REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (ALL EPISODES) | WHERE TO WATCH: NETFLIX
Thieves of the Wood is just one of a slew of 18+ historical dramas coming out post-Game of Thrones. Like a darker version of Robin Hood, the series follows military exile Jan de Lichte (Matteo Simoni) in 18th Century Belgium as he joins forces with a gang of outlaws. He convinces them to steal from the rich and powerful rather than each other. Unsurprisingly, this puts him at odds with the corrupt town leadership, who will do whatever it takes to bring his crusade to an end. They, in turn, have to deal with the new bailiff, Baru (Tom Van Dyck), a stickler for justice and the rules.
The show focuses on characters who seem increasingly out of options, out of place and out of time. When capturing their desperation, the show is not afraid to push buttons. As hard as it tries though, rarely does it feel engrossing. It takes you some time to wrap your head around the convoluted local politics, and an equally long time to come around to the hero of the story. Instead, the most interesting but long-winded arc is granted to Baru, who more than anyone is corrupted by the shadiness and poison of a society attacked for lacking moral structure. The conflict between Baru and the city council is, however, secondary compared to the outlaws and their struggle. Yet neither the story nor the performances are gripping enough to draw you in, a curse that especially plagues early episodes.
Admittedly, there are more things to admire about Thieves of the Wood other than just the well-composed period style. Later episodes see the show take some notable narrative risks, or at least enough to stand out compared to the rest of the season. There are some situations that the script likes to skip over too fast, but some others that it dwells on very well, none more so than one character’s apparent betrayal. Certain aspects of the story do stick well, so much so that Thieves of the Wood may have been better off carried by those elements alone. Instead, too many characters and too many stories compete for space in a densely packed ten episodes, and by the end, some characters just drop off the radar entirely with little explanation.
The performances, while strong throughout, are unmemorable. The main issue with Thieves of the Wood is that it is more confusing than actually enjoyable. It has been lovingly designed, with magnificently detailed sets and costumes, yet you never get to indulge. Forcing yourself through each episode with few surprises along the way, you will get tired of the season very quickly.
