It is a plot that is reminiscent of nothing more than “Braveheart.” This might make Frontier a little predictable--but it’s a highly entertaining and satisfying journey, too, if you’re in the mood for it. The story is vast and at times either slow or confusing. But it always reads as considered and thoughtful--an adventure epic full of characters, not caricatures.

The series, a joint effort by Netflix and Discovery Canada, is refreshingly free of pretension, unlike some in the genre. Yes, there are serious themes to be drawn from it if you’re so inclined--it’s about greed, and empire-building, and exploitation of a land and its native inhabitants--but you can also feel free to take it as simply an action-packed, rather bloody tale from those frothy preindustrial days.

Frontier is moderately entertaining, but consistently unchallenging.

The actor [Jason Momoa] may be known for his strength, but not even he can overpower the cliche-riddled dialogue and dull plotting. [20 Jan 2017, p.55]

None of the characters, however, prove especially interesting, and in an age of abundance, Frontier feels like a decidedly second-tier offering.

There is little motivation to keep track of it all, partly because creators Rob and Peter Blackie, who co-wrote two of the season’s six episodes, and Brad Peyton (San Andreas), who directed the first two, hopscotch so often from place to place and moment to moment that it becomes challenging to settle into or invest in any aspect of the story.

Given the continuity gap between the cliffhanger at the end of the first episode and its resolution in the second, it’s as if the producers aren’t watching their own show. That’s understandable. Frontier proves some places aren’t worth the visit.

Love it. Season 3 episode 1. Its Cold enough to Freeze the balls on a brass monkey btw, not Freeze the bones off a brass monkey which makes no sense. Brass monkey was a brass rack for cannon balls. To freeze them to the rack meant freezing seawater **** which is below zero temperature. Show strives for accuracy in so many ways. No one at that time who spent months on a boat coming to the new world would fail to know that. Sigh.

Frontier is a show that had a ton of potential, and after the first episode I thought it may live up to it, but the six episode season hurts it immensely. The story is forced to progress at a rapid pace that really makes it hard to get very invested. After the second episode, the story continues to lose momentum with every episode until it comes to a rather unsatisfying conclusion. This is more of a show that you put on when you're trying to kill time, or want to do some light work while watching something. It's not worth the time commitment otherwise.

While I have never seen a movie or TV Show set in this period and place, and that did interest me, I found this series rather average. The acting is okay but not that great. A lot of the acting does not feel genuine and stereotype. For one: "Captain Chesterfield" has rage fits that seem completely out of place and meh. Jason Momoa doesn't do a lot more than grumble some words, fight and get close-ups. The story is not that impressive either: stereotype bad versus good. The one side of the story I did enjoy was with the Brown brothers and Elisabeth Carruthers (great actress!).

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

A show that uses the fur trade in America as the background but does little to paint a picture about the trade itself. This would be fine if the characters were interesting, but most aren't. Emberly provides the closest thing to a glimmer of hope in that regard, but her constant involvement in the scheming throughout the episode at times feels directionless. Not worth the time.