'Renegade Nell' review: All hail Louisa Harland's highwaywoman!
My reaction to Renegade Nell, in one word? Delight.
The new fantasy/adventure series from Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright punches through Disney+'s more franchise-focused TV offerings, standing and delivering an original period piece that is oodles of fun. Thanks to its remixes of British folklore and history, as well as a star turn from Derry Girls' Louisa Harland, Renegade Nell proves to be as fierce and funny as its highwaywoman heroine.
What's Renegade Nell about?
That heroine is recently widowed soldier Nell Jackson (Harland), returning home after a stint at war. While the show will see her rise to notoriety as a feared highway robber, she certainly didn't set out to live a criminal life. In fact, Renegade Nell's opening scene sees her taking down a whole group of highwaymen in badass fashion. She's throwing lightning-fast punches, tossing grown men aside like they weigh nothing, and even deflecting bullets with her bare hands.
If any of that sounds strange or even supernatural to you, you'd be right. Nell is actually under the surveillance of Billy Blind (Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed), a winged spirit who flies into Nell's mouth whenever she's in danger and gifts her heightened strength and speed. Billy believes he's been sent to protect Nell because she's meant to accomplish great things. What great things? Neither knows for sure.
Before Nell can fully process why she has a sidekick straight out of a fairy tale, she's framed for the murder of a lord and forced to go on the run with her younger sisters, Roxy (Bo Bragason) and George (Florence Keen). With the law turned against her and dark magical forces nipping at her heels, Nell will have to rely on her quick wits, her friends and family, and her newfound powers to clear her name. She'll also cause some good, old-fashioned disruption along the way.
Renegade Nell is a rollicking (if overstuffed) fantasy romp.
In addition to Nell's attempts to prove her innocence, Renegade Nell has a number of subplots in play that introduces a cast of colorful characters. There's the sinister Earl of Poynton (Adrian Lester), who recruits noble siblings Sofia Wilmot (Alice Kremelberg) and Thomas Blancheford (Jake Dunn) — whose father Nell is suspected of killing — into a plot that would wreak havoc across England. Roxy strikes up a sweet relationship with the Blanchefords' former stableboy, Rasselas (Ényì Okoronkwo), who reveals his past as a slave taken from Benin. And in the upper crusts of society, the tabloid mogul (and immaculately named) Lady Eularia Moggerhangar (Joely Richardson) hopes to profit off Nell in any way she can.
In its attempts to juggle all this material, in addition to the supernatural Billy Blind arc, Renegade Nell can occasionally feel unfocused. But even so, there's something charming in the way it throws everything from magic to musical numbers at the wall. The phrase "something for everyone" rings especially true here.
Love historical TV shows? Feast your eyes on Renegade Nell's take on 18th century England and all that entails — royal intrigue, wigs galore, and practical sets that feel refreshingly tactile when compared to other Disney+ shows' overuse of digital backgrounds. Looking for something that will play well with kids and adults alike? Renegade Nell's levels of violence and magic are perfectly suited for younger audiences, while still intense enough to thrill action-lovers. (Notably, stunt coordinator James Embree was Daniel Craig's double on Spectre and No Time to Die.) Plus, viewers of all ages can appreciate Renegade Nell's focus on the struggle between the haves and the have-nots, and on Nell and Billy's subsequent attempts to make a real change — even if these themes of class struggle do get lost somewhat in an action-packed finale.
Louisa Harland proves she's a star in Renegade Nell.
The glue holding all of Renegade Nell's madcap fun together is none other than Harland, who's proven her comedic chops time and time again in Derry Girls. Here, she gets to unleash her full power as a leading lady.
Harland makes a meal out of Renegade Nell's often laugh-out-loud dialogue, with animated expressions that switch so perfectly on a dime that I often had to rewind line deliveries to take in every facet of her performance. In the show's devilishly fun fight sequences, she commits to the action like a demon unleashed — fitting, given Billy Blind's magical involvement. There's no stopping her magnetic, swashbuckling hijinks, to the point that it's only inevitable that at least one of her highway robbery "victims" becomes enamored of her.
Harland also has crackling chemistry with everyone in Renegade Nell. At times, she's a caring big sister to Roxy and George. At others, she becomes a reluctant partner to people she'd rather leave behind, such as Rasselas or dandy-turned-highwayman Charles Devereux (Frank Dillane). Her dynamic with the latter is particularly scream-worthy: The two trade barbed insults and threats, yet they always come back to save each other's skin. Dillane often plays Devereux as endearingly pathetic, which makes it all the better when he is overcome with surprise and elation by Nell's sheer boldness. Yes, everyone should be this excited to see Nell in action — and the same goes for Renegade Nell as a whole.