The Buzz: ‘Kin’ An Irish Crime Family in Turmoil
Kin is everything anyone could expect or want from a television show, focusing on an Irish crime family working to stay together and beat the odds in a crime world that is trying to crush them into oblivion. The show follows the expected tropes of a crime family drama to a T. While unfortunate that the show lacks originality in genre, Kin is nonetheless entertaining and enjoyable to watch. Though the show does not break any new ground, it steps on the same ground with both finesse and expertise. It is never about, ‘I know where this is going’ but rather, ‘I am excited to see what happens next.’
The series is produced mainly by the national broadcaster of Ireland RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann), airing on the RTÉ television network as well as streaming on AMC+. The story follows the Kinsella crime family after a hot-headed member of the family stirs up trouble with a larger and more powerful gang. The whole Irish crime world is soon turned upside down when an unspeakable act of violence happens against a member of the Kinsella family and in retaliation, they start a war with the opposing gang. With the Kinsella family gang being much smaller, they are quickly outnumbered and outgunned. The show then becomes about survival rather than all-out war. The family must stick together, but under this much stress and dealing with their own personal issues, being a Kinsella at a time of war becomes harder and harder to do. Someone has to step up when it all comes crashing down because, in this family and in this profession, any mistake could mean your life.
One of the best aspects of the show is the casting. All of the actors and actresses are from Ireland, and there is some serious talent that can be seen while watching the show. The standout performances can be seen in the characters Michael Kinsella (Charlie Cox), Frank Kinsella (Aiden Gillen), Eamon Cunningham (Ciarán Hinds) and Nikita Murphy (Yasmin Seky). A strong aspect of each of their performances is that, when other actors in the show act during more quiet and conversational scenes, they seem as though they are reading lines off of a prompter, whereas these actors add depth in their conversations through facial expressions and body language to illustrate what is happening inside the minds of their characters.
While watching the show, it is very easy to look past obvious flaws simply because the story moves very smoothly from one dramatic sequence to the next. However, some surface level flaws must be addressed because they stick out and dampen the overall smooth viewing experience. For example, a major viewing point to the show is that it is set and filmed in Ireland, starring only Irish actors. Ironically, the only things Irish about the show are the locations and actors. The show does not take advantage of any Irish culture. If you took the script and filmed it in New York City, with actors from the United States, nothing would stick out in the story. This is a problem because the identity of the show relies so much on “Being Irish”, but does not do that at all beyond the surface level. Also, the show likes to reuse the same musical theme to heighten dramatic moments in an episode. Imagine the feeling of hearing the classic horror motif of the violin signaling a jump scare, and you just roll your eyes and know something is going to scare you. In Kin, that is the “Main Theme” score that pops up into scenes more often than it most likely needs to, with the intention of adding drama to a scene. It becomes so overused and stops working as a dramatic motif and becomes more of an annoyance. Below is the “Main Theme” score that I am referencing:
Regarding dramatic motifs, something that is special about the show is how grief is imbedded into the way the characters change, react, and grow. Many of the characters are motivated by grief in some way, shape, or form. That grief can push them forward or hold them back and becomes a tug-of-war in how these characters must develop. Grief is an emotional narrative device that is creatively used well.
Speaking on the narrative itself, there really isn’t anything new or fresh about the story. Especially with how much it reuses the same tropes set forth by other crime family drama series. Examples of these tropes are a family member dying (gotta watch to show to find out which one), drug use, drug dealing, family infighting, forbidden love, someone being disloyal to the family (a rat), etc. The list could go on. Watching Kin is no different from watching another crime family drama. The appeal though is that its lack of difference is a representation of a mastered skill in writing within the genre. This is exhibited by the show’s creators Ciaran Donnelly and Peter McKenna, with the show being completely written by McKenna. Working within a genre well is no easy task, and the fact that while following tropes it remains just as entertaining as some of the better shows within the genre is worthy of praise. The narrative is well done, and the character development is strong depending on the characters. Some characters go through immense changes while others are changed by the plot. Michael and Amanda Kinsella go through the most growth in the series and by the end, they feel like two completely different people. While Jimmy and Frank Kinsella also change but not by choice, the plot changes them. In essence, whether or not they want to change, change is inevitable. This dichotomy is universal when looking at all of the characters in the show.
Kin is an entertaining family crime drama, about how a family faces being attacked from all sides. The series flows well from one dramatic sequence to the next, with a talented cast that act behind characters that are well written by Peter McKenna. The series is nothing new in the genre, but it can be said that this first season is all about establishing Kin as a great crime drama series. It has something to prove to the competition and it is getting that out in the first season. It has a strong foundation for a greater series moving forward. The second season will be the deciding moment where the show will either experiment within the genre, or stay within its genre tropes. Only time will tell. For now, season one is a great watch and it can be watched now on AMC+.