Hulu snuck up on us last week and, without warning, dropped a gem of a gritty period drama that sucked us right into its story of ambition, violence, and desire. Created by Steven Knight, of Peaky Blinders notoriety, A Thousand Blows is a gritty, bloody boxing drama set in mid-1800’s London. But that’s not all. The boxing is just a distraction—albeit a delicious one—from what’s really going on here: a group of outsiders (lower class) first demanding more than society is willing to give them, then downright taking it when they're denied. This is one irresistible, binge-worthy series you should absolutely watch.
Inspired by the true-life stories of a group of characters battling for survival in the brutal East End of London in the 1880s, A Thousand Blows casts a spotlight on a very different gang than those Knight introduced us to in Peaky Blinders. This narrative—beautifully wielded but brutal—depicts the first organized, all-female shoplifting gang in London known as the Forty Elephants, who really existed. But there are other gangs running around, don't misunderstand me here.
A city-wide syndicate of women who lacked the right to vote but seized the right to pilfer the prized possessions of the upper classes, the Elephants operated with stealth, grace, confidence, and ferocity, running through London picking pockets, robbing Harrods in quick smash-and-grabs, and carrying out every other unlawful act their Queen, Mary “Mare” Carr (Erin Doherty, of The Crown)—noted in history as “one of the most dangerous women in the metropolis”—can think of. Their mission is to combat unfairness in a city that sees the less fortunate as savages.
A Thousand Blows also follows the plight of a pair of best friends newly emigrated from Jamaica, Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby, of Devils) and Alec Munroe (Francis Lovehall, of Champion). It also puts us right in the path of murderous gangster Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham, of Bodies), who desperately clings to everything he’s forged out of rage over the course of his life: his reputation, his pub, and his boxing ring, which he looms over with his brother Treacle (James Nelson-Joyce, of C.B. Strike). As the East End Emperor, Goodson terrorizes the community, and that’s how he likes it. But there is one person he cannot terrorize, and that’s Mary Carr, and he knows it.
The series opens with the arrival of Hezekiah and Alec, who witness the Elephants in all their brilliance hard at work the second they step off the boat. And let me just tell you, the Elephants in action are exciting (and inspiring) to watch. With no resources and barely any money, Hez and Alec are shoved to the filthy East End of London, which is ruled by the vengeful, grumpy bare-knuckle champion Sugar Goodson. There, they find respite at a boarding house called The Green Dolphin, which is run by Mr. Lao (Jason Tobin, of Warrior), who is all too familiar with being ostracized by racist Londoners. The boarding house also serves as the new headquarters for Forty Elephants Queen Mary Carr.
Hezekiah is a brawling beast, much like Sugar, so his arrival in the East End is threatening, in more ways than one. Sugar’s reign as the god of bare-knuckle brawling is challenged when Hezekiah nearly beats him, but his pride is threatened when he sees that Mare has her own interest in the Jamaican. It isn’t long before news of Hezekiah’s boxing skills reaches the West End of London and he’s invited to play in their ring, which rubs Sugar the wrong way and threatens everything he’s worked to establish. So, essentially what we wind up getting is an up-close-and-personal look at West End boxing with gloves, rules, and civility versus East End boxing full of bare knuckles, combat, and biting… no holds barred.
A Thousand Blows does a masterful job of depicting the filthy, dangerous, brutal underbelly of London’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene. It also successfully depicts strong, ambitious characters—male and female—full of power and grit intertwined with weakness and vulnerability. It explores life in 1800s London , as well as what life as a woman of lower class was like during this time. It was limiting and ugly. So, it was up to them to take their lives into their own hands. And plenty did.
Erin Doherty is outstanding as Mary Carr, Queen of the Forty Elephants. She’s rough, tough, selfish, manipulative, and 100% business. Even when it comes to intimacy, she’s all business… until Hezekiah shows up. Likewise, her crew of Elephants are equally as tough and independent, and it isn’t long after the series kicks off (like, maybe a few seconds) that it’s made clear to us who runs things in the East End. Sugar might think he does, but he knows who’s really got him by the jewels.
Knight is known for writing ruthless characters who are smart, cunning, intense, and formidable, and his streak of doing so continues with A Thousand Blows. Stephen Graham is a beast in and out of the ring. He strikes, he delivers deadly blows, he bites, and he does whatever is necessary to quell the rage that fuels him. Malachi Kirby is nothing to shake a stick at either. He’s also a beast, just of a different nature. He’s quick, he’s resilient, and he’s got more heart than anyone in the room. And unlike Goodson, he’s able to control his anger and use it to win, not destroy.
A Thousand Blows certainly packs a knock-out punch, transporting viewers through narrative and atmosphere (and costumes!) into the heart of 1800s Victorian London, its clean, aristocratic, rule-abiding West End and its filthy, brutal, watch-your-back East End, to explore racism, sexism, greed, and revenge. With engaging stories about immigration, boxing, thievery, and survival all intersecting in the mud, grit, grime, and violence of those times, there’s certainly plenty of loose ends to tie up in a second season, which Disney+ has already confirmed is happening. Apparently seasons 1 and 2 were filmed back-to-back, so the chances that we'll see our story continued sooner than later are super high.
All six episodes of A Thousand Blows are currently streaming on Hulu.