Renegade Nell: Series About 18th Century 'Highwaywoman' is a Supernaturally Imbued Hoot
By Karen Gordon
Rating: B+
Renegade Nell is a whole lot of fun. It’s a family friendly rollicking action adventure series set in 18th century England that blends history, the supernatural, drama and comedy, with well drawn characters, built around a strong female lead.
That strong female lead is no surprise given that this is the latest from Sally Wainwright, the mastermind behind acclaimed series like Gentleman Jack, Last Tango in Halifax, and Happy Valley.
With Renegade Nell, Wainwright has created another one of what she calls her strong-yet-flawed female characters. Through eight episodes, Nell Jackson (Louisa Harland) battles with her wits and her fists as she runs for her life in search of justice with the aid of a supernatural helper.
When we first meet Nell she’s dressed in men’s clothing, ambling through the Yorkshire countryside on horseback, on her way back to her hometown. She’s a young widow who lost her husband in the Battle of Blenheim where, we glean, she also served as a medic.
Unfortunately, her timing isn’t great. She ambles right into a crime in progress. A cheerful highwayman Isambaro Tulley (Frank Dillane) and his gang are in the midst of robbing a stagecoach. Initially mistaking her for a man, Tulley wants her boots and her gold ring, and demands she “stand and deliver,” knocking her down to make the point.
And that’s when a ball of light scoots across the forest floor and into her mouth. Suddenly, Nell has superhero strength, fighting skills and bullet-dodging reflexes and dispenses with Tulley and his gang.
The little ball of light turns out to be Billy Blind (Nick Mohammed), a pixie, who has been assigned to protect Nell under certain circumstances, although he’s not completely sure why they’ve been brought together. He wonders a lot about the whys, but they have eight episodes to try to figure that out.
The series is set in 1708, when royalty owned the land and had power over villagers. Nell’s father has been granted the tenancy of the village pub, helped by his daughters, Nell’s sisters, preteen George, (Florence Keen), and the lovely Roxy (Bo Bragason).
Their tenancy is at the pleasure of Lord Blancheford (Pip Torrens). He has a smart, if somewhat melancholy daughter Sofia (Alice Kremelberg). But this is the 18th century, and so – to the consternation of both father and daughter - the power will go to her profligate, menacing, violent brother, Thomas Blancheford (Jake Dunn), who terrorizes the villagers for his amusement, raises hell at the pub and has leering eyes on Roxy.
And that is where things go wrong. Thomas shows up at the pub demanding to see Roxy. Nell stands up to him, which results in a nasty physical confrontation.
Their showdown kicks off a series of events that drives the rest of the series. Thomas frames Nell for a murder she didn’t commit, forcing her to flee with her sisters and a few allies. She becomes a highwaywoman from time to time to help keep them afloat, with a bit of guidance from her now ally, Tulley. Nell has a plan to get her sisters to safety and to escape the country. But, of course, this is not going to go so smoothly, and, even with help and warnings from Billy Blind, she, and her sisters, and helpers, run into snafu after snafu, battle after battle.
They have allies, and, plenty of antagonists, some of whom provide the series comic relief like the ultra-rich, snobby Lady Eularia Moggerhanger (Joely RIchardson), whose news sheets turn Nell’s exploits, real or sensationalized, into front page news.
Then there are more dangerous foes. First Thomas, and then, Sofia turn to a powerful parliamentarian, Robert Hennessey, Earl of Poynton (Adrian Lester), the series most deliciously potent villain, for help. He is adept at dark magic, which Sofia embraces, and uses those new skills on a campaign of revenge against Nell on behalf of her brother.
Renegade Nell is set in the reign of Queen Anne, and Wainwright has imbues the characters in the social and political events of the time. Hennessey a Jacobite, planning to overthrow the Queen. Sofia, Thomas’s sister, is a noble woman by birth, but with no legal rights, which is what motivates her choices and actions, driving her to find power where she can.
Nell, on the other hand, is from a lower and less powerful class and perhaps has less to lose. As played by the charismatic Harland, she’s a fantastic heroine, bravely plunging into the problems that come at her, battling on behalf of family or allies.
Renegade Nell has much more going on. It has a wonderful and diverse cast. It’s visually stunning. The art direction and costumes and location, often in the leafy Yorkshire countryside, make the series a visually sumptuous watch. The music – including the theme song, sung by Nick Cave - adds to that mood of time and place.
The era-specific history and supernatural elements are nicely interwoven. Some scenes with Billy Blind feel just slightly out of sync with the overall tone. But, for the most part, Wainwright and her team do a good job of making it all feel completely normal.
Renegade Nell. Created by Sally Wainwright. Directed by Amanda Brotchie, M.J. Delaney, Ben Taylor. Starring Louisa Harland, Frank Dillane, Nick Mohammet, Adrian Lester, Bo Bragason, Florence Keene, Enyi Okoronkwo. Streams on Disney+ starting March 29.