who that person is and what they’re talking about. But I’d recommend that you persevere. It unfolds into an operatic tale of revenge and romance set against the backdrop of a lawless American West in the late 19th century.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“At its best, The English feels like it could’ve been made by the Coen brothers. And for a Thursday night drama on BBC Two, that’s a huge compliment. Somehow, the BBC has managed to carve a slice of the real America into its schedule and – audacity of audacities – call it The English.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“It clearly has ambitions, philosophically and formally, but nothing works well enough for it to succeed on its own terms. If you ignore the clever-clever bits, the basic story holds the interest well enough over its half-hour stints. But while James Corden is a better actor than is often remembered, here he only engenders the feeling that the project overall represents a wasted opportunity.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Plotwise, it absolutely has the makings of a smart, sharp comedy-drama that teases out the spikiest bits of relationships on the edge of disintegration. But tonally, it never strikes the right balance. The humour is dry but the mammal-based metaphors are heavy-handed; dialogue that might work on stage feels overegged (sorry) on screen. Corden is likely to get the blame if Mammals doesn’t make an impression but he’s actually fine, even quite well-cast, in this role. It’s the show as a whole that probably ought to be sent back to the kitchen.”
Rachel Sigee, The i

“I watched all six episodes – each about 25 minutes long – in a half-distracted state, hoping that in the next scene someone – anyone! – would save Jamie from himself. I was much less distracted than I initially feared, however, by Corden himself, who enriches Jamie with humour even as the character grows darker and his actions vengefully mean.”
Amanda Whiting, The Independent