NOTE: Spoilers
Don Johnson as Earl / Credit: NetflixNetflix added the first episode of new original series From Dusk Till Dawn to its roster yesterday.
As someone who's never seen the cult classic movie from which it is being adapted, I come into it with fresh eyes, an open mind and as somebody who doesn't know exactly what to expect.
From the beginning the show takes a turn for the weird when we see a young girl captured by a tribe and thrown into a pit of snakes, for a ritual which sees her bitten repeatedly until one very friendly snake slides its way into her mouth and down her throat. Not the best first date I think she's ever had.
We're then taken to an American version of Bargain Booze, where we're introduced to rangers Freddie and Earl (Jesse Garcia and Don Johnson) - who I expect are to be our heroes. Earl isn't sure he wants to agree to baptising Freddie's daughter, and wants a bottle of Hooch to help tide him over while he wriggles out of giving a decision. Freddie decides he'll wait in the car and look over Christianity pamphlets.
All seems fine, but Earl isn't feeling like the day's going to be completely smooth sailing, and after he finds a strange ornamental eye-bearing piece in the bathroom which could be connected to the case he and his partner have been put on, he's suspicious. Unfortunately for him, he's shot from behind, and then we're taken back to the beginning of the day for the notorious Gecko Brothers.
The Gecko Brothers / Credit: NetflixSeth and Richie (D.J. Cotrona and Zane Holtz) are on the run after stealing $30 million, a slice of which they owe to the mysterious Carlos who they later phone for help after getting into a bit of a sticky situation, and despite Seth's best efforts to maintain a low profile, his brother's strange visions mean that he gets a little trigger happy.
Cutting out all of the bits they dragged on too long and getting right to the core of things, two females have been taken hostage by the Gecko brothers, Earl's in a bad way, the cashier also gets shot, and Freddie doesn't have his mobile phone to call in backup.
Jesse Garcia as Freddie / Credit: NetflixEventually, Freddie surrenders his gun in a bid to save Earl's life, and is allowed inside to put pressure on the gun wound. As his life seems to slip away, the cashier works on getting a vault open containing a gun, but is constantly interrupted by Seth's frequent walks to and from the counter.
Richie continues to have his visions which include reptile eyes and aliens, and he's convinced that the females in the store that they've taken hostage have been planted there to spy on him.
Hoping to get out of the mess with the aid of a helicopter from Carlos, the brothers are left with nowhere to go when he rings the pair and tells them he can't do anything. Something did stand out during this phone conversation. Carlos tells Seth to trust his brother - "he sees things you don't".
As things continue to get weirder, I'm still willing to go with it. It's not taken me and shaken me up and grasped me like other recent series - True Detective, Orange Is The New Black - but I'll stick around.
Fast forward a bit, we get a bit of background into Freddie's home life, and his relationship with his wife. Then we're back in the store, and a shoot-out ensues when Freddie makes a dash for the gun behind the counter. Seth shoots him, he's down, and the cashier throws the gun to Earl's lifeless body. Except he isn't lifeless, and he jumps straight up, shooting a hole into Richie's hand and managing to dodge all bullets coming his way.
Richie has strange visions / Credit: NetflixSeth is in pursuit of Freddie who's also back on his feet, and shoots him a further two times, forcing him to fall backwards outside. Earl's luck also runs out, as he runs out of bullets and Richie finishes him off. For real this time.
Seth lets the females go after they kick Richie repeatedly on the ground - were they in on it all? It's an odd situation, but this show doesn't have anything that really makes sense, so it doesn't take you by surprise at this point.
As the brothers escape and drive off, Freddie's back on his feet. He survived, and he's ready to fulfill the promise he made to Earl before he died: to kill the Gecko brothers no matter what.
The pilot episode of From Dusk Till Dawn is available to stream now on Netflix.