The six part first season of Netflix’s Tribes of Europa manages to draw upon and balance a number of genre and textual influences in a manner which, whilst derivative, nonetheless makes for an enjoyable binge watch. The six part first season of Netflix’s Tribes of Europa manages to draw upon and balance a number of genre and textual influences in a manner which, whilst derivative, nonetheless makes for an enjoyable binge watch.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which some undefined event referred to as ‘Black December’ has left Europe’s technology unusable and society divided into a number of micro-states, Tribes uses its first episode to establish an engaging, if not entirely original sphere of action, in which our primary protagonists – spouses Liv, Kiano and Elja – live a minimalist life in the woods as part of the ‘Origines’ tribe. The Origines are a peaceful, almost new-age, group of survivors who have made their way in this new world by keeping themselves to themselves and living off the radar. Meanwhile, other micro states, most notably the militia-like Crimsons and the violent and bestial Crows, are at war across a larger battlefield, each with their own particular cultures and values and, indeed, their own motivations and desire for continental domination.

The world-building on offer across six episodes is economic but engaging, each episode establishing and then building quickly upon the fundamental sci-fi-rooted conventions, vocabulary and culture of this post-‘Black December’ society. The Crows are particularly repellent – a bloody and aggressive population which seems to be modelled in part upon an extremist terrorist organisation like ISIS, combined with the gothic visuals of some steampunk cult on drugs – although certain elements of the Crimsons, this society’s de facto good guys, are not without their faults.

The series’ producers have obviously been taking notes from recent English-language productions including the likes of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games, although that is not to say that Tribes of Europa, with its indebtedness to prior genre titles and their narratives is completely without merit. The first episode’s no-holds-barred approach toward depicting the Crows’ violent raid on the Orignes – up close and personal cinematography combined with unashamedly visceral shock tactics – is pure, adrenaline-pumping television that surpasses the action set pieces of many bigger budget American productions. The gradual reveal of the wider world and its different warring factions is similarly engaging, as is the almost pantomime villainy of the Crows ‘Kapitan’ and the eccentric rogue Moses (Dark‘s Oliver Masucci) who steals every scene he’s in.

Over six episodes, Tribes of Europa captured my attention in way I wasn’t perhaps expecting, and I would very much like to see where it would go next, should (fingers crossed) the series get a second season.