Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s Western series ‘American Primeval’ revolves around Sara Rowell, who embarks on a perilous journey through the American West from Philadelphia to take her son, Devin, to the latter’s father in Crooks Springs. When she becomes stranded and falls under the threat of a group of bounty hunters, she is rescued and accompanied by a man named Isaac Reed. He puts his life on the line to take the mother, son, and an eloped Native American girl who joins them to their destination. The historical drama takes place during a significant period in the country’s history, making these protagonists appear rooted in reality. However, their origin is intricate enough to warrant a comprehensive explanation! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Sara Rowell is a Fictional Character Who Opens a Window into the Turbulent 19th Century
Even though ‘American Primeval’ is partially based on real people like Brigham Young and actual events such as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Sara Rowell does not have a definite counterpart in reality. When Mark L. Smith was writing the series, he wanted a character to open a gateway into the world and the conflicts between the early Mormons, the US Army, several Native American tribes, and the pioneers who searched for a new home in the American West. The screenwriter conceived Sara as his “guide” through this setting and a witness who introduces the aforementioned events and figures to viewers.
Through Sara’s POV, the show takes the viewers to Fort Bridger, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the harshness that prevailed among the human beings who existed at the time. To establish the character within this setting, she was conceived as a mother who is willing to go to any lengths to protect her son. Since the protective instincts of a mother are universally comprehensible and appealing, the Western drama doesn’t take a long time to explain why this protagonist risks her life to embark on a life-threatening journey. What makes Sara a realistic figure is the lack of any sort of exaggeration, as far as her character arc is concerned.
Sara is not presented as a figure who is highly heroic or fearless. Instead, through her vulnerabilities, the series explores how women lived in the 19th century. “We wanted to be really true to 1857 and paint a real picture of what it must have been like for a woman who was raised in a society that told her, ‘Okay, your job is to sit in a pretty dress and write a letter and then go to sleep, or wait for people to visit you and get married. And die reading a pearl-embossed Bible in a bubble,’” Betty Gilpin, who plays Sara, told Vanity Fair. To capture the nuances of her character, the actress also relied on literary works such as Charlotte Brontë’s ‘Jane Eyre,’ which delves into the plights of women in the 19th century.
Isaac Reed is an Archetypal Western Hero Who Also Makes American Primeval a Survival Show
Like Sara Rowell, Isaac Reed is also a fictional character who does not resemble any one particular real-life figure. Instead, he can be seen as an archetypal Western “hero” whose experiences are utilized to paint a picture of the American West. Isaac’s qualities can be compared with the characteristics of countless characters with whom we are already familiar. His reclusive, lone-wolf life is a major trait of many Western protagonists, including Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s ‘Dollars Trilogy.’ Isaac’s sense of justice and morality makes him look after Sara and her family, even if it means putting his life on the line, just like Gary Cooper’s Will Kane in ‘High Noon.’
When Mark L. Smith conceived the Western drama, what he had in mind was a survival series drawing inspiration from Sydney Pollack’s ‘Jeremiah Johnson,’ starring Robert Redford. Since any narrative in the genre needs a resilient figure who tries his/her/their best to beat the odds to remain alive, Isaac became an essential part of the series. He comes across several threats throughout the 6 episodes of the show, ranging from piercing arrows out of nowhere to the bullets of bounty hunters such as Virgil Cutter. He attempts to overcome all these challenges to protect himself and his companions, which becomes the foundation for the survival narrative in the series.
Ultimately, Isaac represents the countless real-life figures who lived on the fine line between death and survival in the American West in the 19th century. Through his plights, ‘American Primeval’ shows how hard it was to exist in the same tumultuous period when lawlessness caused chaos and deaths day after day.
Read More: American Primeval: Are Jacob and Abish Pratt Based on Real Mormons?
