Review: The Artful Dodger

I admit I haven't read Oliver Twist. I haven't even seen the 1968 movie, the one that won six Oscars, including Best Picture.

Even so, I am vaguely familiar with Charles Dickens' classic tale about a gang of juvenile pickpockets in 1830s London. So when I saw that Disney Plus and Hulu were streaming a highly rated sequel to Oliver Twist in the form of an eight-part series, I jumped on it.

I'm glad I did. The Artful Dodger is not just good television. It is top-notch entertainment, the kind that is increasingly hard to find.

Set in Australia in the 1850s, Dodger follows the adult double life of Jack Dawkins, the leader of the original band of thieves. Now a surgeon who learned his trade in the Royal Navy, Dawkins tries hard to bury his criminal past and start a new life in a wild and rugged penal colony.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster stars as Dawkins, while David Thewlis and Maia Mitchell shine as Norbert Fagin and Lady Belle Fox, the people who complicate the Dodger's life. Fagin, Dawkins' surrogate father, tries to lure the Dodger back into a life of crime the moment he arrives in Australia. Belle tries to pick his brain. The bright, beautiful governor's daughter strives to become a surgeon in a world run by men.

Other characters, including Belle's family, rival surgeons, local officials, and even Oliver Twist himself, add spice to a riveting series.

Though I enjoyed the production from start to finish, I was drawn most to Dawkins' relationships with Fagin and Belle, which develop wonderfully in the series. Even the somewhat predictable ending was first-rate.

I would recommend the The Artful Dodger to any viewer who likes humor, history, and a compelling, fast-moving story. Rating: 5/5.