Netflix’s television series The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself is a British fantasy drama created by Joe Barton and based on Sally Green’s young adult fiction novel Half Bad, which is part of a trilogy. Its first eight episodes have been well received with rave reviews, describing the fantasy show as a treat for witchy fans with its dazzling magic, heart-wrenching, storyline and plot-thickening twists; you will be kept on the edge of your seat episode by episode.
The series follows the story of Nathan Byrne, a young 16-year-old and illegitimate son of the “World’s Most Dangerous Blood Witch,” Marcus Edge. Nathan has been watched his whole life by the Council of Fairborn Witches, as they fear he would follow in his fathers’ destructive footsteps, but the conflict between the Blood Witches and the Fairborn Witches escalates and Nathan becomes the target of a modern-day witch hunt. As he embarks on a life-or-death quest, Nathan discovers his true identity and the sort of person he really is.
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Unfortunately, the show was cancelled a mere two months after its debut, but will hopefully attract fans over time as a cult classic TV series that was cancelled too soon. For those who have yet to delve into the magic, let’s take a look at the characters of the show.
Jay Lycurgo as Nathan Byrne
Netflix
Jay Lycurgo takes on the role of Nathan who captivates us in the first series with an emotional storyline. Lycurgo is perfect as Nathan just wants to be accepted into his community, but due to his legacy he is bullied and hated and, in the beginning, feels he has no one to turn to. However, when he discovers his powers, he goes on the run to fight what he believes in alongside his friends and fellow magic users, Annalise and Gabriel. You can also see Lycurgo in The Batman, Titans, and War of the Worlds.
David Gyasi as Marcus Edge
David Gyasi portrays the infamous Marcus Edge, Nathan’s father. Marcus is known for slaughtering most of the high-ranking members of the Fairborn Council single-handedly; he’s thus deemed a monster who kills for the sole purpose of stealing Fairborn witches’ powers. However, this dark myth is far from the truth as Marcus’ fight is not for self-gain but for justice and revenge.
Marcus’ power to transform himself into various animals makes him the most dangerous witch in the world. His preferred animal to transform into is a wolf. He also has the ability to inherit a witch’s power once they die after he has eaten their heart. Gyasi is known for his parts in major motion pictures such as Annihilation, Interstellar, and Cloud Atlas.
Isobel Jesper Jones as Jessica Byrne
Isobel Jesper Jones portrays Jessica Byrne, the bloodthirsty half-sister of Nathan. Jessica spends her life blaming Nathan for the death of their mother and takes everything out on him and those around her. She has so much built up rage inside her that Jessica inflicts pain on both the Blood Witches and the Fairborns, claiming it is for the cause.
Jessica’s most dangerous skill is shape-shifting, being able to manipulate people, making them feel safe and trusting her before she goes in for the attack. She doesn’t fear anything which is her biggest advantage, which would have made Jessica likely to become a major villain in season two if it had happened.
Nadia Parkes as Annalise O’Brien
Nadia Parkes has been seen by fans as Claire Clairmont in Doctor Who, but here we see her take on the role of Annalise who was raised to believe that Fairborns are good and Blood Witches are bad, but her father, Soul O’Brien, the head of the Fairborn Council Protection Unit, does things to make Annalise question everything about herself and how she was raised.
As her friendship and love affair with Nathan develops, she begins to relate to him and sees him for who he truly is. Annalise’s powers to separate objects and living things into tiny individual pieces brings her character into her own, making her a force to be reckoned with.
Emilien Vekemans as Gabriel
Despite his movie star good looks and expert fashion, Gabriel (Emilien Vekemans) is a loner and an experimenter who leaves a devastating trail of broken hearts behind him wherever he goes. Whilst working for Mercury, one of the most well-known blood witches, Gabriel leads a life of corruption and wickedness in his free time.
However, everything changes for Gabriel when he falls in love with Nathan, and he is finally able to break the spell he has been under since a child. Escaping with Nathan, he is able to create a new life for himself and discover who he really is.
Karen Connell as Ceelia
Nathan has been watched over by Ceelia his whole life and she is the one who protects not just Nathan but other innocent lives of both Fairborn and Blood witches like. She trains Nathan for combat and becomes his closest ally when he embarks on his travels with Annalise and Gabriel. When things get heated, she is able to cool them down with her power to freeze. Karen Connell is no stranger to playing witchy roles and can be seen as the Angel of Death in the show Vikings.
Paul Ready as Soul O’Brien
Paul Ready plays the power-hungry Soul O’Brien. He is the Executive Administrator for the Fairborn Council Protection Unit, but his plant-growing powers have never been good enough for him and he has spent his life wanting to prove himself. He kills so many people on a quest for vengeance, some of whom are close to him, but his mission turns into something twisted and distorted.
The only person Soul truly trusts is Jessica who pledges her loyalty to him, ignorant to the fact that he is the real reason for her pain. You can also see Paul Ready in his role as Henry Goodsir in The Terror and Lee in the masterful British thriller series Utopia.
Róisín Murphy as Mercury
Róisín Murphy takes on the role of the Blood Witch Mercury, and there’s a good reason why Nathan’s grandmother wouldn’t call on her for help — she loves to cause chaos and cannot be trusted. She has a twisted illusion of motherhood, keeping children as house pets and taking pleasure in wiping their memories of everything they love. The end of season one sees Mercury form an alliance with Jessica, and one wonders just how much trouble they would’ve caused if The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself had continued.
