There are reimaginings, and then there are reimagings. "The Artful Dodger" is a period medical dramedy, set in Australia in the 1850s, and the lead characters are a grown-up version of the Artful Dodger and an aged Fagin from Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist." Dodger, now Dr. Jack Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) is a brilliant young surgeon in the fictional town of Port Victory. Unfortunately, in this era surgeons aren't paid and he has to survive off of tips from spectators when he performs his operations. He also has a gambling problem. In the first episode he finds himself in debt to dangerous people, and coincidentally his old mentor Fagin (David Thewlis) has just arrived as a transported convict from London.
Dawkins isn't happy about this turn of events, because he and Fagin parted on bad terms fifteen years ago, and he's determined that his past as a thief should stay in the past. However, as the situation grows more dire, he may not have a choice about returning to a life of crime. Then there's the matter of the show's third lead, Lady Belle Fox (Maia Mitchell), the governor's headstrong daughter who is keen to escape her dreary life of feminine pursuits and become a surgeon herself. However, she's not allowed to attend a surgery, let alone learn how to perform one. A few chance encounters with Dawkins and some minor blackmail, however, give her an opportunity to start training. She also introduces germ theory and anesthesia to the hospital, because this is that kind of show.
Fundamentally, "Artful Dodger" is built around capers, where every episode involves some kind of heist or scheme or bad situation that the characters have to finagle their way through. The tone is very light and fun, despite the sometimes gruesome subject matter. Port Victory is full of dangers from both the criminals and those who would civilize them. The law is represented by the awful Captain Gaines (Damon Herriman), who quickly develops a grudge against Dawkins, and Belle's weak-willed father, Governor Fox (Damien Garvey), who is easily corrupted. Our heroes have to outsmart both of them regularly. There are also dangerous surgeries in most episodes. We never see them up close, but there's a lot of black humor about amputations and practicing on corpses. The pace of the show is so quick, and the mood so energetic, however, there's not much chance to dwell on the nasty bits.
"The Artful Dodger" boasts some of the best casting that I've ever seen for a series. Thomas Brodie-Sangster, let's face it, could probably still get away with playing the kid version of Dodger despite being in his thirties. It's difficult to imagine anyone better suited for the role, and he's clearly having a ball doing it. Hopefully leading roles continue to come his way in the future. Meanwhile, I kept forgetting that it was David Thewlis playing Fagin, a somewhat hardier version of the character who can get into scraps with the Australian locals, but is still the silver-tongued, sly old rascal we all remember. Finally, bright-eyed Mitchell is well suited for all the bickering and flirting with Brodie-Sangster. Of course their characters are romantically entangled by the end of the season.
I was surprised at how much of a romance this turned out to be in the last few episodes, but it's handled very well. I don't see many shows these days that really commit wholeheartedly to a full throated love story, with big emotions, big declarations, and the whole works, and it's refreshing to see. By the time the dramatics really kicked in, the show had gotten me thoroughly attached to all the characters and invested in their problems. The actors are able to switch from farcical attitudes to more serious ones without any trouble at all, and the writing is strong enough that I was genuinely delighted to discover that this is where we were headed the whole time. It might feel like a bait-and-switch to some, but this is an approach I wish that more creators had the guts to try.
"Dodger" is an Australian production, and the show pings as more Aussie than Dickensian. Most of the characters are British, but there are a few Aboriginal Australian characters in the ensemble, including a robber named Red (Miranda Tapsell), who isn't shy about pointing out who she thinks the real criminals are in Port Victory. I wish we could have spent more time with them, but there's a lot going on. Maybe if there's a second season of "The Artful Dodger," we'll get out of Port Victory and see some of the rest of Australia. I hope that happens, because this is one of the few shows I've seen from 2023 where I immediately wanted another season after the finale.
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