The Yankee Dodge – The episode opens amid a card game. Dr. Jack “Dodger” Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) pushes all his money to the center of the table. The crowd chants “cut, cut….” Darius Cracksworth (Tim Minchin) signs an IOU before passing it to Dodger to sign. Dodger places his cards face-up on the table. Slipping his hand under the table, Darius switches a card from inside his sleeve before laying his cards on the table. Dodger accuses Darius of cheating when Aputi Savea (Albert Latailakepa) punches him. Darius snatches the IOU while Aputi scoops up the cash. Promising to get the money, Dodger rushes over to surgery where a and Dr. Rainsford Sneed (Nicholas Burton) are waiting. A coin toss earns Dodger the right to amputate Hugh Champflower’s (Mackenzie Fernley) shattered leg. Dodger offers a proposition of one pound if he can finish the operation in 29 seconds. Sneed asks when did he ever have a pound. After telling the crowd about their proposition, he warns Hugh that the next 30 minutes will be the worst of his life. He urges him to think of his favorite memory. It takes 28 seconds to complete the procedure. Sneed hands him a pound. Dodger gives Hugh medicine.

Lady Fanny Fox (Lucy-Rose Leonard) rushes upstairs to find Lady Belle Fox (Maia Mitchell) wearing a mask. Belle says a Lancet report states ether can be administered to keep patient from feeling pain during surgery. Fanny informs her of a possible suitor, Honorable Mortimer Smales (Tom Budge) impending arrival. Belle claims to be too busy. Fanny reminds her that she is to be married first. Belle says who and when Fanny marries should be up to her before agreeing to marry Smales but not now.

Dodger forces his way to the front of a crowd in time for the hanging. Charlie Salt (Jude Hyland) greets him as Captain Lucien Gaines (Damon Herriman) pulls back the lever. When the escaped convict drops, street urchins rush over to claim his shoes but Darius approaching sends them and Dodger fleeing. A short distance away, Dodger meets Aputi’s fist. Not really wanting any part of what is about to happen, Aputi shoves him to the ground. Darius threatens to remove Dodger’s hand if he doesn’t have his 26 pounds by Tuesday. Aputi helps him to his feet before punching him.

Emerging from his carriage, Smales is greeted by Fanny, Belle, Governor Edmund Fox (Damien Garvey), and Lady Jane Fox (Susie Porter). Reading from a note, he tells Belle that she feels his heart with delight. Belle says, “No, thank you.” Fanny stops her from leaving without speaking to Smales. Belle provides a short description of the human bowel before entering the house.

Port Victory Royal Hospital – Gaines assesses a group of convicts when a man collapses on the ground. Milly Wince (Sofia Nolan) tells Dodger that she stole her baby, Benjy, but he did not survive the trip. He says she can assist at the school. She denies being able to read. A man vows to teach her. When the next convict approaches, Dodger finds himself face-to-face with Norbert Fagin (David Thewlis), who he thought was hung 15 years ago. He threatens Fagin if he says anything about their past. Reminding him of his prison escape in London, Fagin demands he keep him off the chain gang. Gaines approaches asking if everything is okay. Dodger claims to have thought Fagin was contagious. Gaines says Fagin can complete the chain gang, even if he only lasts a short time. Dodger makes Fagin his convict servant but has to force him to retrieve his bag. He accuses Fagin of abandoning him in jail when he was a boy. Fagin claims to have come back but he had already escaped. He expresses how guilty it made him feel and believed he deserved to be hanged. Dodger forgives him. Fagin confesses to loving him in his own way.

Pointing to a place on the floor, Dodger tells Fagin that he can sleep there. He gives him clothes that belonged to Mr. Grundy who recently died from gangrene. Dodger says Navy Captain Grimm helped him escape. Fagin attributes Dodger’s good luck and surgery skills his pickpocketing training. Dodger tells him about his 26-pound debt.  Fagin hands him a pocket watch. Dodger demands no more pickpocketing.

Dodger demonstrates John Hunter’ popliteal aneurysm removal procedure when Professor Alistair McGregor (Kim Gyngell) demands to take over. Dodger reluctantly hands him the scalpel. Alistair cuts the wrong artery. Dodger frantically applies a tourniquet around the patient’s leg but his effort is futile. Sneed says the death is now Dodger’s loss because he tried to save the patient.

Alistair tells Edmund that Dodger is not a suitable candidate. Jane suggests Dr. Hopmoor. Belle informs her that Hopmoor killed a patient, an observer, and himself during the same surgery. Sneed agrees when Alistair describes Dodger as “insolent”.  Jane says Edmund must inform First Lord of the Admiralty that his great assessment of Dodger is wrong. Edmund announces his decision to wait until Dodger makes another error. Gaines arrives with a bundle of convict death warrants. Scanning one of the death warrants, Jane sarcastically says the threat a female chicken thief possess is obvious.

In a flashback, a man beats young Dodger (Finn Treacy) before locking him in a cell. Later, Fagin appears at his cell window. Vowing to never abandon him, Fagin stresses the need to lay low because the authorities are trying to pin a murder on him. Dodger pleads with him to not leave him there. Fagin claims to feel bad about leaving him there before rushing away.

Belle refuses to listen to Smales read his poetry. Jane reminds her that he is wealthy and suggests a tour of the town before sending him away. Smales claims his family founded several hospitals. Belle says he can give her a tour of the hospital. Edmund voices concern about her safety.

Dodger changes Hugh’s wound dressing. Hugh complains of phantom pain. Tim Billiberllary (Luke Carroll) fits Hugh with a wooden prosthetic leg. Dodger returns to his room to find Fagin trying to escape. Fagin isn’t limber enough after being in irons for four months. Jack helps him up and cracks his back. They go to a house where Jack instructs Fagin to be his mute servant. Peggy Gaines (Jessica De Gouw) comes to the door and lets them in. Fagin tries to steal things behind her back only for Dr. Dawkins to stop him. Peggy thinks Dawkins should try beating Fagin because she heard a beating can be nourishing for the imbecile. She shows Dawkins how the pain in his thigh is creeping upward. Once they leave, Fagin says this is perfect because Dawkins can distract the women and he can steal the jewels.

Dawkins informs him that the woman in there is Captain Gaines’ wife and his hobby is hanging people. Then, Dawkins tells him that he can’t use more voices because there is nowhere to hide there. Fagin questions who will have to explain their way out of it. Will it be the convict servant or the escaped convict master? Despite that, Fagin begins using voices anyway. Dawkins deals with a new patient who tells him about her sputum. Dawkins jokes about making Fagin smell and taste it. Fagin is particularly interested when Marianne Cracksworth (Andrea Demetriades) is given an expensive necklace. Once they leave, Fagin tries to convince Dawkins to steal the jewels.

Lady Belle Fox rides in a carriage with Mortimer Smales who annoys her with questions. It appears that their carriage hits a young thief. Fagin asks Dodger if he is going to the Governor’s ball. Dodger doubts he is going to get invited. Tim tells Dodger about the boy who was just hit by the carriage. Once Dodger makes it to the scene, he argues with Belle Fox about whether they’ll have to amputate the boy’s leg. Dodger says the Governor is banning ether so prof won’t let anyone near the hospital. He tells Belle to sod off until he realizes they’re going to need a carriage and she has one. Smales is left to walk. In the carriage, Dodger tells Charlie Salt (Jude Hyland) that he has seen much worse at sea. Belle complains about the possible amputation again.

Dodger says he’d give anything to trial that surgery but he won’t. He says the biggest risk to any surgeon is the addiction to feeling like God. Belle admits they’re not going to the hospital. Instead, they go to the Governor’s residence and Dodger understands she is the Governor’s daughter. Belle runs inside to get supplies. Although Dodger says otherwise, Fagin thinks this is good because he was in chains yesterday. Fagin says there is more to come now that they’re back together, but Dodger argues they’re not back together. Dodger says the last time he stole something was 15 years ago which is the same day Fagin left him in prison. Fagin calls him the best he ever trained. He doesn’t think Dodger is being true to himself. Eventually, Dodger relents and agrees to carry out one more job so he can pay off his debt.

Charlie is carried inside so Dodger can begin helping him. Belle tells him he can save the leg with ether. She calls to the guests so they can watch Dr. Dawkins perform the operation. Dodger tells Fagin to go get them. Belle helps Dodger with the operation while Fagin steals jewelry. The operation is successful and Charlie wakes up moments later. Marianne realizes that her jewelry is missing. Belle nearly faints and asks Dodger to take her upstairs. Captain Lucien Gaines searches Dawkins and finds nothing. Upstairs, Belle says Prof is her doctor but he is too scared to examine her. As he begins checking her, Belle tells Dodger he is a common thief. She threatens to turn him in. Dodger tries to stop her while explaining that Darius cheated him at cards.

Darius is going to take one of his hands if he doesn’t pay him a ludicrous debt. She will keep his secret if he makes her the first female surgeon. They hear a knock at the door before Dodger says he is thinking.

 

The Artful Dodger Review

The opening episode of The Artful Dodger was a mixed bag with some highs and lows. David Thewlis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster are good choices for their respective roles. The story isn’t complicated so it requires very little from the viewer. In fact, one could probably watch this in the background without missing anything important. The story is predictable as well so viewers can probably figure out what is going to happen before the episode even begins.

It is a good brainless watch although it is hard to give it more praise than that. The Artful Dodger is trying to be a fun, charming adventure, but it really doesn’t hit the target in either of those areas. The characters aren’t as likable as they could be and many of the humor attempts end up falling flat.

Set in 1850s Australia, the series is miscast. The intro is extremely too fast. The scenes mesh together, making it a tedious watch.

Honestly, many of the characters and the scenes are either cringe or just plain annoying. The soundtrack would also fit into that. The original Charles Dickens work has purpose while this really doesn’t. It’s just an annoyingly lifeless modern show that has lifted the name because that’s the only thing it has going for it at this point. The episode scores a 5 out of 10.

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