The Essex Serpent

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on The Essex Serpent:

The Essex Serpent comes to its all-too-tidy conclusion [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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The Essex Serpent recap: The Apple TV+ period drama comes to a tidy conclusion.★★★☆☆
A convenient ending seems out of place, but that's only because the whole miniseries was so satisfying.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ period drama The Essex Serpent draws to an orderly close this week after five episodes of disorderly conduct, serpents (both metaphorical and real ones), love, death, betrayal, discovery and friendship.

The miniseries ends on a note that’s a bit of a letdown for how nicely it treats its pack of sinners, but I guess sometimes you have to give “the people” what they want. Ultimately, a great old-school tale of adventure and lust settles for neatness. Though that’s a hair upsetting to me, it was well worth the time it took to get here.

Everyone’s searching for something in The Essex Serpent [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★☆☆

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The Essex Serpent episode 5 recap: Search parties are never fun.★★★☆☆
Search parties are never fun.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ period drama The Essex Serpent is in sullen repose this week as Stella gets bad news, Cora is in mourning for a relationship that never was, Martha has to decide who or what she really wants, and Will denies himself the pleasures of the flesh.

After last week’s wild party, the miniseries stumbles a little for the first time. Still, The Essex Serpent — based on the bestselling novel by Sarah Perry — manages to be a graceful and bewitching thing, as usual.

A wild party puts the ‘sex’ in The Essex Serpent [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★★

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The Essex Serpent recap: Things are getting wild tonight in Essex in the Apple TV+ series.★★★★★
Things are getting wild tonight in Essex.
Photo: Apple TV+

There’s a party tonight on The Essex Serpent and everyone’s invited. But no one’s going to have the time they imagined. Things take a turn for the biblical this week with red paint on sinners’ homes and adultery in every hearth. Dancing leads to sex, and nobody’s in the bed they ought to be.

Apple TV+ miniseries The Essex Serpent bids a tearful farewell to good taste this week — and then enjoys the ever-loving hell out of the depraved no man’s land.

The Essex Serpent roils with suspicion and secrets [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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The Essex Serpent recap: Things are getting messy in Essex.★★★★☆
Things are getting messy in Essex.
Photo: Apple TV+

New Apple TV+ series The Essex Serpent is knee-deep in conspiracy and suspicion already. The English townspeople think Naomi Banks is some kind of witch, and they don’t think much better of interloper Cora Seaborne, either.

This week’s episode, entitled “Falling,” goes to place unexpected and expected — and both are as exciting to arrive at.

It’s science vs. religion in new folk horror series The Essex Serpent [Apple TV+ recap] ★★★★☆

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Tom Hiddleston in The Essex Serpent★★★★☆
Tom Hiddleston plays a holy man with a lot on his mind in the new Apple TV+ period drama.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Essex Serpent is Apple TV+’s first foray into folk horror and a welcome return to BBC-style costume dramas. Based on the book by Sarah Perry, and starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston, this series holds a lot of promise in its deviously clever premise.

Shepherded by writer Anna Symon (Dark Matters: Twisted But True, Deep Water) and director Clio Barnard (The Arbor, The Selfish Giant), the series’ excellent production design and game cast make The Essex Serpent appointment television. You can watch the first two episodes Friday on Apple TV+.

Trailer for Apple TV+’s Essex Serpent is a mashup of science, religion and romance

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Trailer for Apple TV+'s 'Essex Serpent' is a mashup of science, religion and romance
Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes will star in The Essex Serpent on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

The first trailer for the upcoming historical drama The Essex Serpent dropped Tuesday. It gives a preview of a very complicated relationship between characters played by Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston. Also, there might or might not be a giant sea serpent involved.

The limited series premieres May 13 on Apple TV+.

Tom Hiddleston is latest A-lister to sign up for an Apple TV+ show

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Tom Hiddleston
Another Marvel alumni joining Apple TV+.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia CC

Tom Hiddleston has signed on to star with actor Claire Danes in The Essex Serpent for Apple TV+. The drama series is based on a book about Victorian repression, science and faith, and fear of the unknown, which sold upward of 200,000 copies.

The Essex Serpent was originally due to star Keira Knightley in the lead. However, she dropped out of the project as the result of COVID-related scheduling issues. Knightley was replaced by Danes.

Claire Danes replaces Keira Knightley in Apple TV+’s The Essex Serpent

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‘The Essex Serpent’ adapted for Apple TV+ starring Claire Danes
The Essex Serpent is coming to Apple TV+ in an adaptation starring Claire Danes.
Image: Serpent's Tail/Profile Books

Claire Danes will reportedly star in The Essex Serpent, a drama series about a 19th century widow who goes monster hunting. The show will be based on a popular novel.

Previously Keira Knightley was going to take the lead, but she bowed out of the project over COVID-related scheduling problems.

Keira Knightley drops out of Apple TV+ series The Essex Serpent

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Keira Knightley
Pirates of the Caribbean and Imitation Game star Keira Knightley was due to star in the show.
Photo: Tony Shek/Wikipedia CC

Keira Knightley has pulled out of Apple TV+ adaptation The Essex Serpent. The Pirates of the Caribbean star was set to play the lead role in an adaptation of Sarah Perry’s 2016 novel of the same name. Shooting would have started in around six weeks.

However, as a result of “family reasons,” involving coronavirus lockdown and childcare, Knightley will no longer star in the series.

Keira Knightley will star in The Essex Serpent for Apple TV+

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Keira Knightley
Pirates of the Caribbean and Imitation Game star Keira Knightley was due to star in the show.
Photo: Tony Shek/Wikipedia CC

Keira Knightley will head up a TV adaptation of Sarah Perry’s 2016 novel The Essex Serpent for Apple TV+.

The novel, which is a period piece set in 1893, tells the story of a widow, Cora Seagrave, who moves from London to a small village in Essex after her marriage to an abusive husband comes to an end. There, she becomes interested in a local legend about a creature called the Essex Serpent.