Looking for a new show is like looking for a new restaurant after your favorite place closes down. It takes time, patience, and a lot of trial and error. The aim of “Should I Watch This?” is to save you that time. By watching a show’s pilot episode, we decide if a series is worth the watch.
Cinemax is known more for its selection of movies than its original series, but I decided to give one a try. After all, it’s considered a “premium channel”. And Banshee is one of their headlining shows.
The pilot starts off with a nameless man — our “hero” — walking out of prison and back into civilization. Strange whisper music plays in the background as the man trots down train tracks and ends up in a bar.
Credit-Cinemax
He sits down for a drink and — what do you know — the woman bartending starts giving him the eye. After making the beast with two backs in the liquor closet, he heads out to look for some wheels.
Our finds a crowbar just laying around and steals a newly-restored 1978 Camaro. Conveniently, no one bats an eye as he speeds off toward his next destination — a hair salon.
Upon arrival, he confronts a hairdresser and starts smashing every expensive piece of equipment. He demands information about someone’s location. Eventually, the guy caves.
Credit-Cinemax
As he leaves, our hero catches a glimpse of a man leaning out the window of an SUV (a rival criminal?) watching him. Unfazed, he grins and hops back in his Camaro, prompting a high-speed chase through the middle of the city. Then, he crashes, avoids a barrage of gunfire, and causes a double decker bus to roll over.
Now they’re on foot. The whole city erupts in chaos. But our hero is, of course, smarter than the enemy. He pushes a man off his motorcycle, causing an errant bullet to split through his helmet, and speeds off.
Credit-Cinemax
By now, we’re five minutes in. Yes, only five minutes. As the opening credits start to roll, you can only wonder — is this really worth it? Typically I’m a fan of action-packed violence, but this story is extremely far-fetched and totally unbelievable.
Finally, our hero tracks down his former lover in a small Amish town. More violence ensues. But he overcomes every challenge with ease, cutting through his opponents with backbreaking efficiency.
And he does it all with the same dumb look on his face.
Pilot Rating: 3.5/10
Should I Watch This? Only if you hate yourself.
Have a show suggestion for the next installment? Comment below.
