Numerous characters clog sanitized miniseries
Known for its classic westerns, TNT tackles its most epic story to date. "Into the West" airs over six weekends, stars a multitude of well-known actors and uses six directors for each two-hour segment. And Steven Spielberg serves as executive producer.
The scope of "Into the West" revolves around two families and spans from 1825 until the end of the 19th century, one of the most turbulent times in American history.
The families are from opposites sides of the country, yet they are linked by love and history. The Wheeler family operates a successful wheelwright shop in Wheelerton, Va. Jacob Wheeler bucks family tradition by seeking adventure in the West. His desire to see the wilderness leads him into dangerous situations, including rescuing his future wife, Thunder Heart Woman.
Thunder Heart Woman's family is the Lakota, peaceful native people who call themselves the Buffalo nation. Her brothers, Running Fox and Dog Star, are great warriors; while her youngest brother Loved By The Buffalo becomes a medicine man. Loved By the Buffalo is beset by visions that a wooden wheel will crush the Lakota's stone medicine wheel.
The wheel becomes the story's central theme. For whites, the wheel is a sign of progress. For the American Indians, the wheel symbolizes the cycle of life. These differing cultures are set to clash, with only one surviving.
"We have a wheel that takes one from here to there," says Jacob. "They have a wheel that takes you to the stars."
"Into the West" features a number of actors, but as do their characters, they come and go so quickly it is hard to remember everyone. Most last only a scene or two, such as Gary Busey, Sean Astin, Tom Berenger, Beau Bridges, Graham Greene and Josh Brolin. While Keri Russell ("Felicity") is touted in the network's advertising as being one of the stars, she is only in the second episode. Matthew Settle and Tonantzin Carmelo are featured in several episodes as Jacob and Thunder Heart Woman, but they are replaced in later episodes as their characters age.
The story covers every Western expansion event including Jedediah Smith blazing trails to California, the Mexican-American War, the Gold Rush, Gen. Custer's last stand and the rise of American Indian reservations. The plot goes beyond Jacob and his children to encompass many of the Wheeler cousins. Eventually the characters' situations tie together, but the journey can be somewhat confusing. Viewers never know if a character will be back or forever lost in Western lore.
At times, the miniseries seems more like an episode of soap opera The families suffer throughout their lives, losing loved ones to extreme circumstances. Characters come and go so quickly that viewers are not given time to become attached to them, thereby lessening the impact of the tragedies.
The miniseries seems to only look at the big picture, and forgets the details that make characters memorable. Women seem to adapt especially easy. When Thunder Heart Woman moves to the Wheeler family home with Jacob, there is no hint that she had trouble adapting to the white way of living. There is a hint at the prejudice some of the women feel toward the American Indian woman, but soon they are all moving out West together. When Naomi (Russell) is kidnapped by Indians, the sole survivor of a raid on a wagon train, she enters the American Indian camp calmly, and quickly marries a Cheyenne warrior.
"Into the West" offers a refreshing look at American Indian life. This is one of the few movies to establish that Lakota simply want to raise their children and honor their customs.
Six directors tackled this project, which leaves the continuity between some episodes lagging. The first night starts slowly, but subsequent episodes should hold viewers' interest a little better. Each director handles the story with kid gloves, afraid to dive into the ugliness that existed during this time. Few attacks are seen on screen, which is comfortable for viewers to watch but lacks the emotional impact that would make this series better.
"Into the West" is a good production, but it lacks the edginess that will leave viewers asking for more. Additional Information:
Details
'Into the West'
8 p.m. Fridays, TNT, with rebroadcasts at 8 p.m. Saturday and June 12. Subsequent episodes air the next five weekends at 8 p.m.
