The Rook Is a Stylish, Ambitious Memory-Loss Thriller That’s Hard to Forget
Photos Courtesy of Starz
Memory loss spy thrillers and the allegorical antics of mutants have gotten lots of play in pop culture, but combining them—like in Starz’s new sci-fi series The Rook—sounds a bit messy on the surface. Too many warring genre vocabularies talking at the same time makes for an unintelligible conversation. However, it’s possible to thread the needle. Or, at least make it an enjoyable jumble. Showrunners Lisa Zwerling and Karyn Usher fill their adaptation of Daniel O’Malley’s novel with style and a few gripping performances, which are more than enough to jog our memories about why we like these stories in the first place.
The Rook is about the Checquy, a British secret service that fends off unnatural threats with some unnatural powers of their own. Somewhere between the R.I.P.D., the Men in Black, and the Kingsman, the members are designated by chess-themed code names. There’s a queen (Joely Richardson), a king (Adrian Lester), and yes, some rooks. There’s even an American out-of-towner (Olivia Munn) to make it an international force. Some share a consciousness. Some are super-strong, but not Superman-level unstoppable. Others have more vague and flexible powers, like control over the local atmosphere. And one of them wiped Myfanwy Thomas’ memory.
We meet Myfanwy (Emma Greenwell) as an amnesiac who apparently belongs to the agency and has half a dozen dead bodies on her hands. Gaunt, stressed, and in a body she doesn’t recognize, Myfanwy (pronounced like “Tiffany,” the show helpfully explains) is a relatable Jason Bourne. She doesn’t have full control over her lightning-like ability and seems to have had a drunken tryst with her four co-workers that share a single consciousness. If that’s not enough to get you on board, this show and its sense of fun simply aren’t for you.
After making a red/blue pill choice straight out of The Matrix, Myfanwy needs to figure out who she is, who did this to her, and who really killed all those people. After four episodes, the mystery—like all fun mysteries—has only gotten more complicated. Betrayals, steamy affairs and questionable allegiances are all checked off the list by writers Al Blyth and Sam Holcroft. The pair wrote all but one of the four episodes screened for critics (the other script was by Francesca Gardiner) while Kari Skogland, China Moo-Young, and Sunu Gonera handled directorial duties. Thankfully, the latter squad use every stylistic trick in the book to keep the series of silly clues that start off Myfanwy’s journey interesting.