Frontier

The fur trade in Frontier is a business in which bargaining power often means the ability to make somebody else's life dangerous. Jason Momoa plays Declan Harp, an outlaw challenging established commercial interests in eighteenth-century North America.

Momoa's physical presence suits the material, while the traders, officials and competing groups give the conflict more sides than a straightforward pursuit. Routes, supplies and access to buyers are worth fighting over because they determine who can continue operating.

The setting is one of the stronger attractions. Cold, difficult terrain makes the practical business of travel and survival part of the drama. The plotting is rougher, with some characters and disputes getting more convincing development than others. It is better approached as a forceful historical adventure than a reliable account of the period.

If the trading and territorial arguments in Black Sails appeal, this provides another struggle over a valuable commodity. Expect a less controlled series, but one with enough atmosphere and momentum to make its strongest passages enjoyable.