The Continental: From the World of John Wick is a three-episode mini-series (these days usually advertised as "limited series" or "X-Part Event") which finished its run on NBC's Peacock streaming service this last Friday. Trailer ...
TL;DR: I wish we'd seen more concerning the nature of the High Table, but other than that and one non-TL;DR quibble it's a pretty solid prequel -- set in the 1970s, with a very 1970s vibe, and filled with plausible (to the extent that the John Wick universe is plausible) back story on key characters (Winston Scott and Charon).
Longer version:
The Continental: From the World of John Wick tells the story of how Winston Scott came to run, and Charon came to serve as concierge at, the Continental New York hotel, an establishment dedicated to providing room, board, and other services to assassins working for a shadowy underworld organization called the High Table.
At the beginning of the story, Cormac O'Connor (Mel Gibson) operates the Continental. At the end -- this is no spoiler, since he appears in the four John Wick films set decades later -- Winston Scott runs it.
In between, there's lots of 1970s music, lots of 1970s-style Blaxploitation kung-fu, and lots of 1970s-looking New York.
If you've not previously immersed yourself in the John Wick universe, the show will probably still be fun, but not as fun.
My non-TL;DR quibble: If you've followed my blogging on that universe, you know I'm utterly convinced that the John Wick films are Matrix films. There are just too many little clues pointing in that direction to ignore.
One of those clues, in the movies, is that everyone who's not involved in High Table related fuckery is completely oblivious to all the carnage going on around them. At the very most, there'll be a little running and screaming during the most violent street battles, but mostly people just walk past people engaged in mutual murder activities without even noticing. And in one film, Winston appears to stop the action, in the style of Matrix constructs, of everyone who's not part of the story.
In The Continental: From the World of John Wick, a significant character has absolutely no clue what the hotel is about, that the High Table exists, etc., yet takes a large role in the action. It's almost enough to convince me I was wrong about the connection. Almost ... except there are clues in this series that say yes, it's all taking place in the Matrix.
I'll discuss one set of those clues in comments, because in my opinion they constitute a spoiler.
One final note: You can "binge" the three-part event now ... but it was released in one episode per week fashion, just like old school TV. I prefer binge-ability in general, but I made an exception for this one and watched the episodes as they came out.
Anyway ... if you enjoy the John Wick universe, you will want to watch this show. You may not find it entirely satisfying, but it's well done, explains some things, and you won't want your time back. If you haven't watched any John Wick material, I suggest watching the movies first.
IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE SPOILERS, DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS ON THIS POST. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
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