I’m a huge John Wick fan. Since the 2014 launch of the franchise, I’ve been absorbed in the life of the highly skilled assassin.

Wick, real name Jardani Jovonovich, is drawn back into a world he had left behind to exact revenge on Russian gangsters who killed his dog. In the name of beagle justice, he carves his way through hundreds of deadly assassins.

The action has gotten more intense in each succeeding film in which Keanu Reeves plays the eponymous widowed hitman, but only up until the ambiguous conclusion of Part 4. Uncertainty surrounds the possibility of a fifth instalment. Many questions remain unanswered about Wick’s life as a result, such as when did he first meet Helen, the love of his life who left him the puppy? Why does he dress like the world’s most dangerous waiter?

An origin story, the most popular Hollywood cliché, could be used to explore these as well as many other intriguing questions.

With the popularity of the franchise, it was only a matter of time before the Wickverse was expanded.

The Continental is a three-part television series based on the New York hotel made famous by the movies as an assassins’ haven. Here, a safe haven is offered to all types of criminals, psychopaths, and gangsters in exchange for a specially created underworld currency. There are only two rules: you must not break a vow symbolised by a blood oath known as a marker, and no blood must be shed on continental grounds. If you do, your access to resources and privileges is terminated, and you’re declared ‘excommunicado’. A bounty is placed on your head, and it is open season.

In the movies, Ian McShane plays the charismatic manager Winston, and the late Lance Reddick played Charon, his loyal concierge. We discover how this formidable pair – played by Colin Woodell and Ayomide Adegun – honed their relationship in this prequel. The young Winston will be immediately recognisable to anyone who has seen McShane in action. We are introduced to him in London, where he is plying his trade to con a wealthy businessman. Adegun’s Charon is a teenage immigrant just starting out at The Continental, dealing with the ever-so-crazy, Bond villain-like manager Cormac.

Mel Gibson was brought in to play the fiery manager in order to add a dash of star power. A number of publications have criticised the casting of the controversial actor, questioning whether the decision to cast ‘an actual villain’ was a deliberate directorial decision to give the role more intensity in real life. Albert Hughes, the show’s director, defended the Lethal Weapon star, praising his skill and professionalism on set.

However, Winston is not part of the initial setup. The focus is on Winston’s extraordinarily talented brother, Frankie, a Vietnam veteran turned petty criminal trying to gather enough money to flee New York. We follow Frankie as he commits an audacious robbery against the backdrop of a New Year’s Eve disco, all while being accompanied by a glorious soundtrack. We get our first taste of Wick-style action – stylized, single-shot takes and awkward pauses to reload guns – here after the not-so-subtle caper alerts security. Although it lacks the fast-paced relentlessness of the movies, the set-piece is well choreographed.

It turns out the item Frankie stole was essential to The Continental’s survival. Now furious, Cormac instructs his goons to track down Winston and bring him back to New York so that he can assist in locating his now-wanted brother. Winston now returns to the world he thought he had left behind while being pursued by Cormac’s hitmen. Young Winston is wise but not particularly intimidating when confronted by old enemies. Out of his element and back in New York, the sharply dressed con man seems like a small fish in a very large ocean. And soon, the sharks will start to circle.

However, a tragic event serves as a catalyst for change. Winston begins assembling a crew to kill Cormac and wreak chaos at The Continental as the episode comes to a close. Will he succeed? If the John Wick movies are any indication, the question should be how, not if. It simply depends on how many weapons – guns, knives, and swords – are needed. Sit back and watch the growing death toll.

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