Buck Braithwaite and Will Stevens.
Credit: Netflix
We all know Alexander ‘the Great’ but do we? Mythologised extensively, and not just in the Alexander-Porus Amar Chitra Kathas and its ilk, it’s apt that the new Netflix docu-drama on the Macedonian ‘boy king’ is subtitled: ‘The Making of a God’.
Right from its beginning, the six-part mini-series builds, carefully and judiciously, a sense of impending greatness, a destiny that will inevitably be fulfilled. The episode begins with archaeologist Dr Papakosta overseeing a dig in present-day Alexandria, where every day she finds new treasures — an earthen lamp one day, a broken marble statue of Alexandar on another lucky day. We then move to 334 BC where Alexander (Buck Braithwaite), who is in a self-imposed exile from Macedonia, is sparring with his closest confidantes Ptolemy (Dino Kelly) and Hephaestion (Will Stevens). The documentary takes this opportunity to inform the viewers about how common same-sex relationships were in antiquity and how there were no labels or distinctions then for such pairings. Nice touch!
While many docu-dramas lose pace and structure when the experts weigh in, quite the opposite occurs in this one. A bunch of animated and lively university professors and researchers take the story forward, with infectious passion and enthusiasm. This is further bolstered by the periodic appearance of a solemn Egyptian priestess, quite the sutradhar of this multi-layered narrative, full of political intrigue and burning ambition.
The settings are befitting the majesty of the Macedonian conqueror. The cast is uniformly good and the shift between the personal dilemmas of the boy who wants to conquer the world and the sharp political brain and single-minded ruthlessness of the man he becomes eventually is convincingly portrayed. Entertaining and educative, this is a series that ticks all boxes. Plus, it ends on a high note, with the promise of a second season which everyone who has caught this will certainly wait for.