While he was a popular and highly-rated actor before he stepped into 007’s shoes, Pierce Brosnan‘s fame skyrocketed after he was first cast as James Bond back in 1995’s GoldenEye. Having played the famous super spy in four great Bond films, he’s since gone on to add a range of great film and television credits to his impressive CV. Among them, he’s shown his versatility by playing everything from suave leads in rom-coms to appearing in massively popular musicals (Mamma Mia!) and even fantasy and superhero films.
However, many years after his time as Bond and all the success that followed, the now 71-year-old Irish star also appeared in a terrific Western series. Playing the main role across 20 episodes, the show went on to have a terrific rating, peaking at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. As Eli McCullough in The Son, Pierce Brosnan was electric and showed some other great nuances to his already amazing range as an actor. Here’s a look back at the show and why it was such a good one!
‘The Son’ a Sweeping Multigenerational Tale That Is Highly Thematic
In the show, Brosnan plays a Texan cattle baron who becomes embroiled in the oil industry. That’s about where the southern charm ends as it takes place across many generations and poignantly features some deep, underlying subjects and terrific acting that makes it gripping from beginning to end. Based on a 2013 novel of the same name by Phillip Meyer, the show takes a deep dive into themes like American cultural identity, played out against the backdrop of the USA’s journey to becoming a superpower.
Exploring the rise and fall of the Texas oil industry alongside this narrative, it asks some hard-hitting questions that linger on personal morality and the brutality of history. Interwoven with its complex characters, Eli McCullough, in particular, is a man shaped by violence. From a lawless frontier to a wealthy region booming with oil money, its portrayal of Texas across different periods is just as engrossing for its flawed dynamic and power structures that are created as a result. Just before the Yellowstone franchise became famous, The Son was already flirting with similar themes of ambitions for generational wealth and the blood and sacrifice it often takes to achieve it.
‘The Son’ Was Also a Visual Treat
Aside from its compelling story, The Son was also visually stunning. Hailed for its direction and cinematography, it often encompasses wide open, sweeping landscapes, the use of natural light, and contrasting color palettes. As a result, it’s often striking and beautifully shot — almost dousing it in elements of a vivid oil painting.
Another great aspect of the show comes from its costumes, with every character looking their part. Pierce Brosnan is especially striking in his suits and other regalia that perfectly fit the period but exhibit a suaveness beyond that that only he’s capable of bringing to them. This is despite the fact that he plays a vastly different character from Bond and his far-from-suave personality here. In fact, often brash and standoffish in The Son, Brosnan is the antithesis of Bond in many ways.
Well-Acted and Solid Performances in ‘The Son’
While the show peaked at a rating in excess of 80%, it was generally met with mixed reviews beyond this. However, this was largely due to the entire concept of it having a kind of familiarity that always made it feel derivative in many ways. Nevertheless, one way that it shines consistently is through its performances — led ably in that aspect by Brosnan. As Jen Chaney of Vulture notes:
“As noted earlier, the acting in The Son is uniformly strong, starting with Brosnan, who returns to a starring role in an ongoing series for the first time since Remington Steele. Trading his James Bond suaveness for a more drawly sort of swagger, Brosnan makes a commanding, slightly world-weary megalomaniac. Nothing he does here is subtle — even when he takes a sip of ice-cold lemonade, he does it with the utmost conviction — but he stops short of outright chomping on the scenery.”
For many, Brosnan epitomizes charm and is magnetic on screen. This is why he’s often still regarded by many fans as one of the best James Bonds all these years later. However, while he’s certainly the focal point in The Son, the show has other performances going for it too.
Other cast members, like Henry Garret and Zahn McClarnon, were also hailed by many audiences and critics alike. What it all meshed together to produce was an overall solid show that had great performances anchoring it. Ultimately, it might not have been the greatest TV show of its generation by any stretch. However, The Son was one of those Western shows that are just good and certainly not a waste of time for those who choose to watch it. Season 1 of The Son is now streaming on AMC+.
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2025-03-17 04:34