The Rook: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Ratings

See All

5.8

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5.8	Your Score
5.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

The Rook

Now Playing: The Rook

Season Details & Credits

ABC | Starz | Season Premiere Date: June 30, 2019

Summary: Based on the novel by Daniel O’Malley, the supernatural drama from Sam Holcroft and Al Muriel begins with Myfanwy Thomas (Emma Greenwell) waking up in London surrounded by dead bodies and no memory of who she is. She searches for answers when she learns she was part of the Checquy, a secret agency for people with paranormal abilities.

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Suspense

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E3. Chapter 3
Air Date: July 14, 2019

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Jacob Oller

Jun 28, 2019

Season 1 Review: The Rook’s memory-loss thriller is ambitious, beautiful, and full of great performances, which makes its problems easy to forget. Read full review

Mike Hale

Jun 27, 2019

Season 1 Review: Polished, well thought out, more adult-inflected and reality-based than other shows that go for similar combinations of genre ingredients. ... Emma Greenwell of “The Path” holds your interest as Myfanwy, making her amnesia credible and mixing timorousness with a growing outrage as she recovers, and expands, her memories. Read full review

Sophie Gilbert

Jul 2, 2019

Season 1 Review: It’s easier to forgive plot holes and convenient narrative trickery in a series that’s aware of its own absurdities, and is willing to entertain. The Rook has plenty to recommend it, but it often gets caught in the space between a pulpy genre thriller and a stony-faced espionage serial, too dark and constantly fighting its most promising abilities. Read full review

Dan Fienberg

Jun 27, 2019

Season 1 Review: There's enough intrigue in the stripped-bare skeleton of O'Malley's book to keep The Rook casually watchable, but even those who haven't read the tome will be able to sense that in a show this gloomy and conventional, opportunities for more colorful characterization and plotting must have been neglected. Read full review

Keith Phipps

Jun 26, 2019

Season 1 Review: It's a show filled with intriguing ideas that sort of bounce around without really landing and the slick but frustratingly understated direction does little to liven it up. Read full review

IndieWire Ben Travers

Jun 27, 2019

Season 1 Review: “The Rook” feels bogged down by what it lacks and what it offers. It’s a little clunky in its structure and not great at explaining itself, despite lots of attempts. Read full review

User Score

Write a Review

5.8

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

User Reviews

Muggsy361

Aug 24, 2019

This is right in my wheel house. It has a great looking cast who play their characters perfectly!

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

podaddy

Jul 2, 2019

Have only watched the pilot and found it intriguing enough to look forward to additional episodes. Has a bit of Jason Bourne meets Jessica Jones feel to it, which is not surprising since the opening scene very Robert Ludlum-like. Like most people, I almost always prefer the book better, butHave only watched the pilot and found it intriguing enough to look forward to additional episodes. Has a bit of Jason Bourne meets Jessica Jones feel to it, which is not surprising since the opening scene very Robert Ludlum-like. Like most people, I almost always prefer the book better, but since I did not read the book, I believe I am going to enjoy this one.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

bhadfield

Jul 2, 2019

Does a reasonably good job despite lacking the exposition provided by internal thoughts in the excellent source material. Doesn't crackle the way the book does and the feeling of anxiety the main character feels in the book is somewhat lost. We have to understand that the main characterDoes a reasonably good job despite lacking the exposition provided by internal thoughts in the excellent source material. Doesn't crackle the way the book does and the feeling of anxiety the main character feels in the book is somewhat lost. We have to understand that the main character could evolve from the person they used to be because they no longer have the memories and trauma of growing up under bizarre pressures. Looking forward to seeing more.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

metabad

Jul 25, 2019

Finally, at the end of episode 4, I feel there is promise to get to know more of what's going on in a show that has given us precious little information to hold on to.

Because it's like this: Myfanwy, the lead character, is a so called 'EVA', that is someone with 'Extreme VariantFinally, at the end of episode 4, I feel there is promise to get to know more of what's going on in a show that has given us precious little information to hold on to.

Because it's like this:
Myfanwy, the lead character, is a so called 'EVA', that is someone with 'Extreme Variant Abilities'.
She regains consciousness lying on the floor in the streets with dead bodies around her and having no recollection of who she is and what has happened.

So, it's all about the mystery finding out her identity, what's going on and why her memories where erased, the former of which she finds out pretty quickly.
She works for the 'Checquy', a secret government agency that employs EVAs.
What they mostly do is chasing and apprehending 'vultures', people (EVAs or not) that abduct other EVAs to sell them in auctions to the highest bidder.

While she tries to get her life back together, in part due to letters she wrote to herself in foresight,
we get to meet Myfanwy's colleagues, most of them EVAs.

There are some problems with the show, most of it due to the lack of exposition or any other means of providing context to the viewer:

We don't know what to make of many of the characters, even though they seem important.
That lack of knowledge makes it difficult for the viewer to assess the situations the characters get into and what's really going on.
Characters seem to have hidden agendas or secrets we don't know about.
Conversations among them are usually spare and full of evasion tactics to keep secrets from the others.
In each episode the viewer expects more information to put the puzzle together but the show doesn't give us enough of that, at least in the first four episodes.
That makes it a somewhat frustrating viewing experience.

All in all, in spite of my critique, 'The Rook' is an interesting show that has a lot going for it. The atmosphere is well established, the acting is good.
But the show has a at least one mystery and several secrets and it is bad at explaining enough of the things it presents.

I'll be watching the rest of the show, but to get through it, you need patience and it's possible that the reward you get may not be high enough for the investment you made.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

Gnilleps

Jul 1, 2019

As a stand alone feature this might have been really good, unfortunately there are too many liberties taken with the source material that make it so the spirit of the book doesn't seem to be there. Unfolding the mystery took a bit longer in the books and the very core of the characters seemsAs a stand alone feature this might have been really good, unfortunately there are too many liberties taken with the source material that make it so the spirit of the book doesn't seem to be there. Unfolding the mystery took a bit longer in the books and the very core of the characters seems to be kinda lost in this 'reimagining' of the book.

I think if you've never read the book you might enjoy the show more.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

AthanasiosT

Jul 30, 2019

Saw the first episode. Boring. Out of curiosity, I've read the book's first chapter, then the second, then the third, etc, etc, until it was finished. My questions are : "Where is the humor and the fun ? Why did you butcher a perfectly entertaining and interesting story and produced anotherSaw the first episode. Boring. Out of curiosity, I've read the book's first chapter, then the second, then the third, etc, etc, until it was finished. My questions are : "Where is the humor and the fun ? Why did you butcher a perfectly entertaining and interesting story and produced another TV drama ?". It seems that after all, the real Grafters, are the TV writers and producers, responsible for the show.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

sand1958

Jul 16, 2019

It took me just 13 minutes to realise how far from the book the showrunners Zweiling and Usher have gone that it's irreparable. Changing characters titles for real reason, creating a character that doesn't exist in the book and replacing a central character in the book with her isIt took me just 13 minutes to realise how far from the book the showrunners Zweiling and Usher have gone that it's irreparable. Changing characters titles for real reason, creating a character that doesn't exist in the book and replacing a central character in the book with her is confounding! All this does is p___ off viewers like me who came to the show because they loved the book!… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Seasons & Episodes

62

Series Overview
Season 1

62
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: June 30, 2019
- tbd
  S1:E3. Chapter 3
  Air Date: July 14, 2019