Season 1 – The Rook

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Season 1 – The Rook

Jun 2019

Fantasy

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

45%

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20 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in the rain beside London's Millennium Bridge with no memory of who she is and no way to explain why she is surrounded by dead bodies. She discovers she is a high-ranking official in Checquy, Britain's last secret service agency for people with paranormal abilities. Myfanwy makes it her mission to find out who she is, who wiped her memory and why she is a target while trying to navigate the complex world of a secret agency and the people who are a part of it. The series is based on the novel of the same title by Daniel O'Malley.

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Critics Consensus

Though it teases some appealingly pulpy puzzle pieces, The Rook's dour tone and convoluted machinations overshadow its intriguing premise.

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Sophie Gilbert

The Atlantic

07/02/2019

The Rook has plenty to recommend it, but it often gets caught in the space between a pulpy genre thriller and a stony-faced espionage serial, too dark and constantly fighting its most promising abilities.

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Daniel Fienberg

The Hollywood Reporter

06/28/2019

The Rook ends up feeling like is an attempt to engineer a serious-minded companion to Counterpart, except one that lacks Counterpart's twisty complexity, nuanced approach to character duality and general depth.

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Ben Travers

IndieWire

06/27/2019

C-

"The Rook" feels bogged down by what it lacks and what it offers. It's a little clunky in its structure and not great at explaining itself, despite lots of attempts.

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Mel Campbell

ScreenHub

12/12/2019

3.5/5

I did find it very gripping. ... But having adored the witty and occasionally wacky source novel, I was a little disappointed by the po-faced realism of The Rook.

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Joyce Slaton

Common Sense Media

07/30/2019

2/5

Supernatural violence, some language in so-so spy thriller.

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Paula Vázquez Prieto

La Nación (Argentina)

07/19/2019

The Rook is an interesting and risky adaptation of Daniel O'Malley's novel. [Full Review in Spanish]

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04/07/2021

It was good. I had fun. Learnt about the other side of the Gov.

03/03/2021

I hope there's a season 2! I guess I should've searched. I love fantasy, sci-fi characters in an intriguing storyline set in diverse settings with troubled romantic relationships and thrilling mini-subplots❣️ Watch it- I binged this Starz original series!!

01/08/2021

Episode 1 straight up rips off The Matrix, not off to a good start...

10/25/2020

Didn't get into it immediately and hadn't read the book (something I intend to remedy) but the Rook really grew on me. Can't say that I really clicked with the central protagonist but I loved the world and characters surrounding her - particularly Gestalt! This is yet another show that the critics didn't get but the public evidently did. Hope Starz remember that it's the public who pay their subscriptions when considering another season :)

06/17/2020

After reading the book and thoroughly enjoying it, I was looking forward to the TV adaptation. Unfortunately it's had the soul ripped from it, and a light, clever, and funny story has been totally rewritten into some kind of tryhard drama. I guess that's what happens when you 'mericanise a quaint British story (though written by an Australian). In summary, don't bother. Just read the book and pretend the TV series doesn't exist. You'll be much happier.

02/06/2020

Loved it very intriguing!! I'm hoping for a season 2

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David O'Malley

Creator

Emma Greenwell

Myfanwy Thomas

Jon Fletcher

Alex Gestalt

Adrian Lester

Conrad Grantchester

Olivia Munn

Monica Reed

Ronan Raftery

Robert Gestalt

Episode 1

Aired Jun 30, 2019

Chapter 1

After waking up surrounded by dead bodies and no memory, Myfanwy Thomas is thrown into the world of the Checquy, a paranormal secret service where she's a high-level operative known as a "Rook," and finds that no one can be trusted.

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Episode 2

Aired Jul 7, 2019

Chapter 2

While Myfanwy revisits the crime scene in search of her past, Monica discovers a dark truth about one of the victims; one of Myfanwy's dead attackers disappears from the morgue.

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Episode 3

Aired Jul 14, 2019

Chapter 3

Myfanwy discovers a disturbing clue to her past; Farrier searches for a scapegoat for the bankside murders; Monica goes undercover to attend an EVA auction.

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Episode 4

Aired Jul 21, 2019

Chapter 4

Myfanwy uncovers a twisted relationship with her psychiatrist; Monica searches London with Gestalt for a missing EVA who escaped; Farrier makes a connection with a mysterious prisoner.

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Episode 5

Aired Jul 28, 2019

Chapter 5

Myfanwy and Monica work to extricate a young EVA, while Gestalt's suspicions of Myfanwy lead to a confrontation.

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Episode 6

Aired Aug 4, 2019

Chapter 6

Myfanwy returns to her childhood home; Farrier faces consequences at the Checquy; Monica copes with the discovery that she was betrayed by Marcus.

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Episode 7

Aired Aug 11, 2019

Prologue

After a terrifying prophecy, Myfanwy's desperation leads her to place her trust in a powerful enemy.

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Episode 8

Aired Aug 18, 2019

Chapter 8

Myfanwy and Farrier quickly discover how dangerous life is outside of the Checquy, while Grantchester runs out of options; Myfanwy chooses between her freedom and Farrier's life.

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