What is a Poutine Western, you may ask? It's what you get when a writer in Montreal decides to pitch a "western" to the CBC: set a story in late nineteenth-century Western Canada, throw in a few horses, a couple of young women with pseudo-southern drawls, and poof! Instant Poutine Western.
With a heroine named Loving and a villain named Slotter (yes, those are actually their names) it's no surprise that Strange Empire is the most derivative "western" since AMC's embarrassing Hell on Wheels. Anachronistic language and a weak plot propelled by hammy acting make this series painful to watch; the fictional and historical incongruities make it well nigh impossible. (For instance, why would a man trying to sell horses casually mention that his entire stock was stolen - a crime that would see him hanged in most frontier territories - in order to just GIVE AWAY a stallion?)
Perhaps the most obnoxious aspect of the CBC's newest brainchild, however, is that the writers (or at least the advertisers) can't even get the time-line right: the first episode is apparently set in the summer of 1869 at the Montana-Alberta border. The only problem is that Montana didn't actually border Canada in the summer of 1869 - let alone Alberta, which didn't even exist before the late 1880s.
In short, Strange Empire is a disappointing drama, a failed historical drama, and a downright offensive western. Stick to your squeaky cheese, CBC, and keep your boots out of Alberta.
With a heroine named Loving and a villain named Slotter (yes, those are actually their names) it's no surprise that Strange Empire is the most derivative "western" since AMC's embarrassing Hell on Wheels. Anachronistic language and a weak plot propelled by hammy acting make this series painful to watch; the fictional and historical incongruities make it well nigh impossible. (For instance, why would a man trying to sell horses casually mention that his entire stock was stolen - a crime that would see him hanged in most frontier territories - in order to just GIVE AWAY a stallion?)
Perhaps the most obnoxious aspect of the CBC's newest brainchild, however, is that the writers (or at least the advertisers) can't even get the time-line right: the first episode is apparently set in the summer of 1869 at the Montana-Alberta border. The only problem is that Montana didn't actually border Canada in the summer of 1869 - let alone Alberta, which didn't even exist before the late 1880s.
In short, Strange Empire is a disappointing drama, a failed historical drama, and a downright offensive western. Stick to your squeaky cheese, CBC, and keep your boots out of Alberta.