The Continental: From the World of John Wick, is, as its title implies, focuses upon the Continental Hotel from the John Wick films. The hotel was central to how the whole underground society worked in John Wick, and this series is supposed to explore that here. It is set as a prequel, much much earlier than the events of the first movie, on Winston Scott, and how he eventually became the proprietor of the New York branch of The Continental.
It doesn’t need to be said but if you were expecting something similar in the vein of the John Wick movies, then you’ll be disappointed. It’s not as action packed, but there are still surprisingly a lot of action sequences and gunfights. You’ll see younger versions of several familiar characters, but the show starts off with a character named Frankie, stealing something from The Continental. At this point in time, the society’s structure had already been in place for a long time, and the High Table was already established.
It turns out that Frankie is Winston’s brother, and thus Winston was brought in and threatened to find his brother to retrieve the thing that he had stolen. Winston hadn’t seen his brother for years, but still fosters a brotherly love with him, and is intent on fighting back against Cormac, the current proprietor of The Continental. He doesn’t yet know the full impact and scale of The Continental at this point, and not many people do.
To fully enjoy this series, a basic knowledge of the John Wick movies is required, at the very least, having watched the first movie, given that Charon, Winston, and The Continental Hotel is such a big part of this. With that knowledge, you’ll know that the big bad Cormac will have to go. At first, Cormac is charismatic and seems reasonable, but he eventually does a few things that proves that he is unhinged and is just yet another criminal at the heart of it. While not a complex character, he doesn’t fall into the trap of being completely shallow either.
The thing about the series is that it’s only comprised of three episodes, each around 1.5 hours long. So it is around the length of three movies. This allows it to move at a faster pace compared to normal TV shows, but still slower than the movies. It also must sacrifice on slowly building its world and characters, as it just doesn’t have the luxury of time for that. As a result, the series can at times feel that it is glossing over several things and rushing a few events.
The final episode is predominantly dealing with the final takeover of The Continental, as expected. It feels longer as a result since it is dwelling upon the final fight, as the team that Winston had gathered storms the hotel. Yes, things do not go accordingly to plan, but at the same time, it feels as if Winston still has everything under control. It tries to wrap up all the loose ends and gives us an ending that will somewhat plausibly explain how Winston got to where he was in the first John Wick movie. It can be a bit of a stretch, but considering how far back in time this prequel was, they could have said anything. Disappointingly, the way that Cormac was defeated wasn’t the most satisfying.
Overall, The Continental: From the World of John Wick is a decent enough standalone series that isn’t too boring and moves at a brisk pace. The shorter length gives it higher focus and the plot, however simple, still moves fast. It’s nowhere near the quality of the movies, but it isn’t trying to be as it is telling a tighter more personal story. The characters are charming enough to prop up the show, and while there are some superfluous characters, it is a worthwhile watch.
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