Banshee - Non stop action and superior fight scenes.

OK I have to admit when I first started watching banshee I thought “this is a bit over the top” and yet I couldn’t stop watching. I have watched the show through three times now at least and I don’t think I will stop there.

Set among various different cultures, Banshee seemed to capture something I had never seen before and I am honestly surprised more people didn’t find this show and make it a cult classic.

We follow the story of Lucas Hood (Antony Starr, The Boys) - the new Sherriff in the town of Banshee, although we know something the inhabitants of Banshee don’t know - The real Lucas Hood was killed in a bar fight just outside town JUST before he was set to take up the post. So no one in town knows what the real Lucas Hood should look like, I can’t remember if we ever find out his real name… Our protaginist Fake Lucas hood has just spent years in prison and is a survivor, knowing how to handle himself in a fight and almost always hits first and asks questions later. The town has its own crime kingpin in the form of Ky Proctor, formerly Amish but now all round wrong’un - he tries to buy Lucas Hood’s cooperation but guess what? Hood can’t be bought.

Hood’s unconventional methods stir up a lot of bad feeling in the tiny little corrupt town of Banshee, see, he’s sick of bad guys and he just wants a quiet life - and he’s sick of being pushed around.

This show is violent with a capital V - and there is some sexy scenes thrown in for good measure but most of all what this series really has is excellent characters. Hood is so bad he’s good, he clashes with just about everyone he meets. But he’s a good guy, an antihero if you will. Add to that his (criminal) team which includes the inimitable Job (pictured below) Sugar Bates, Carrie (his ex) - who are all working behind the scenes to keep his cover in tact.

As an added treat in later seasons Tom Pelphrey joins the cast as ex Neo Nazi white supremacist Kurt Bunker looking to atone for past sins and desperate for redemption. Pelphrey is such an excellent actor I could watch him all day, he always stands out in whatever show he is in and this is no exception.

Banshee definitely makes it into my top ten list of rewatchable shows. I might do a later post about top moments in Banshee but its 1am right now and I should be doing something else. If you get the opportunity, watch it.