AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe has now grown to a third series, with the debut of Talamasca: The Secret Order. This new series is not actually based on a particular novel of Rice’s. Instead, it is an entirely new story based on elements from her two most popular book series, The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches. Almost all of the characters are new creations, with a couple of notable exceptions who play smaller roles. One of those, Eric Bogosian from Interview with the Vampire, appears in the first episode. The main characters are a young psychic named Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton) and a mysterious Talamasca agent named Helen (Elizabeth McGovern). But just who/what are the Talamasca? Here’s our review of Talamasca: The Secret Order.
The Talamasca features in a small way in Interview with the Vampire, and more in Mayfair Witches. And if you haven’t seen the other shows, you might want a refresher, as Talamasca: The Secret Order heads right into the deep end of the action. In Rice’s mythology, the Talamasca is a centuries-old psychic order of scholars that has existed for a thousand years. Functioning out of motherhouses all over the globe, they are the only mortals who know that the supernatural is real. They have more artifacts than the Vatican, and a greater accumulation of knowledge, too. Rice introduced them in The Queen of the Damned, and Talamasca agents appeared throughout both her vampire and witches series. And her basic concept of the Talamasca remains for this show. However, the Talamasca show leans far more into the power dynamics of the order than Rice ever did in her books.
Our main POV into this preternatural world is Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton), a young man with psychic powers and a mysterious past. In New York, he encounters a woman named Helen (Elizabeth McGovern) who recruits him into Talamasca, eventually explaining to him how all the things that go bump in the night are actually real. Someone with Guy’s mind-reading talents is perfect for the order, especially the secret mission she drafts him for. Much of the show’s first episode dedicates itself to Guy finding out supernatural beings really exist, which allows for a fun one-off performance by Jason Schwartzman as a vampire. This intro into Talamasca: The Secret Order is delightful, even if Guy takes to all these things being real a bit too easily.
Helen explains to Guy how the Talamasca functions, with different motherhouses led by different factions, maintaining a tenuous peace between them. The main motherhouse in Amsterdam is the one that oversees them all. But now that peace shatters over a colossal secret the Talamasca has kept, and she needs Guy’s help to unravel the mystery. This produces a “CIA handler and new recruit” vibe throughout the early episodes of the Talamasca series, and it’s a fun dynamic for the most part. But somewhere along the way of this six-episode season, the plot twists and turns overtake the character’s development, and it begins to drown some of the fun.
While Rice’s novels were light on plot and heavy on character and atmosphere, this show is almost the opposite. Series creator John Lee Hancock makes Talamasca: The Secret Order all about the plot, and the search for a Macguffin that will give one Talamasca motherhouse leverage over the others, shifting the power balance in the immortal world. And the main mystery is actually interesting, albeit convoluted at times. The problem is the spy element of the show dances the line between intriguing and tiring. All of that could be overlooked if the characters were very compelling. But despite the actors’ best efforts, each main character remains aloof and feels, at times, difficult to connect with.
Of this cast, Elizabeth McGovern shines the brightest. After a decade as Lady Grantham on Downton Abbey, she gets to stretch her wings and play someone far more elusive, and hiding a lot more than just secrets behind her expressive eyes. By the end, though, you just wish her role in Talamasca: The Secret Order had more agency in the story and that she’d had more to do. But there’s too much of Helen looking pensive and giving instructions, and not enough displaying her humanity. She has some terrific scenes with Guy early on, and Denton is better in every scene he shares with her. And there’s nothing exactly wrong with Denton’s performance, really. It’s simply that the show has him just reacting to things all the time. And after six episodes, one tires a bit of his constantly looking bewildered.
Then, there’s William Fichtner as Jasper, who is the Talamasca’ villain, for all intents and purposes. We won’t give away his big reveal, but needless to say, he’s very, very old. He’s not supposed to come “from around here,” and yet Fichtner is a very contemporary, very American actor. He doesn’t give a bad performance, so much as just not fitting the role as probably written on paper. He does feel dangerous and like a real threat throughout, which we’ll say works in his favor. Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Legends of Tomorrow) is more or less wasted here—which is a shame, as she’s an actress with a lot of poise and presence.
The first season of this show contains one big overarching plot thread throughout. And we can’t help but wonder if a “monster of the week” format might have been better. Having Talamasca agents take on a different supernatural element each episode might suit this concept more, as the overarching plot gets bogged down, even if the final payoff is pretty interesting.
As for connections to the other Immortal Universe shows, they remain mild, although we do hear Lestat’s latest hit playing on the radio at a bar—so keep your ears open for that. Talamasca: The Secret Order is ultimately a series we’d rate as just fine, but it’s worth watching if you’re really invested in this world. If it gets another season, we hope this cast has more to do. The Talamasca’s motto is “We watch. And we are always there.” Give viewers more of a reason to keep watching, and we’ll be there too.
Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order debuts its premiere episode on October 26 on AMC.
The post TALAMASCA: THE SECRET ORDER Is Worth a Watch If You’re an IWTV Fan (Review) appeared first on Nerdist.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
All rights reserved to : USAGOLDMIES . www.usagoldmines.com
You can Enjoy surfing our website categories and read more content in many fields you may like .
Why USAGoldMines ?
USAGoldMines is a comprehensive website offering the latest in financial, crypto, and technical news. With specialized sections for each category, it provides readers with up-to-date market insights, investment trends, and technological advancements, making it a valuable resource for investors and enthusiasts in the fast-paced financial world.