The new series, “A Thousand Blows,” premiered on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday, Feb. 21.
The show is a period drama from the U.K., with season 1 consisting of six episodes that came out all at once. “A Thousand Blows” was created and written by executive producer Steven Knight, who also created the hit series, “Peaky Blinders.”
I would like to preface the review by stating that I have only seen the first episode in the series. However, I am enticed to watch more.
“A Thousand Blows” tells the story of underrepresented figures in London’s history. Taking place in the East End of London in the 1880s, the show follows the journey of best friends and Jamaican immigrants, Hezekiah Moscow (played by Malachi Kirby) and Alec Munroe (Francis Lovehall), as well as the criminal pursuits of Englishwoman, Marry Carr (Erin Doherty).
Knight’s series was influenced by criminal records and the true stories of illegal boxers at this point in history, though fabricated for dramatic effect.
Episode 1 begins by immediately introducing us to Carr, as well as Moscow and Munroe, with one of their first experiences in the new country being witnessing Carr’s thievery. The country’s racism and sexism are also displayed early on into the episode, with hotels denying the friends a room because of their skin color, as well as men challenging Carr’s authority.
Mr. Lao, a British Chinese man, is the first to offer Moscow a room, also being the landlord of Carr and her gang of women. One of the standout quotes of the episode occurs at this moment, encapsulating some of the major themes of the show.
“I think in London everybody is different to each other, you know? So when you meet someone even half the same as you, you come like they’re your brother,” Moscow said.
Moscow had shown Lao that he could also speak Chinese, learning it from his grandmother, forming an initial alliance with the man.
The show contains its fair share of violence, even before the illegal underground boxing matches begin. Carr has an altercation with an ex-lover, “Sharkey”, where she threatens and almost attempts to shoot him upon his failure to execute her goals. “Sharkey” makes comments about how the man should be the one in power, to which Carr shoves a gun in his mouth. As a character, she avidly defies female stereotypes of the time.
Being the “Queen” of the female gang of thieves, “The Forty Elephants,” Carr has many connections and often visits the boxing scene. It is here where she and Moscow initially meet as Munroe prepares to fight. It is clear to the audience that there is a spark between Moscow and Carr, hinting at a possible romance plot down the line, once again defying standards and societal norms of the time.
Moscow is an extremely likeable protagonsit. He is motivated and carries himself with pride. His initial intention for arriving in London was to become a lion tamer at the zoo, however, after meeting with the zookeeper, Moscow quickly realizes that he has been tricked. The zookeeper had intended to put Moscow in a cage, displayed as “Wild Man of Africa.”
Being the determined person that he is, Moscow then attends the boxing arena, with hopes to avenge Munroe’s loss to the boxer Treacle Goodson, by competing against the feared Sugar Goodson. Moscow is a trained fighter and steps into the ring announcing himself as “Hezikiah ‘The Lion’ Moscow.”
The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with the adrenaline of waiting for the fight to begin. My hopes for the rest of the season are exceedingly high after watching the successfully intriguing pilot.
Rating: 4/5