Territory Series Review: Netflix’s ‘Territory’ Is Enjoyable, But Yellowstone Remains Untouchable
Cast: Anna Torv, Michael Dorman, Robert Taylor, Sam Corlett
Created By: Ben Davies, Timothy Lee
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars)
Territory is the perfect demonstration of how good Taylor Sheridan is. He didn’t create it, but the former Texan cowboy, who has become one of the great protagonists of the small and big screen overseas, thanks to series such as “1883“, “1923” and especially “Yellowstone“, has set a new standard for the contemporary western, which drives a large audience crazy. No sooner said than done, Netflix has created a clone of it all, this time set in Australia, a land objectively unexplored until now by the mainstream audience. The final result is pleasant and worth watching, as long as you’re not a fan of Sheridan, otherwise, it will taste like reheated soup. Family saga created by Ben Davies and Timothy Lee offers a raw look into the lives of the Lawson family, owners of Marianne Station, the largest cattle operation in the world. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Anna Torv, Michael Dorman, and Robert Taylor, the series explores themes of toxic masculinity, generational conflict, and the exploitation of Indigenous lands while taking the viewer into a context of family tensions and rivalries.
While the show can tackle relevant topics and vividly depict the Australian landscape, the narrative is sometimes hampered by thin dialogue and predictable developments, which can limit the emotional depth and overall impact of the viewing. Not only are we in a completely different context, geographically and culturally – Northern Australia – we are also on a completely different level. There is no luxury here. No luxury in the Lawsons’ lives. Territory on Netflix from October 24 shows us the ugly, dirty, and bad side of the work of the herdsman in Australia. While the snake- and crocodile-infested outback and packs of dingoes are hardly the greatest danger… Anna Torv returns to TV as the protagonist with a sort of Australian version of Yellowstone. Not even close. The Australian Lawsons of the large Marianne Station ranch are very different from the Duttons of Montana. To gather the herds, you don’t go on horseback, you use cars, motorcycles, and helicopters because the road to travel is really long.
Territory Series Review: The Story Plot
Created by Ben Davies and Timothy Lee (who? exactly) Territory starts from a premise that many are unaware of: the largest ranches on earth today are in Australia. Yes sir, not Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Argentina, or Brazil, but it is in the land of kangaroos that we have the largest cattle ranches on pasture today. Arid, beautiful, difficult, hostile land and full of wealth for those who know how to ride and raise plenty of steers, and that’s what the Lawson family has been doing for generations. Too bad, however, that the leader of the dynasty, Daniel Lawson (Jake Ryan) has the great idea of ending up thrown from his horse and then torn to pieces by dingoes.
The Lawsons have also been in dire financial straits for some time, they have debts, but at the same time they have political connections and a strong tradition that makes them a symbol in their world. Patriarch Colin Lawson (Robert Taylor) however does not trust his second son Graham (Michael Dorman) and even less his daughter-in-law Emily (Anna Torv) to keep the ranch afloat. As if that were not enough, their land is coveted by businessman Sandra Kirby (Sara Wiseman) and competing rancher Campbell Miller (Jay Ryan). The new generations will also be involved in the dispute: Susie (Philippa Northeast), Marshall Lawson (Sam Corlett), and Lachie Kirby (Joe Klocek), with the natives on the sidelines watching how and if it is possible to take back some of that land that was once theirs, or do as Nolan Brannock (Clarence Ryan): try to survive.
Territory is set in Australia, believe it or not, connected to a Western genre that is actually much richer and more interesting than you might think. Some will remember that mess of “Australia” with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, the best of them a cult-like “Quigley Rifle”, but then there have been many worthy titles: “The Proposal”, “The Forge”, “High Ground”, “Ned Kelly” or “The Tracker”. The points in common with the American progenitor are many not only for what concerns the cinematographic topoi, but for the historical path that is at the base of the genre, and that still makes Australia and the United States incredibly similar and not in an enviable way. Territory is set in Australia, believe it or not, connected to a Western genre that is actually much richer and more interesting than you might think. Some will remember that mess of “Australia” with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, the best of them a cult-like “Quigley Rifle”, but then there have been many worthy titles: “The Proposal”, “The Forge”, “High Ground”, “Ned Kelly” or “The Tracker”. The points in common with the American progenitor are many not only for what concerns the cinematographic topoi, but for the historical path that is at the base of the genre, and that still makes Australia and the United States incredibly similar and not in an enviable way.
Territory from this point of view is an excellent reminder, it reminds us that in addition to imitating the star-spangled cowboys in terms of looks, hats, music, or values connected to the land and tradition, the Australians have been similar in humiliating the natives, and there in the great spaces for better or for worse the law is often the one you make yourself, possibly armed. Sure, now there are helicopters, trucks, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, GPS, repeating rifles, and ranchers’ associations, but there are also cattle rustlers, poachers, family feuds, and capitalism that looms and tries to wipe out everything and everyone, in the name of profit. All elements that Territory recovers and mixes, with a certain balance of writing must be admitted, without showing too much and above all linking to the initial death, the engine of the various revolutions of this world, and the very calibration of the characters, distorting what we thought of them.
Territory Series Review and Analysis
The six episodes flow quite smoothly, although Territory highlights some problems of tone and internal coherence. We met Anna Torv in “Mindhunter” and “Fringe”, an actress of sure presence, here she finds herself with an interesting female character, on whom the series does not give a clear identity or judgment until the end of the sixth episode. Her husband Graham is an alcoholic bullied by his father-master Colin, who however the script makes extremely monotonous, with his attitude of an old rude patriarch with the Colt at his side. Then there is the outcast son of Sam Corlett (seen in “Vikings: Valhalla”) who at least makes the rest of the setting less predictable and less melodramatic.
Territory does not give up too many sentimental drifts that, however, in the long run, weigh everything down and deprive them of the dramatic aura of a series, which would like to wink at the aforementioned “Yellowstone” by Sheridan. However, it does not have epic, psychological depth in the characters, viscerality, or violence, not to mention the ability to tie itself to moral ambiguity and the ability to guide us into the bowels of a world halfway between modern and ancient. Here instead everything seems at times a little too predictable, a little too tied to the old concept of a “Dallas” soap opera, so to speak. There are action scenes, woe betide if they were not so, but they are ugly, unrealistic, badly directed, and worse interpreted, even squeezed in at random.
Ultimately, the only character who really leaves a mark from the beginning, apart from Anna Torv, is the native Nolan Brannock, let’s say the Balto of the situation: he is not an Aboriginal, he is not white, he only knows what he is not. In him, caught between a rock and a hard place, undecided whether to side with the old oppressors or the new ones, there is the historical tragedy of a country, Australia, that has never really come to terms with racism and its colonial and genocidal legacy. But even this aspect is not explored as in “Yellowstone” or in “Wind River”, also by Sheridan, which remains a formidable title of the 21st-century cinema. Too bad, because on the big screen, Australia has actually been able to give the right space to this theme, but for now in Territory it is cornered by jealousies, fights for domination already seen a hundred times, love triangles, and so on.
Many elements distinguish this contemporary western from the more famous ones, directed by Taylor Sheridan and set on another continent. To begin with, the story of the Lawson family is a story of domestic violence, of abuse belonging to a ruthless culture. With the belief that to raise a man and make him “tough,” you have to beat him to death from an early age. And then there are the constant crimes, so many thefts that it seems tolerated by the local authorities. Seem, I say. Because the reality is that the Territory is so vast that it is virtually uncontrollable. Not to mention the law of the jungle that governs it: you shoot each other on sight. Without compliments. And without criminal consequences. Those come, however, if you show up armed in a public place and point a gun at someone. Then you end up in prison, and from that prison, you come out changed.
But the Territory is ruled by violence. Violence itself, whether against animals or humans, dictates the law. And when things start to go better, as soon as the faintest idea of a rainbow appears, violence is lurking. It determines the course of Lawson’s life and those of everyone around them. Violence has permeated that land, where the native aborigines – whose community has found itself marginalized, pushed into a corner – have been sacrificed in the name of the only true ideal: power. That power that only money can guarantee, as both the Kirbys and the Lawsons, the Hodges, and all the other families involved know well. Territory explores the theme of toxic masculinity, embodied above all in the figures of Colin and Daniel, who see strength and dominance as essential traits for asserting oneself. This oppressive model suffocates the deepest feelings and desires, causing an emotional fracture in family relationships.
Graham, in particular, represents the most obvious victim of these destructive expectations: unable to reconcile his sensitivity with the harsh and inflexible image that his father demands, he lives an extremely tormented existence. The series also shows how this cycle of toxic masculinity is perpetuated through generations, creating pain and alienation not only within the Lawson family but also in the relationships these men have with the outside world. In this sense, Territory not only criticizes this distorted vision of masculinity but highlights the urgent need for change, so that a healthier and more inclusive model of leadership and family relationships can emerge.
The series also incisively addresses the issue of the exploitation of indigenous lands and the complex dynamics between local communities and large landowners like the Lawsons. It highlights how Marianne Station, the Lawsons’ vast cattle station, is built on land that has belonged to Australian indigenous peoples for generations. This exploitation is portrayed not only as an economic issue, but also as a cultural and spiritual conflict: the lands are not just resources to be exploited, but have a profound meaning for Indigenous communities, who see them as a sacred link with their ancestors and a vital part of their identity. However, for the Lawsons, and especially for the patriarch Colin, the land simply represents a means of power and profit, which exacerbates the gap between the two visions.
Throughout the narrative, we notice how the dialogues are permeated by constant references to the concepts of “family,” “land,” and “legacy,” which serve as the thematic pillars of the show. These elements not only define the relationships between the characters but also become symbols of the internal struggles and ambitions that characterize the Lawson family. Conversations frequently focus on questions of family loyalty and the burden of maintaining the legacy of a dynasty that was built on conquest and domination. However, despite the weight of these themes, the dynamics between the characters sometimes feel rough, as if the internal conflict and emotional drama were stifled by a writing that fails to develop the relationship dynamics in depth. Similarly, the cliffhangers, often predictable, can be disappointing, as they fail to surprise the viewer, but rather follow already known patterns. The series, therefore, although full of potential and significant themes, struggles to maintain a level of originality and depth that can elevate the narrative beyond the stereotypes and conventions of the genre.
Territory Series Review: The Last Words
While the show can tackle relevant topics and vividly depict the Australian landscape, the narrative is sometimes hampered by thin dialogue and predictable developments, which can limit the emotional depth and overall impact of the viewing. However, Territory is also visually really beautiful, Greg McLean’s direction knows how to perfectly use the breathtaking landscapes of an immense and primitive country. The final judgment is more than sufficient, of course, it remains to be seen if and how much Netflix will give breath to the lungs of the series; now they are born and die like butterflies, and also from this point of view, platforms like HBO, Paramount or Sky certainly offer more guarantees than Netflix or Amazon Prime, where even quality products are erased like footprints in the Australian desert.
Territory Series Review: Netflix's 'Territory' Is Enjoyable, But Yellowstone Remains Untouchable - Filmyhype
Director: Ben Davies, Timothy Lee
Date Created: 2024-10-24 19:40
3.5
Pros
- It tackles important issues such as toxic masculinity
- Beautiful Australian setting
Cons
- The dynamics between the characters are sometimes crude.
- Often predictable
