Barkskins

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Season 1
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
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Critic Reviews

  1. Paste Magazine
    Reviewed by: Allison Keene
    May 21, 2020
    88
    There is simply not enough of Barkskins. In its first seven episodes, it opens up so many worthy narrative threads and lays the groundwork for such a deep, sprawling series that there is no way it can wrap things up in its final hour. And it doesn’t. Though there is a satisfying final moment, it acts more as a launch point than a conclusion.
  2. The Daily Beast
    Reviewed by: Nick Schager
    May 22, 2020
    80
    Barkskins’ first season doesn’t really capture the environmentalist bent of Proulx’s book. Even so, it improves with every episode, in large part because its performances become richer the more they’re given time to develop, and breathe.
  3. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Steve Greene
    May 26, 2020
    75
    Where most historical fiction seems like it’s arcing toward some grand thesis statement of a fixed point in time, “Barkskins” is just as much about foreshadowing the problems of the resulting generations as it is capturing a bygone moment. It might not always lead to the tidiest, easy-to-wrangle storytelling, but it ends up reflecting its time and our current one in a way these kinds of shows are not always able.
  5. Decider
    Reviewed by: Joel Keller
    May 29, 2020
    60
    'Barkskins' is well-acted and looks fantastic, but it's too confusing at the start
  6. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    May 26, 2020
    50
    The handsomely produced Barkskins becomes a grueling but routine melodrama of corruption, savagery and betrayal. [25 May - 7 Jun 2020, p.3]
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  7. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Inkoo Kang
    May 22, 2020
    40
    [Barskins] is crowded with scheming characters but thin on reasons to care about them. And the show's Game of Thrones-esque indifference to differentiating its menacing beardos doesn't help. ... Since we know little about each character's past, the transformations they undergo in the New World resonates little. The production is further hobbled by most of the cast speaking in all manner of French (or French-ish-esque) accents, which can make the dialogue sometimes difficult to understand.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. DelanoDigby
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    Stunning on every level, from the writing and cinematography to the production design and casting.

    WE NEED MORE OF THIS ONE!
  2. asmanraj
    May 27, 2020
    10
    I thought the first episode was great, but you will probably be bored if you haven't read the book. It is reminiscent of the film Black Robe.I thought the first episode was great, but you will probably be bored if you haven't read the book. It is reminiscent of the film Black Robe. A lot of people seem to be complaining that the lighting in the series is so dim that it's hard to see what's going on. This series is meant to be watched at night or at least in a dark room with little to no sunlight. Some people are also complaining that it's hard to understand what the French characters are saying because of their French accents. That's why I watch this show with closed captions.… Full Review »
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