Pioneers, Native Americans, and Mormons clashed in a brutal depiction of the Wild West in Netflix’s new miniseries, “American Primeval.” The series followed a mother and son making a perilous trek through the war-torn Utah Territory in 1857.
The series was written by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg. It starred Betty Gilpin as the mother, Isaac Kitsch as a mysterious rogue, and Saura Lightfoot-Leon as a Mormon woman who survived the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Though the show had a basis in history, it followed a fictional story.
Highs
“American Primeval” committed to a brutal depiction of the Wild West. This was not the familiar, romanticized version of the West with heroic cowboys. Instead, “American Primeval” showed the West covered in blood, war, and colonialism. It had a high production value and cinematography that felt cold and stark, giving the show an immersive and tense mood.
This bleak world was populated with characters who were well performed and written, lending to them being immediately memorable. In particular, the women had a high level of focus and emphasized their fight for agency and struggles in the West. There were no true heroes, but there were characters to root for and sympathize with and strong arcs. This made for riveting personal conflict and high stakes, adding to the overall tension.
Lows
At the center of “American Primeval” was the Utah War. The struggle depicted included the Mormons, the Shoshone Tribe, and the U.S. government and settlers. Though the show did well in making the conflict personal, it failed to dig into why the conflict was happening in regards to political and thematic reasons.
This led to a shallow take on the religious extremism the Mormons showed and a somewhat distasteful depiction of Indigenous people. Though colonialism was acknowledged, the lack of depth depicted an ahistorical struggle between equally powerful and violent sides. Especially distasteful was introducing the main Indigenous protagonist, Two Moons, with an Indigenous man attempting to rape her.
Verdict
“American Primeval” was a series with potential. It had likable characters and an interesting take on the Wild West. Though if it gets a second season, it will need to pay more attention to the war’s deeper motives and handle its brutality with more intention.
Notes for viewers: Episode one of “American Primeval” depicted attempted rape and episode four had a graphic depiction of self harm for ritual purposes. Viewers sensitive to these may want to watch with caution, skip these scenes, or avoid the show.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Frank Remski is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. He is majoring in media studies and journalism and minoring in public relations. He has worked for The Echo since summer of 2023 and has written both news stories and opinion pieces.
