No Surrender Cinema: Banshee

While considering options for this months edition of No Surrender Cinema, it dawned on me that in the year and a half I’ve been writing for the site, I’ve never once discussed one of my favorite shows, one that fits all the BPA requirements and then some. It’s a show responsible for some of the most intense action, amazing fight choreography, and intriguing characters that I’ve ever seen, and it’s flown under the radar of my peers for far too long. That all changes today, because I’m going to shake up the format of No Surrender Cinema and focus on one of the best series to grace the small screen in years, the Cinemax series Banshee.

I know what some of you are thinking. “Cinemax series”? You mean like Life On Top or Hot Line?” No, dear readers, Banshee is nothing like that. Sure, it’s got more than it’s fair share of sexual content, but that’s not what it’s all about. Roughly a decade ago, Cinemax decided it wanted to shed the image it forged by airing movies like The Bikini Carwash Company and Test Tube Teens From The Year 2000 (both are classics, by the way) and focused on creating more original, mainstream content. These changes are what helped give birth to Banshee, a show that ran for four seasons and spent an hour each Friday night showing us all the bloodshed a small town could handle and then some. Banshee: The Series is named after Banshee: The Town, a fictional suburb buried among Amish country in Pennsylvania. It’s a small town that already harbors some big secrets, but the best is yet to come with the arrival of the new sheriff. Lucas Hood is a man with a rough exterior and an even harsher interior, one that doesn’t care to follow the law down to the letter but still gets the job done. Everyone is unsure of what to make of him, from his fellow cops to the excommunicated Amish kingpin who has a hand in most affairs in town. The one fact that no one is aware of, save for a select few, is that Sheriff Lucas Hood of Banshee is not Lucas Hood at all.

No, that’s not a spoiler (and let’s be real, the show premiered five years ago and has been off air for two, so we’re not talking Infinity War revelations), but rather the main thread of the series. “Hood’s” very existence sets the course for everything we see, and impacts every person that comes into contact with him. When the series begins (literally, within the first five minutes of the pilot episode) we learn that he’s a world class thief that’s just been released after a 15 year stint. No sooner is he a free man then he’s having a beer, banging the bartender in the stock room, stealing a car, and seeking out an old ally, the transvestite hacker Job. Job’s got some intel that our anti-hero desperately wants, and once he’s got it he realizes he’s being followed by a few syndicate types. Some furiously fast chasing ensues, and with bullets whizzing by his head, “Hood” makes his escape on a motorcycle, taking a ride that takes him right into the heart of Banshee.

Sounds like a hell of a plot, huh? All that in the first five minutes of an episode? How could that be topped? Well, for starters, we get the “origin story” of our Fake Sheriff Hood. When he winds up at a rundown bar in Banshee owned by a retired former prizefighter named Sugar, he’s also caught up in a robbery by a couple of rednecks. All hell breaks loose, and as fate would have it, the only other patron of the bar is the real Lucas Hood, a lawman who is being brought in from outside of Banshee to help clean up the corruption in town. Unfortunately for him, The Forge is as far as he gets, as Real Hood is killed in the melee, but the day is saved by our badass ex-con. Sugar understands the plight of the newcomer and opts to help him rather than blow the whistle, and becomes a trusted ally, one that would last to the very end. After burying the bodies, one call to Job gets everything in order for the former thief to stand on the right side of the law as Lucas Hood. Since no one in Banshee had met the original one yet, sliding into his spot should be no big deal, right? Wrong. What type of show would Banshee be if everything turned out hunky dory from that point on? Hood’s new life leaves him open to dealing not just with the shadows of his past (and his reasons for coming to town in the first place), but an onslaught of individuals that don’t realize that they’re messing with a man who makes martial law look like child’s play.

There’s Carrie, aka Anna, Hood’s former lover living under an assumed name in Banshee. She was the reason he went away in the first place, as he sacrificed himself to allow her to get away with the diamonds from their heist. She’s the reason he’s resurfaced, but unfortunately for him, she’s left her old life far behind her. These days, she’s a married mother of two with a husband in the DA’s office, which just complicates things for our hero. Her father, the Russian mobster Rabbit, learned of Hood’s release from prison and figures to interject in their lives once again. Kai Proctor is the aforementioned Amish crime lord, a man who occasionally shows a code of honor, but has demons of his own. He’s also got a right hand man named Burton, who looks like a corporate IT geek but might be one of the best badass characters in action entertainment. Oh, and Kai’s niece, Rebecca, is a bit on the slutty side and is dealing with some uncomfortable thoughts about someone close to her. Last but not least is the rest of the Banshee Sheriff’s Department, who welcome Hood with reservations rather than open arms. Brock Lotus is pissed that he wasn’t promoted, as he’s never sold out to temptation. Siobhan is an attractive female living among the “boys club” of law enforcement, but who is more than capable of handling herself. Emmett Yawners is an ex college football star who doesn’t back down easily, especially when local skinheads target him because of his skin color. They’re all good cops, going by the book and unsure of following Hood’s lead when he bends (or breaks) the rules. The other thing they have in common is that none of them are prepared for the impending shitstorm that’s about to hit their town.

More main characters are introduced as the show goes along, like the Indian behemoth Chayton Littlestone, who impacts Hood’s life greatly, ex-Nazi Kurt Bunker, who longs to atone for his past sins, and Colonel Stowe, a stereotypical “evil military man” who winds up as a target of our heroes. There are honestly so many interesting characters that the core cast come into contact with, and the majority are established as having enough influence or knowledge to turn what we know of the plot up to that point in a whole new direction. Most people might wonder how Hood is getting away with serving as Sheriff without having his cover blown, but that’s an issue that’s always at the forefront of the plot, especially when a fellow ex-con turns up in Banshee, or when the son of the real Lucas Hood happens across a video of the man posing as his father on social media.

Banshee ran for only four seasons, but I could go on and on singing its praises forever. There’s not even a hint of hyperbole in my statement when I call it one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. Everything I’ve described about it and then some drew me in over and over again, as this is a show that’s not afraid to get you riding on a high while simultaneously delivering a sucker punch to your gut. Few shows have gotten my emotions as high as Banshee has, because when you’ve seen as much as I have in my lifetime, your viewing senses can be somewhat dulled. So instead of rambling on much longer, I’m going to leave you with a list of my favorite episodes. You may even see me do a run-in on The Checklist sometime soon and highlight one of these eps.

Season 1, Episode 3 “Meet The New Boss”: A Jon Jones-esque MMA fighter comes to town and rapes a casino waitress. Hood won’t tolerate that shit, and shows everyone that no one is above the law now that he’s the sheriff.

Season 1, Episode 6 “Wicks”: One of the inmates that befriended Hood in prison turns up in Banshee by complete coincidence, but his appearance threatens Hood’s secret. We get a lot of flashbacks to Hood’s time in the clink, and his dealings with a man known only as The Albino who looks like a video game villain. Seriously, wait til you see this guy. As a bonus for you wrestling fans out there, this is the infamous episode where Lana from WWE plays a hooker and is a little more revealing than you’re used to seeing.

Season 2, Episode 5 “The Truth About Unicorns”: Lucas and Carrie head out to a house he had purchased 15 years ago when they had plans to run away from her father and the mob. While there, they get confronted by a FBI agent who knows an awful lot about Hood. It’s one of the more emotional episodes of the show, and the tension runs thick in this one.

Season 2, Episode 10 “Bullets And Tears”: Essential viewing not only to aid us with what’s to come, but to further establish what we’ve seen thus far. Also features a great “run in for the save” style moment.

Season 3, Episode 5: “Tribal”: My favorite episode of the series. I may have shed a few man tears over this one, but screw it, you’ll understand why. This episode is like watching Assault On Precinct 13 have roid rage.

Season 4, Episode 8: “Requiem”: The final episode of the series. More man tears were shed. This May marks 2 years since this episode aired and I’m still not over it, the last 5 minutes especially.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Banshee are up on Amazon Prime streaming, and all seasons are on Cinemax On Demand, with occasional marathon replays still happening on their block of channels. You can also buy every season on DVD or Blu-Ray should you so desire. I promise you, if you’re a fan of this site, my reviews, or just want an ass kicking show to get sucked in by, Banshee is the show you’ve been looking for. Antony Starr kills it as the man we know as Lucas Hood, and the supporting cast all shine as well. If you take a trip to Banshee you’ll walk away satisfied…which means you’re doing better than the characters that don’t get to walk away at all.