Rebellion

If this sounds merely soapy, know that by the third hour, the English are executing rebels via firing squad, shops are being looted, innocent urchins are shot down and battle lines have been drawn between lovers and families.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the bloody event over three nights, this five-part series is a bit like the uprising itself: Under-strategized, perilously emotional, more than a little short-handed. Passion, however, is abundant. So is spectacular acting.

Rebellion tries to do too much at once, but much like the Easter Rising itself, it’s the trying that deserves plenty of attention.

In the three-night mini-series Rebellion, serious historical drama goes up against tedious soap opera, and the battle ends in more or less of a stalemate.

This unfocused three-night miniseries puts a dull Downton luster on gritty events. [22/29 Apr 2016, p.104]

Rebellion clearly aims to create a wide array of viewpoints on this tense period in Irish history, but manages to sabotage itself regularly with questionable pacing and an ungainly bunch of under-developed characters.