Malachi Kirby, Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham star in Steven Knight’s latest TV series. Here’s our A Thousand Blows episode 1 review.
Imagine arriving in Victorian London and one of the first things you see is a woman lying on the street, in labour, screaming her head off. Hezekiah and Alec (Malachi Kirby and Francis Lovehall), two Jamaican immigrants who’ve come to the city to follow their dreams, are understandably startled to witness it all.
Now, imagine you then see several other women picking the pockets of the bystanders, exposing the whole thing as an elaborate ruse by the Forty Elephants – London’s most feared group of female thieves. It’s not a great start to Hezekiah and Alec’s new lives in London, but Hezekiah is set on fulfilling his dream of becoming a lion tamer in this new, exciting city. Things obviously don’t go to plan. If they did, we wouldn’t have anything to watch.
This is the starting point of A Thousand Blows, Disney+’s new miniseries created by Steven Knight. If Knight’s work on Peaky Blinders is convincing you to press play on A Thousand Blows, you’re in for a good time. There’s more than a pinch of the same cheeky charm with a hefty dose of ‘disagreeing’ that made Peaky Blinders such a hit.
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Hezekiah and Alec’s paths eventually cross with Mary (Erin Doherty), the leader of the Forty Elephants. The pair also spot an illegal boxing ring at a local pub. Stephen Graham plays Sugar, a local boxing legend, who isn’t present for most of episode 1, but we can already tell he’s bad news. If you thought Graham turned up the intensity for Boiling Point, just wait until you see him here.
As in Peaky Blinders, violence in A Thousand Blows is inescapable. If you’re not willing to go on the attack before you’re forced to defend yourself, the world will eat you alive. Episode 1 mostly works to introduce us to the gallery of characters and their motivations, but it’s clear that the East End was a tough place regardless of your financial status, race or gender. That being said, it was certainly harder for some than others.
As you might expect, Victorian era London isn’t particularly kind to Black men, as Hezekiah and Alec quickly learn on their arrival. Not only do they have severe trouble finding accommodation, but Hezekiah’s interview at the zoo isn’t actually to be a staff member, but an exhibition in himself. The zookeeper wants to showcase Hezekiah as “Wild Man From Africa” in a cage. Kirby’s Hezekiah is a gentle, romantic soul, but his dreams are quickly turning to ash right in front of his eyes – unless he finds something else to hold his head above water.
A Thousand Blows episode 1 is a lot to take in. It’s impressively put together and the premise is compelling, but the series is slightly missing a hook, something to really latch onto. After the first hour, it’s not clear if this is Mary, Hezekiah or Sugar’s story or what the balance between all these characters will be. Something tells me it’s going to be a lot of fun to find out, though.
All episodes of A Thousand Blows are available on Disney+ from 21st February.
