Looking for a new limited series to stream? We just finished binge-watched Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen,” a Netflix series about Eddie Horniman (Theo James), a British aristocrat’s son who inherits his father’s title (Duke) and huge estate.
Since he’s not the eldest son, he’s surprised at the windfall and even more shocked when he discovers that under the ground he now owns there is a huge marijuana growing and distribution operation. That business is run by Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario), daughter of jailed drug lord Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone), who’s really calling the shots from behind bars.
Not only does Eddie have to deal with Susie and her criminal colleagues, he also has to keep fixing messes caused by his older brother, Freddie (Daniel Ings), a cocaine-sniffing, often drunken, gambling addict who was not thrilled to be passed over in his father’s will.
In addition, Eddie keeps finding himself pulled further and further into the underworld (if you’ll excuse the pun), in the midst of battles he doesn’t want to fight with all sorts of other characters. One of them is a rival drug dealer played by Giancarlo Esposito, whose character has many of the quietly dangerous qualities Gus Fring did on “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.”
Sometimes, it seems like “The Gentlemen” creator Guy Ritchie and his writing staff just want to pile as many antagonists on Eddie as possible, making me wonder if this would be another “Lost,” with constant new questions without many answers. Fortunately, that’s not the case. I won’t spoil anything about the season finale, but it left us with a good taste in our mouths and wanting more.
Despite the series being named “The Gentlemen,” the breakout performance is by its lead actress. Oh, the male actors are all solid, too — especially Vinnie Jones as Geoff, who oversees the Horniman estate and has some secrets of his own. But it’s Scodelario who is nothing less than riveting as the clever, calculating Susie. It’s an attention-grabbing performance that will likely launch her into other major roles in the coming years.
I detest everything about royal families, with their over-privileged elders passing on their taxpayer-funded wealth from generation to generation with no real responsibilities or accountability. I also would never want everyone I met and all my employees (if I had any) to constantly refer to me as “Your Grace.”
But I was able to put aside my disgust for monarchies and patriarchies long enough to enjoy the hell out of “The Gentlemen” and recommend it to you.