‘The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself’ Netflix Series Review - Magic and Mayhem

In The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, Nathan (Jay Lycurgo) is the "bastard son," and his father, Marcus (David Gyasi), is "the devil himself." Marcus is responsible for the murder of many Fairborn witches and is now hiding somewhere. Meanwhile, his son is bullied by other Fairborn witch children. They hate him because of his evil father. Nathan's sister, Jessica (Isobel Jesper Jones), also has no affection for Nathan. The only people who care for Nathan are his gran, his girlfriend Annalise (Nadia Parkes), and a woman named Ceelia (Karen Connell). The latter arrives every month and asks Nathan a series of questions. The purpose is to determine whether he would turn out to be a Blood Witch or a Fairborn Witch. And yes, these two types of witches hate each other.

 
The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself is the story of the Chosen One. Nathan is that important figure, and there is a prophecy that he must fulfill. According to the prophecy, Nathan will kill Marcus ("His own blood will kill the wolf"). It's a no-brainer then that the Fairborn Witch Community keeps Nathan alive instead of killing him. They want to get rid of the wolf. The boy must be protected till his 17th birthday. Why? On their 17th birthday, young witches come of age and participate in Giving Ceremony. A family member makes them drink their blood, which gives the young witches magical powers (everyone gets different powers).

And so, you get the usual training scenes with a strict coach followed by a quest in which the characters basically move from one place to another. At first, it's just Nathan and Annalise, but they are soon joined by Emilien Vekemans' Gabriel. Consider them Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The twist is this Harry harbors romantic feelings for both Ron and Hermione. Talk about twisted relationships.

The series treads on a familiar path, but it's nevertheless exciting. It does not overly use magic, but when it does, the results can sometimes be impressive. Take the scene where a man is crushed by a cage. Flowers blossom with his blood as if the series is rewarding itself for an inventive death. I also liked how a map carved on a hand gave directions. It's funny how it's invoked by a literal cry for help. The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, apart from sex and romance, serves a cocktail of fantasy and amusement, and it always hits its target.

A story is as good as its villain, and The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself gives us not one but two effective villains. One of them is Soul (Paul Ready), Annalise's father, while the other one is Jessica. Yes, one of the bad guys is named Soul. You really can't trust people based on their names, can you? If Soul's soul can get corrupted, how noble do you think the Fairborn witches would be? Are they really...fair? Anyway, no one here is as intimidating as Jessica. She has the ability of a shape-shifter (she can physically change into any human being). Jessica uses her powers for very evil purposes, like changing into someone's relative for their Giving Ceremony (the outcome is fatal). She does not show remorse and instead smiles like a maniac. I truly, really, absolutely HATED her.

There are moments when you see that the series is making certain decisions to just stretch itself. I mean, after defeating a group of people in a bar, Nathan, Annalise, and Gabriel run away from a woman holding a gun? The matter could have been easily resolved through Annalise's powers, but the series doesn't even allow her to get scared the right way so that she could accidentally use her magic. It feels as if the trio is being sent on a long way so we can get more episodes. There is also that scene where a villain is spared by a good person because...sequels! The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself can be frustrating, but it's made by people who care for the material. It has a lively pace, which makes it easy to binge, and you never feel bored.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times