A thief turned doctor, what could go wrong with that?
The “Artful Dodger,” Hulu’s newest drama, takes place in the 1850s in Australia. It follows the storyline of Jack “Dodge” Dawkins (Thomas Brodie Sangster) as he turns from thievery to medicine. This show, which finished its first season in November, is inspired by Charles Dickens’s “Oliver Twist”, but it is not an exact adaptation, but rather more of a guide.
In the novel, the Artful Dodger runs rampant with other criminals, some being children. The head of this children’s crew of criminals is a character named Fagin, who leads kids into a life of pickpocketing and other sorts of stealing. In the show, Fagin is played by David Thewlis who’s starred in “Harry Potter” and “Boy In The Striped Pajamas.”
Oliver Twist is not the shining character in this show. Rather, one of the side characters of the original novel, Dodge gets the spotlight. Throughout the show, Dodge makes a great effort to move away from his life of pickpocketing to that of being a doctor, but no matter how far or fast he runs, the past always finds him.
To navigate his new life, he creates connections with people who help him and get him out of the chaos he most definitely creates. One of those people is the Governor’s daughter, Lady Belle Fox (Maia Mitchell). Their bond not only benefits both of them but also leaves the potential for a more meaningful connection to come from it… if you know what I mean.
Belle has large aspirations to be a successful surgeon; however, during that time it was nearly impossible for a woman to get a shot at that world. Thus as she helps Dodge to clean up his mistakes, he helps her work towards her dreams in the surgical room. Disclaimer, do not watch this show if you get squeamish. There is blood, surgery and more blood.
To add to the stakes, just as Dodger gets his life on track, a person from the doctor’s past comes back to haunt him. This man, Fagin, was once like a father figure to Dodge. Fagin wants to rope Dodge into doing “one last job.” Unfortunately the “one last job” turns into many.
With all of the twists and turns, this timepiece show is lathered in snarky lines and cliffhangers, as well as storylines revolving around good friends and romance.
Additionally, the actors who play the villains, Damon Herriman and Tim Minchin, absolutely knock it out of the park making it easy to despise their characters. This show is also fast-paced, detail-oriented, has good background music and goes with the classic literature. You do not have to know the book to watch this show or to understand it. This show explains itself and has its own unique plot.
Overall, if you are looking for a period show or if you’re simply bored, this is a great watch that you can check out on Hulu. I truly love this production and believe that the cast and the plot and lines make it all worth your time.