The “Godless” West
Michelle Dockery in a Female-driven Western
It’s gonna be a bloody fall.
On November 22, Netflix will surely still be mopping up the gory mess left in the wake of their provocative new vigilante series, Marvel’s The Punisher, when another binge-worthy bout of violence will drop right in the laps of viewers: Godless, written and directed by Scott Frank (Logan) and executive produced by Steven Soderbergh.
Set in an uncompromisingly realistic version of the Old West, Godless tells an epic story of compassion and revenge set within an atypical backdrop of gender politics. In the town of Le Belle, all of the men are dead, killed in a tragic mining accident. Effectively, it is completely run and populated by women, and it’s kind of a nice place to live, all things considered.
Everything changes when Roy Goode (Jack O’Connell) stumbles into town and is shot by, and subsequently tended to, by Alice (Michelle Dockery). Roy betrayed his gang and his partner, Griffin (Jeff Daniels), and is now under the protection of Le Belle. He also stole his gang’s latest score, and they’re eager to take it back, by any means necessary. Violence, romance, and grandiose monologues about toxic masculinity, religious passivity, and the subjugation of the weak inevitably ensue. Godless is less of a traditional show and more of a miniseries event, comprising of six episodes, each of which are over an hour long. Netflix doesn’t play the regular rules of television, but forges its own path, and we’re thrilled to follow, wherever it may lead.
With its proven pedigree in front of and behind the camera, Godless aims to be the first great Western series since Hell on Wheels ended its five-season run back in 2016. Michelle Dockery is no stranger to period pieces, but the lawless dog-eat-dog world of the Old West is a far cry from the comfort and safety of Downton Abbey.
Godless debuts November 22 on Netflix.
