The Buccaneers

My love for historical dramas led me to The Buccaneers (2023) created by Katherine Jakeways based on Edith Wharton's unfinished novel of the same name. The series stars Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Guy Remmers, Imogen Waterhouse, Christina Hendricks and other supporting actors.

Similar to the popular series, Bridgerton, this show is a traditional period drama set in the 1870s with grand houses, ball gowns, and wealthy families worrying about marriage prospects for their daughters and reputation. It's also a historical drama with style. I mean, the creators added modern themes like pop music soundtracks and the mannerism of the characters feels closer to our time.

This series focuses on five young American women: Nan St. George, Conchita Closson, Mabel Elmsworth, Lizzy Elmsworth and Jinny St. George who travel to England to secure husbands and improve their social status. They quickly discover that marriage into the English aristocracy comes with a price.

Season One

This has eight episodes introducing viewers to the five women who are close friends. When one of them, Conchita, marries Lord Richard Marable, an English man, they are invited by his family to London with the hope of improving their prospects and status. These women are not poor; they have money, confidence and a sense of freedom. Once they enter the English high society, they face traditions they don't fully understand.

They meet potential suitors but romance becomes complicated because the men fill the roles society wants. Some represent security, others passion and others the kind of social position the families want but secretly, they are abusive and perverted. Nan St. George who is like the queen bee of this group finds herself caught between what the society expects and what she wants for herself.

Conchita's marriage isn't all bed and roses; it exposes another side of aristocratic life while Jinny and Lizzy face their own struggles with love, family pressure and giving up control over their lives. What starts as an adventure across the Atlantic becomes a shocking revelation for the women that having wealth does not mean having freedom. The season ends on a cliffhanger where Nan must decide whether to be married to a man she merely likes and become a duchess or cancel the society wedding and go after the man she loves.

Season Two

This eight-episode season begins with the women dealing with the consequences of all that happened in the last two episodes of season one. Nan is the Duchess of Tintagel while Jinny's situation becomes more serious. Their friendship is still solid but the mood of this season is heavier. The women are older, wiser and carrying more emotional baggage that ties to their freedom or lack of it.

Issues arise in Nan's marriage and Jinny's attempt to escape an abusive relationship goes south. Lizzy's romantic complications and Conchita's growing influence push the characters into difficult territories. The season also introduces new characters including Leighton Meester's Nell and expands the story beyond matters of romance.

My Review And Rating

The plot of this series is an easy one—women try to find love and freedom in the 1870s English society. This premise is rooted in the Gilded Age when American women were said to have crossed the Atlantic to marry into influential English families. However, I enjoyed this series more for its energy and setting than for its historical accuracy. As I mentioned earlier, there's a modern vibe to this show. It takes liberties with the 1870 period and does so openly. It's like a mix of the traditional and modern, giving us a view of women who lived more than a century ago but their struggles with love, friendship, marriage, family pressure and identity feel familiar.

I also love the energy each season brings. The first one depicts these women as optimistic about discovering this new country and lifestyle. Then things quickly change and they become disillusioned. The second season is moody and complicated. The women are matured and struggle to make the most of their situations. Some scenes feel melodramatic and repetitive and I wished they had simply stopped at the first season. The show has been renewed for a third season and I don't know if that's a good decision.

For me, the strongest part of this series is the friendship between the women. They do not alway agree and sometimes argue, hurt each other and make selfish decisions. Yet they find a way to reconcile and strengthen their bond. They are not a perfect group of friends but they hold on still. They are not passive nor stew in self pity waiting for men to save them but rather pick themselves up and sometimes make messy decisions which I think the audience can relate to.

Nan and Conchita are my favourites among these women. They are bold and interesting to watch. They make choices that are not always sensible because of their love and thought for others. Mabel and Lizzy are cool but I struggled to like Jinny in season one.

The visuals and costumes are another reason I enjoyed this series. The gowns, jewellery, hairstyles, interior and countryside settings give the show a rich visual quality. It's like you are being transported to another time and world.

Rating this historical drama, I'd give it 7 out of 10 stars. If you enjoy Bridgerton style period dramas centred on female friendship and personal freedom, I'd recommend this one. Season one is more enjoyable for me while season two is darker and kind of messy.

All images above are screenshots from the series

Poster image source

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