The Writings of John Ryan Sullivan

It’s possible you may be detecting a pattern emerging with these posts. Watching John Wick 4 led to me overcoming my aversion to facial tattoos (they were there I just can’t prove it) and giving Ballerina a chance. Both films surpassed my expectations to such a degree that I then considered The Continental on Peacock.

If, like me, you saw the poster for this show and felt confusion and/or indifference allow me to make a case for giving it a chance. The trailer offers a glimpse of what The Continental has to offer:

Only it offers little more than a glimpse. The lead is a young Winston Scott which means we find ourselves in another Solo situation where the new actor is asked the perform the herculean task of measuring up to the predecessor. While no one can emulate Ian McShane (much less Harrison Ford) Colin Woodell does a fine job in this role. In part this is because the character is quite different at this point. Less refined, less dangerous and *gasp* outside of The Continental.

While Winston is certainly the lead of this series the opening sequence, which I urge you to consider watching in full regardless of how you feel about this show, seems like it belongs to an entirely different story. Visceral, engrossing and somewhat over the top the first five (or so) minutes of The Continental make it clear there will be action and filmmaking panache.

There are many things this show does well and juggling multiple storylines with different, interesting characters might be what it does best. We meet younger Winston and see him before he manages The Continental, less polished and certain of himself. His brother, Frankie, starts the show in a rather dramatic and spectacular fashion. We come to meet Miles and Lou and Lemmy and learn (some of) their story.

In addition to KD, the tough as nails but unfortunately involved with her sleazy boss who is married, police officer who knows something isn’t quite right with that hotel. Her storyline might be the one I was most nervous about as it seemed ready to tip over into cliche at any moment. Somehow it doesn’t and like everything else in this show it adds to the overall story an is well done.

I don’t want to try and offer a blow-by-blow of the series as I think it deserves better than I can offer. What I will say is how impressed I was with the set design, cinematography, acting and (quite possibly more than anything else) the music. I cannot imagine how much money was spent to be able to use the music in The Continental. Every five minutes the most perfect song come on and all of them (or nearly all) have to by under copyright. Below is a table from Screen Rant listing the music:

Song	Artist	Episode
“I Feel Love”	Donna Summer	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Samba Pa Ti”	Santana	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Strange”	Wire	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Chicken Strut”	The Meters	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“If You Leave Me Now”	Chicago	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Crimson and Clover”	Tommy James & The Shondells	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Dirt”	The Stooges	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“La Grange”	ZZ Top	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Roundabout”	Yes	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Yes Sir, I Can Boogie”	Baccara	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“The Boss”	James Brown	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Daddy Cool”	Boney M.	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Children of the Grave”	Black Sabbath	Episode 1, “Brothers in Arms”
“Bang Bang”	Terry Reid	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Baker Street”	Gerry Rafferty	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Homicide”	999	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Magic Man”	Heart	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Without You”	Harry Nilsson	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Welcome to the Machine”	Pink Floyd	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Seasons Come, Seasons Go”	Bobbie Gentry	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Ole”	The Funkees	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Funky Nassau Part 1”	The Beginning of the End	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Get Up Offa That Thing”	James Brown	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun”	Tom Waits	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Take The Long Way Home”	Supertramp	Episode 2, “Loyalty To The Master”
“Right Place, Wrong Time”	Dr. John	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“Oh Honey”	Delegation	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“Hip Hug-Her”	Booker T. & The M.G.’s	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“Generique de Debut (Play Time)”	Alain Romans	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“Popcorn”	Hot Butter	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“One”	Three Dog Night	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“Barracuda”	Heart	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“Soul Sacrifice”	Santana	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“Baby O’Riley”	The Who	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“What A Difference A Day Makes”	Dinah Washington	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”
“New York Groove”	Ace Frehley	Episode 3, “Theater of Pain”

I found myself singing along, tapping my toes and getting carried away by the synchronicity of the music and the images time and time again watching The Continental. IMDB lists Marc Mondello and Liza Richardson as the music supervisors so I believe we have them to thank for the perfect choices throughout. I cannot recall the last time I watched something and I was so taken with the music. Just outstanding.

Nearly everything in this show is praise-worthy. It pains me to say it but the only aspect of The Continental, which was the tipping point for me choosing to watch it, is Mel Gibson. As a longtime fan of his work when I saw he was in the show I became excited. He’s an excellent actor and I was certain playing a mob boss would be a great fit. Sadly I do not think this is the case.

It could be the he didn’t do a good job in the role but I lean in a different direction. Everyone else in the main cast is an actor I am (mostly) unfamiliar with. Because of that I had no expectations. All of them, without exception, were wonderful. I was taken with the characters and the performances and I cannot recall a single moment where anything felt less than authentic or off. Mr. Gibson and I have long, varied history together as I’ve been watching him in films since at least 1988. I cannot help but feel that this, more than anything else, led to the less the stellar performance he offers in the show.

This is the third piece I’ve written this week where I am essentially encouraging people to go and watch something and I recognize that what I am putting out is slightly more than warm and fuzzy. If I am being too effusive and positive please forgive me. I feel I am continually slogging through shows and movies I do not enjoy of late (the past three years for sure) and for my sanity I am attempting to focus on that which gives me joy.

I hope these recommendations do the same for you as I am not sure what else we should take away from things like The Continental.