The Rook (miniseries) explained

Genre:	Drama
Director:	Kari Skogland
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Episodes:	8
Location:	London
Network:	Starz

The Rook is an American television series, loosely based on the novel of the same name by Daniel O'Malley, and originally adapted by Stephenie Meyer. It was ordered direct-to-series at Starz in July 2017.^[1] Meyer left the series due to creative differences as the first and second episodes were being filmed.^[2] It premiered on June 30, 2019, in the United States on Starz^[3] and on July 1, 2019, in the United Kingdom on the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel.^[4] On March 4, 2020, Starz confirmed that they had decided not to continue it beyond the original eight episode miniseries.^[5]

Premise

Myfanwy Thomas finds herself at Millennium Bridge in London surrounded by dead bodies with no memory of how she came to be there. She soon discovers that she is an agent with supernatural abilities in a British secret service called the Checquy.

Cast

Main

• Emma Greenwell as Myfanwy Thomas, a Rook in the inner court of the Checquy
• Joely Richardson as Linda Farrier, the King in the Checquy
• Jon Fletcher as Teddy and Alex Gestalt, two of the four bodies sharing one mind, the Rook Gestalt
• Ronan Raftery as Robert Gestalt, a third body of the Rook Gestalt
• Catherine Steadman as Eliza Gestalt, a fourth body of the Rook Gestalt
• Adrian Lester as Conrad Grantchester, the Queen in the Checquy
• Olivia Munn as Monica Reed, an agent from the American BVA, a Checquy sister agency

Recurring

• Ruth Madeley as Ingrid Woodhouse, a Pawn in the Checquy
• Shelley Conn as Danielle Wulff, a Chevalier in the Checquy, their PR expert
• Gina McKee as Jennifer Birch, senior UK Government Minister responsible for the Checquy
• Barry Atsma as Peter Van Syoc
• Luke Roberts as Marcus Kevler
• Michael McElhatton as Lorik, a senior representative of the Lugate
• Aidan O'Callaghan as Apex Analyst
• Tamsin Topolski as Bronwyn, Myfanwy's sister
• James D'Arcy as Andrew Bristol, a former therapist for the Checquy
• Michael Karim as Nazim, an EVA with the ability to erase people's memory

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series received an approval of 44%, and a 5.83/10 average rating from 16 reviews. The critics' consensus states, "Though it teases some appealingly pulpy puzzle pieces, The Rooks dour tone and convoluted machinations overshadow its intriguing premise."^[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 62 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[7]

Production

Somerset House features as "Apex House", the Checquy headquarters overlooking the River Thames.^[8] The Port of Dover was used in the series when production filmed inside Cruise Terminal Two, outside quayside and along Cruise Terminal.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Starz Orders Drama 'The Rook' From Stephenie Meyer and Lionsgate. Stewart. Clarke. July 28, 2017. April 23, 2018. Variety.
2. Web site: 'The Rook': Lisa Zwerling & Karyn Usher Join As Showrunners, EP Stephenie Meyer Exits Starz Spy Series. Nellie. Andreeva. June 1, 2018. May 8, 2019. Deadline Hollywood.
3. Web site: 'The Rook' Gets Season 1 Premiere Date On Starz. Deadline Hollywood . Denise . Petski . May 8, 2019 . May 8, 2019.
4. Web site: First look at The Rook. Virgin TV Edit . May 20, 2019 . August 18, 2019.
5. News: The Rook Cancelled at Starz . Kimberly . Roots . . 2020-03-04 . 2020-04-08.
6. Web site: The Rook: Season 1. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. July 7, 2019.
7. Web site: The Rook: Season 1 . . . July 7, 2019.
8. News: Sarner . Lauren . ‘The Rook’ star Emma Greenwell had amnesia just like her character . . 27 June 2019.
9. Web site: Kent Film Office The Rook article. Kent Film Office.