Talamasca: The Secret Order – Season 1 Review – An Excruciatingly Slow Burn With a Late Payoff

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Talamasca – The Secret Order: Season 1 Details

• Number of Episodes: 6
• Network: AMC
• Genre(s): Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Young Adult
• Renewal Status: To Be Determined
• Official Site Link
• Check out our page for this series, which features more recaps, reviews, and articles, or our TV series page for our latest recaps, reviews, and recommendations.

Season 1 Storylines/ Summary

Guy’s Search For His Mom

The lead character of Talamasca: The Secret Order is Guy. He is someone with telepathic abilities, which has made his desire to become a lawyer fitting, for it is easy to read humans’ minds and adjust, if not manipulate them, for success. But don’t see this trick as a rich kid taking advantage of the system. Guy is without biological parents, under the assumption that his mom died, and was raised by a foster mom.

But no sooner than him being nearly set for life, working for one of the top law firms there are, Helen, an agent of the Talamasca, recruits Guy to search for the 752. In the process, however, Guy learns more about his mother’s existence and the possibility that she didn’t overdose as he has long been led to believe. Thus, starts his journey to find her, either using the Talamasca’s resources or working against the organization in revenge.

Helen’s Search For Her Sister

While the 752 is important to Helen, so is her sister. She spends most of the season retracing her steps, seeking out people familiar with her story, to try to hone in on where her sister could be, whether alive or buried.

Everyone’s Search For The 752

The 752 is basically the collected information of the Talamasca since their inception. This book, the remnants of what was once a vast library, is the key to the Talamasca’s power, as it contains over a hundred years of information about nearly every supernatural being known. This makes it a game-changer and something that characters like Jasper would want to snatch from Talamasca, as it’s like a dangling sword over every being’s head.

But, if he, or anyone beyond the Talamasca, were ever to succeed, it would disturb the balance of the world and potentially cause its ruin.

Review

Highlight(s)

Keves [85/100]

One of the major issues with Talamasca: The Secret Order is that most characters are either a bit morose or operate in dry sarcasm to the point they suck the energy out of the room. Keves was different. She is the type of character that, when a show premieres with multiple episodes, they come in episode 2 or 3 to boost things and revive your waning interest.

Now, what did Keves specifically bring? She was bubbly, flirtatious, made Guy into the straight man to her zany nature, and she also brought a sense that she could be trouble. Was she a femme fatale without the moodiness of the noir era? Could she have been a spy for the Talamasca, an organization that sometimes employs supernatural beings? Initially, you don’t know.

Sadly, though, she isn’t utilized to her maximum potential.

Raglan [86/100]

Raglan, introduced in the mainline series, Interview With The Vampire, isn’t an original character to the show. In fact, if you look him up, he would have been perfect as a bridge between the second season of Interview With The Vampire, as it switches over to be The Vampire Lestat. Yet, instead, like Keves, he is underutilized despite clearly having that special something which is what you’d expect a lead of a new series to have.

He is conniving, truly lives up to this being a spy thriller of some kind, which this show was marketed to be, and he lives the idea that agents are resources for the Talamasca just as much as the Talamasca is a resource for its agents. Which, considering this is our proper introduction to the organization, beyond agents moving about in the shadows, I’d submit he should have been the lead over Guy.

Low Point(s)

The Challenge Of Becoming Invested In The Lead Character [64/100]

Nicholas Denton doesn’t thrive as Guy. The writing, his performance, it gives you young adult novel adaptation vibes. How Denton plays Guy is similar to the character who is usually part of a love triangle, and is the standoffish one between the young woman’s two options. But, with no love interest, at least beyond his short time with Keves, Guy is generally a standalone character, without a best friend or someone to offset his character.

Now, let it be known, for a short while, Jasper and Guy worked together, and it boosted Guy. Also, when Guy found himself matching wits with a Detective, showing off his legal knowledge, it made him appealing. But, over the course of 6 episodes, Guy potentially becoming another person who got killed because of Helen, never felt like a bad idea.

The Spy-Thriller Element Barely Existed [62/100]

Because the Talamasca is a secretive organization, there was this marketing push that they should be seen as spies and that there would be a certain thriller element because of the work they do and the dangers involved. That is utterly missing here. The Talamasca, more often than not, is just a name being siphoned off, just as much, if not more, than slapping “Anne Rice” anywhere possible.

For the truth is, this is a fantasy drama far more than a thriller or spy-type show. Everyone is looking for something, or someone, and the tone and writing aren’t even strong enough to bestow the sense that this is a mystery. Again, it feels like a YA adaptation, where most are broody, solemn, and longing for something or someone. Where characters like Jasper, despite how vampires have been presented previously, feel like watered-down versions of notable literary characters, and what was sold in the trailers doesn’t become reality in the show.

The Show Lacked A Consistent Hook Beyond The Universe It Existed In [65/100]

Six episodes are not a lot for any program that isn’t a standalone mini-series, especially without a source material to pull from. However, as shown, the main issue with Talamasca: The Secret Order is that it doesn’t present a hook that could keep more casual viewers on the line. Guy does not present that special something, even if he has a supernatural power. Helen is dull, Keves is in the show for a disgustingly short amount of time, Raglan is in just one episode, and Jasper is the most boring vampire introduced in the entire Immortal Universe.

Then, story-wise, as much as the 752 is touted to be a game-changer, it often can feel secondary to the personal drama of each character. And to be frank, the benefit of this show being six episodes is that, once you are giving up hope for there to be a hook, something, or someone who can justify you coming back week after week, the season finale hits. Which, thankfully, was better than expected, but not in a way you could imagine them holding steady, quality-wise, into a second season.

How Disappointing Olive Was [67/100]

Because Guy didn’t have the charisma expected of a lead, Helen wasn’t the mentor who could light a fire under him, or had presence, there was hope someone else would fill that role. Olive was one of those people, especially since she was one of the few who fulfilled the promised spy element, by using disguises in order to protect Guy, if not do her own investigation into things.

Yet, alas, like so many, especially those with some potential, she was mishandled. From barely evolving beyond Helen’s lackey, to lacking direction and motivation, which made one of her final decisions in the season perplexing, Olive ended up becoming yet another disappointment that pushed the idea that, maybe, the only series, within the franchise (which AMC is clearly milking) worth seeing is that featuring Lestat and Louis?

On The Fence

Things Come Together For Helen and Doris, Eventually [73/100]

Helen, as Guy’s recruiter, the first agent of the Talamasca we’re properly introduced to, and the one we often see, disappointed, greatly, throughout the season. Doris, who ended up latching onto Guy, who was a friend of Keves, seemed like she was meant to be Keves’ replacement, hopefully giving life to the show, but that didn’t happen either.

Yet, the story of these two characters, which was barely worth investing in for five of the six episodes, led to multiple emotional moments that legitimately made me teary-eyed, if not cry in episode six. In some ways, you can justify the slow burn as this program not being meant to be microwavable, and something you just pop in and get into, you have to let it cook to enjoy all it could offer.

However, I would submit that while the ending paid off, the build was so weak that I can imagine many people dropping the show before they ever get to the good part.

Detective Ridge Slowly, But Surely, Learning The Truth [74/100]

With Detective Ridge stumbling onto the business of the Talamasca and supernatural, there was this interest regarding how a normal person, with investigative skills, would react to all that is hidden from the average human being? Sadly, the show doesn’t really tap into this, but there is some promise that, if there is a second season, maybe Detective Ridge could pursue this storyline.

Though I feel the need to note, like so many in the first season, the writing and performance of Detective Ridge surely isn’t going to be such a selling point that the actress would be put on the interview circuit.

Overall

Our Rating (72/100): Mixed (Stick Around)

As a show meant to bridge the gap between the mainline series, similar to the Mayfair Witches, Talamasca: The Secret Order continues to make fans question, how can the mainline series, Interview With The Vampire, be so good, yet these spin-offs, or adaptations of other novels, either directly or loosely connected, not have the same quality?

For without a notable lead, a hook in the story, and even making supernatural characters a bore, Talamasca: The Secret Order pushes the idea that the age of universes, whether comic book or literary books, doesn’t need to come to an end, but there is a need to recognize that it takes the right people behind a franchise, and in front of, for it to work. You can’t just rely on the strength of the IP’s name alone.

Check Out Our Coverage Of This Season

• 

  Talamasca: Season 1 Episode 6 – Recap and Review

  Sadly, they saved the best for last.

• 

  Talamasca: The Secret Order: Season 1 Episode 5 – Recap and Review

  In the penultimate episode of the season, the book everyone is looking for is seen – and we’re reminded how many will be sacrificed for it.

• 

  Talamasca: The Secret Order: Season 1 Episode 4 – Recap and Review

  As Jasper and Guy’s chemistry begins to evolve, maybe the show may not need its guest stars to act as the lifeline each episode.

• 

  Talamasca: The Secret Order: Season 1 Episode 3 – Recap and Review

  The 752’s importance finally gets an explanation, alongside being introduced to Doris and Olive at last.

• 

  Talamasca: The Secret Order: Season 1 Episode 2 – Recap and Review

  Just when there was a flicker of hope that the Talamasca: The Secret Order found something to hook viewers, it gets abruptly removed.

• 

  Talamasca: The Secret Order: Season 1 Episode 1 – Recap and Review

  The newest adaptation of Anne Rice’s work premieres, and while it may not be a hit out of the gate, the story holds promise.

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