The Essex Serpent

Based on Sarah Perry’s novel by the same title, The Essex Serpent is a miniseries originally released on the Apple+ streaming platform in 2022. Directed by Clio Barnard, starring Claire Danes and Thomas Hiddleston, it’s an interesting blend of period drama, gothic romance and folk horror.

The plot is centred on recently widowed Cora Seaborn and her search for a mythical creature that is allegedly behind a series of tragic events in a small Essex village. Her marriage had been an unhappy one, and as she leaves London to explore the mysterious goings-on, she carries a lot of trauma with her, both physical and emotional. Luckily, she’s in good company of her shy and introverted son Frankie, and Martha – her trusted friend and companion.

Set in the 19th century, the series depicts a time when Darwin’s theory was still a novelty, and women in science few and far between. Cora, a sceptic and amateur palaeontologist, has to do her work on the margins, relying on the help and support from some of the men with a lot more clout, among them a local parish priest Will Ransome – a sceptic himself, who’d been unsuccessfully dealing with local beliefs and customs based on a mixture of ancient practices and a fundamentalist Christian obsession with the Devil. (Mutual feelings between Cora and Will soon develop, but I shall say no more.)

If fast-paced action is your thing, you might end up slightly disappointed. The plot develops relatively slowly, and although a lot more has been packed in the six episodes than I’ve outlined above (illicit love! tragic deaths! mass panic!), the accent is more on the gloomy atmosphere. Visuals of the Essex marshes are quite spectacular (the filming has actually taken place in Essex), and a lot of the scenes have a wonderful photogenic quality. Important in a period drama, the costumes and all the other details are superbly designed; the original soundtrack has been composed by Dustin O’Halloran and Herdís Stefánsdóttir, which is a major bonus. Everything fits and flows seamlessly.

I loved Claire Danes in this role. Having watched her previously in the eight long but thrilling seasons of Homeland playing the CIA operative Carrie Matheson, I expected it would take me longer to get used to seeing her in this, very different, role. But they didn’t turn out to be all that different after all: in both series she plays fiercely independent, yet deeply hurt and vulnerable women facing mental health issues (Carrie was bipolar, Cora seems to be suffering from depression). Say what you want, but she does excel in such roles!

The series gets all five stars from me. If you’re into this particular mixture of genres, or happen to be a fan of either Claire Danes or Thomas Hiddelston, you’ll find this adaptation of The Essex Serpent delectable!

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