These days anyone can have an opinion on the use of military intelligence and the way governments use that information in conflict. Social media is awash with conspiracy theories, so it’s refreshing to see a show that takes everyone back to the American War of Indpendence, when the US was also a political chess board, but when things were supposedly simpler. The emergence of spycraft as a key element of battle in the late eighteenth century forms the backbone of TURN, a dense, frustrating yet ultimately thrilling narrative based on the book Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring by Alexander Rose.
As you’d expect the thrust of the series has multiple strands. At the heart you have Jamie Bell’s Abe Woodhull, a young farmer with an illustrious past. Living in the crisp coastal community of Setauket, his father is local magistrate Richard Woodhull (Kevin R. McNally) and it transpires the quick-witted Bell has a background in law. Though he’s settled with a young wife (Meegan Warner) and baby, he maintains a complex relationship with ex-flame Anna Strong (Heather Lind). That love apparently ended when their clashing convictions drove them apart. However when Bell is approached by fellow Setaukian and solider for George Washington Benjamin Tallmadge (Seth Numrich) to operate as a spy against the British Army who control their home turf, old feelings are reawakened as Abe discovers a new and dangerous lease of life. With me so far? I hope so.
After a pilot episode that has to do a bit too much in one go, Bell becomes a fully-fledged proto-spook, entering into his task with unusual gusto. The plot is as dense as any John le Carré novel, and while this is necessary to do justice to the history, it also works against TURN initially. Producers AMC have made something that requires plenty of foreknowledge about the war from the viewer. You could view this as treating its audience with respect – however, I feel it’s more to do with the Amercian company targeting its core audience, much of which would be au fait with the scenario from school. Episode recaps at least would have helped to follow the basics of story and context. As it stands, you’re on your own when it comes to the bigger picture. For example, one of the most famous events of the conflict, the crossing of the Delaware, is bafflingly handled, as Tallmadge blacks out and hears about it vaguely in retrospect. Its strategic significance sadly got lost here. I watched the season with a relative who taught American history at a high level and even she was confused! Some meaty documentary material could have provided the perfect complement to the action, but instead we have a couple of somewhat scant featurettes. At least The History of Turn gives an insight into Rose’s truly exhaustive labours in compiling the source material.
I’m pleased to say the show hits its stride around the halfway mark as everything dovetails around Setauket and showrunner Craig Silverstein draws the elements in for a tense showdown between red coats and blue. The spies and their associates all grew up together, which naturally forms a strong centre to the human drama. Perhaps the greatest strength of TURN is its use of little details, culled from Rose’s tome. Hard-boiled eggs carry secret messages and squirrel brains are stuffed into gunshot wounds. These aspects really sustain the interest when the mind becomes too boggled.
Out of the performances, Bell and Lind make quite an aggravating couple, fierce in their beliefs but also stubborn and self-righteous. McNally is a solid presence as he navigates the role of father, facilitator of the British and placater of the local community – his dilemma in Eternity How Long as he is charged with selecting local gravestones for use as shielding against enemy fire is typical of the unusual and rewarding narratives the show offers up. I liked Samuel Roukin as Simcoe, though I’m not sure like is the right word for this truly hissable redcoat villain. With his hawk-like features and ethereal voice he makes an impression early on and his rivalry with Bell is one of the standout features of the run. It’s always a pleasure to see Boardwalk Empire‘s Stephen Root, this time as Washington’s master tactician and I’m happy to see his role has been bumped up considerably for the second season.
On the flipside, Burn Gorman hams it up slightly as Major Hewlett, the uptight and reviled military commander who blows in the wind like a white flag. And Angus Macfadyen has fun with Robert Rogers, the rambunctious but steely boss of the Queen’s Trackers (a group of mercenaries who lurk in the woods hunting down patriots), even though he’s like something out of Rab C Nesbitt. The fringe characters who are caught between the two sides, of which Rogers is one, illustrate how fragmented the war was, with supposedly loyal fighters turning on their uniformed “superiors” to protect their own self interest.
With its odd, growly theme music and Lemony Snicket-esque title sequence, TURN is a difficult show to love. But if you stick with it, and allow yourself to get caught up in a fascinating and turbulent part of the chronicle of the Land of the Free, you’ll find your patience rewarded. At the satisfying climax of ten frequently head-scratching episodes, I felt ready to go back to the field for more.
This review appeared on The Hollywood News.
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