Handmaid’s Tale fans should add this “brilliant” period drama to their must-watch list.
This gripping six-episode series transports Netflix subscribers to 19th Century Canada, where a tale unfolds across two separate timelines: the first set in 1843, when a notorious double murder takes place.
The second jumps forward 16 years, following a psychiatrist attempting to determine whether one of the convicted killers ought to be pardoned on grounds of insanity.
Alias Grace centres on the killings of Scottish gentleman farmer Thomas Kinnear and his pregnant housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in Canada.
Housemaid Grace Marks and stablehand James McDermott were both found guilty of the crimes, with McDermott subsequently hanged and Grace receiving a commuted life sentence, yet the pair continued to point the finger at each other for the murders.
View 3 ImagesPeriod drama fans have been “completely hooked” by this Netflix series.(Image: NETFLIX)
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Not only is the 2017 CBC and Netflix period drama rooted in real events, it is also adapted from Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood’s 1996 novel of the same name.
“An outstanding series, so well told and brilliantly acted”, one admirer praised on IMDb.
Another described it as a “perfect balance of beauty and horror”, while a third declared it was “excellent” and “not to be missed”.
A fellow viewer, hailing it as a “killer show”, added: “The way the story messes with your brain is sooo good.
“It’s not even fast or dramatic in a typical way, but it just pulls you in slowly and suddenly you’re completely hooked.”
View 3 ImagesKingsman star Edward Holcroft plays psychiatrist Dr Simon Jordan.(Image: NETFLIX)
Wayward star Sarah Gadon takes on the role of Grace Marks, with Kingsman star Edward Holcroft as her psychiatrist Dr Simon Jordan.
CB Strike’s Kerr Logan portrays James McDermott, while Due South star Paul Gross and True Blood icon Anna Paquin appear as victims Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery.
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Discussing the novel upon which Alias Grace is based with Virago, Atwood revealed: “The book itself is ‘pieced’ like a quilt – with contrasting views – every faction at the time had their version of Grace. Demon or innocent? Even – tall or short?”.
“But in the gaps in the story – the places where evidence was not there or had gone missing – I felt free to invent.”
Alias Grace is available to stream on Netflix.