Turn: Washington's Spies - The Complete First Season

We've all heard of Benedict Arnold the man whose name is synonymous with being a trader and a turncoat, but did you know there is a secret history hidden within the records of the Revolutionary War? There were men who changed the course of history through clandestine codes and hushed deceptions. They weren't super spies, just ordinary people, but they were the original American secret intelligence.

The new AMC series "Turn: Washington's Spies" is ramped up for its second season, so the first season is out on Blu-ray. Based on the book "Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring" by Alexander Rose, these first 10 episodes are a history of the Culper Ring.

As the series begins, it's 1776 and insurgents have declared war on the Crown, but His Majesty's Army has forced George Washington's rebels into the wilderness. New York City is a key military base for the British, so in the villages surrounding the city many people are on the lookout for sympathizers and spies.

A struggling farmer from Setauket, Long Island Abraham Woodhull (Jamie Bell) tries to remain apolitical, until an unpaid debt and an affection for another man's wife, Anna Strong (Heather Lind), forces him to make a choice to save the lives of two of his childhood friends Benjamin Tallmadge (Seth Numrich) and Caleb Brewster (Daniel Henshall).

Woodhull's father, Judge Richard Woodhull (Kevin McNally) makes the young man publically swear his allegiance to the British Army (supposedly to save him from being convicted for a murder he didn't commit). But Abraham's public and his personal personas end up being very different things.

Though General George Washington's army is now in dire straits, the efforts of Woodhull and his comrades will turn the tide of the American Revolutionary War.

The lush period costumes and settings are a joy to watch, and the history is fascinating to behold, but it is truly Jamie Bell's compelling portrayal of the protagonist that kept you watching this series.

There are two featurettes in this three-disc Blu-ray collection, each about five minutes long. "The History of 'Turn: Washington Spies'" features Alexander Rose and the producers of the show discussing the hidden history of Revolutionary intelligence, and "From Art to Image" covers the detailed art direction, properties and costumes that were built for the series. There's also a whole slew of deleted scenes, though many of these are merely extended cuts of existing scenes.

"Turn: Washington's Spies - The Complete First Season"
Blu-ray
Not Rated / 452 min.
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