The Crow Road: Episode 1 - “Prentice” (1996)

 

What drew me to this miniseries?  PC aside, it houses an army of familiar Scottish faces.  There are the Who veterans, Dougray Scott (from “Hide” earlier this year) and Bill Paterson (Professor Bracewell from “Victory of the Daleks.”)  David Robb, Downton Abbey's Dr. Clarkson, gets in on the fun, and this episode includes a (very) brief appearance by a young Sean Biggerstaff, best known as Gryffindor's Quidditch Keeper.  That's just too much Scottish goodness to pass up.

 

My appetite was whetted further when I saw Bryan Elsley's name pop up in the opening credits as the writer.  Granted, The Crow Road is based on a novel, but my enduring affection for Skins runs deep.  This first episode drops us into a story carefully stitched together from strands of memory and imagination, whose characters are moved by both God and magic.

 

“Prentice” is named for its narrator, a young man in search of an anchor.  Prentice McHoan keeps being touched by loss – his aunt, his friend, and his grandmother have all passed in recent memory, and his uncle disappeared years ago.  The story roughly follows a line that begins with his grandmother's funeral, but Prentice slips often and effortlessly into flashback, sometimes leapfrogging several times back through the annals of his past before resurfacing.  He doesn't seem to know what to make of any of it and pans memories for evidence of meaning.

 

Even Prentice's plan of forward action calls for looking back:  before she died, his grandmother directed him to find out what happened to his vanished uncle.  In the coming episodes, Prentice will no doubt probe the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and try piecing together his uncle's life the way he does his own.  Time will tell what picture he can form.

 

Since PC plays Rory McHoan, the uncle most noted for being gone, I don't have too much to say yet.  Despite his absence, though, he remains very present.  Prentice's memories glimpse at an aspiring travel writer with a drive too large for a small village.  Numerous conversations prove him to be on everyone's minds, and they all have their own belief whether he's still alive.  He even appears in Prentice's subconscious, occasionally interrupting his nephew's inner monologue to argue, advise, or flaunt his unspoken secrets.  I'm looking forward to piecing him together.

 

Accent Watch

 

Scottish, along with most of the cast.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – I'll revisit at the end of the miniseries, but so far, I'd say yes.  I'm a fan of the narrative structure, the rootable protagonist, and all the weighty conversations.

 

PC-wise – Too early to tell – I haven't seen enough of Rory yet.

 

Warnings

 

Sexual content – discussion and two short sex scenes – plus swearing and recreational drug use.