mashable-rss

Watch Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United in the Europa League for free from anywhere in the world.

TL;DR: Live stream Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United in the Europa League for free on Tabii. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Europa League hasn’t been a welcome distraction for Manchester United this season. Erik ten Hag’s side haven’t won in this competition yet. They haven’t lost either, but a win would have been nice as they are tough to come by in the Premier League right now.

Fenerbahce will be desperate to pile on the pressure as they host Manchester United in the Europa League. José Mourinho is in charge of Fenerbahce, adding another level of spice to this matchup.

If you want to watch Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United in the Europa League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United?

Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United in the Europa League kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on Oct. 24. This fixture takes place at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.

How to watch Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United for free

Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United is available to live stream for free on Tabii.

Tabii is offering free live streams of the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League for the next three seasons. Tabii is geo-restricted to Turkey, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Turkey, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Europa League from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United on Tabii by following these simple steps:

Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

Open up the app and connect to a server in Turkey

Sign in to Tabii

Watch Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Europa League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United (plus more Europa League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Tabii?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Tabii, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries including Turkey

Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

Fast connection speeds free from throttling

Up to eight simultaneous connections

30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Fenerbahce vs. Manchester United in the Europa League for free with ExpressVPN.

Read More 

Live stream the 3rd Test between Pakistan and England for free from anywhere in the world.

TL;DR: Live stream Pakistan vs. England (3rd Test) for free on Tamasha. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Test series between Pakistan and England has delivered some big moments from some of the best players in the world, and we’re expecting more of the same in the final Test. The score is tied at 1-1, so everything rides on this epic conclusion.

The good news for fans is that it’s possible to live stream this final Test match from anywhere in the world. And better yet, you can watch all the action without spending anything thanks to a simple hack.

If you want to watch Pakistan vs. England (3rd Test) for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Pakistan vs. England (3rd Test)?

The 3rd Test between Pakistan and England takes place from Oct. 24 to Oct. 28. This Test match takes place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

How to watch Pakistan vs. England for free

Pakistan vs. England (3rd Test) is available to live stream for free on Tamasha.

If you can’t access this free live stream in your location, you should consider using a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Pakistan, meaning you can access free live streams from around the world.

Access free live streams of Pakistan vs. England by following these simple steps:

Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

Open up the app and connect to a server in Pakistan

Visit Tamasha

Stream Pakistan vs. England for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Pakistan vs. England (3rd Test) without committing with your cash. This clearly isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream this Test series before recovering your investment.

If you want to secure permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Tamasha?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live cricket on Tamasha, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries including Pakistan

Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

Fast connection speeds free from throttling

Up to eight simultaneous connections

30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Pakistan vs. England (3rd Test) for free with ExpressVPN.

Read More 

Here’s the answer for “Wordle” #1223 on October 24, as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.

If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for October 24’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.

Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:

Loves to give orders.

Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?

There is one letter that appears twice.

Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…

Today’s Wordle starts with the letter B.

The Wordle answer today is…

Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today’s Wordle is…

BOSSY.

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.

Read More 

Connections is a New York Times word game that’s all about finding the “common threads between words.” How to solve the puzzle.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for October 24’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

Yellow: Timetable

Green: NYT services

Blue: Papercrafts

Purple: French

Here are today’s Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

Yellow: Lineup

Green: NYT Offerings

Blue: Things Made by Folding Paper

Purple: French Words

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections #501 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

Lineup: BILL, PROGRAM, SCHEDULE, SLATE

NYT Offerings: AUDIO, COOKING, GAMES, NEWS

Things Made by Folding Paper: AIRPLANE, CRANE, FAN, FORTUNE TELLER

French Words: ADIEU, BELLE, PAIN, TEMPS

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.

Read More 

Peacock’s new comedy, about a woman whose previous sexual partners are mysteriously dying, premieres Dec. 19.

Peacock’s new comedy, about a woman whose previous sexual partners are mysteriously dying, premieres Dec. 19.

Read More 

Tom Hardy is back and bonkers as ever as Eddie and Venom in “Venom: The Last Dance.” Review.

Tom Hardy is a one-man comedy duo who deserves better than Venom: The Last Dance. The English actor has played a variety of tough guys, from gangsters (Legend) and supervillains (The Dark Knight Rises) to the ultimate road warrior (Mad Max: Fury Road). But he might be at his very best as the oft-frustrated journalist Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote Venom, who is basically intrusive thoughts in the form of a goo demon. And for three movies (more if you count post-cred cameos), Hardy has been fighting valiantly for the love story that is Eddie and Venom’s.

From Venom to its sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Sony embraced what jaw-dropped audiences warmed to in the first film, which was chiefly the undeniable chemistry between Hardy and… himself. Sure, one was bolstered by explosively slick and sick CGI to make the alien come alive. But Hardy, grumbling excitedly as an alien ready to rage (in both the vengeance and party senses), was unabashedly entertaining. Now, in the third entry, Venom: The Last Dance, Hardy’s anti-heroes are in an all-out war — not just against a canonical bigger bad but against the franchise requirements that weigh this sequel down. 

It’s clear Sony still can’t decide what to do with their Spider-verse, and more specifically its flashiest non-Spidey star. (Sorry, not sorry, Madame Web and Morbius!) 

Venom: The Last Dance has way too many plotlines. 

Following the events of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Eddie/Venom (Hardy) are on the run as they are wanted in the death of Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham). After grabbing drinks at a bar in Mexico (yes, calling back to the post-credit scene with Ted Lasso‘s Cristo Fernández), the dastardly duo decides to road trip to New York City, where Eddie plans to blackmail a judge to clear his name. It’s a perfect plan, obviously, and a great setup for on-the-road hijinks. Excellent! However, then the MCU effect kicks in. 

While Eddie/Venom are making their way out of Mexico, a new cranky villain lurks in a dark otherworld, surrounded by giant insect monsters with many, many teeth. This is Knull (played by Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis), a scary ancient evil thing who wants a never-before-mentioned MacGuffin that Eddie/Venom happen to have. So while they’re on the run from the cops, the pair must duck the stalking monster and the US military forces out to imprison them at Area 51.

As if all that weren’t enough plot, Venom: The Last Dance also works in a tragic backstory for a traumatized scientist, Dr. Teddy Payne (Ted Lasso‘s Juno Temple), and a daffy family of van-living hippies who really want a close encounter with an alien. (Good news for them!) All of this combined makes for a rollercoaster of a movie, with heady highs of bonkers Looney-Tunes-like action and comic book spectacle, and frustrating lows made up of cumbersome exposition scenes.

The screenplay by writer/director Kelly Marcel, who wrote Venom: Let There Be Carnage, has enthrallingly funny moments. But it ties itself into knots setting up Knull and Payne, who will clearly have bigger roles to play as the franchise barrels on. (Last dance, my foot!) Marcel sacrifices the zany exuberance and propulsive spontaneity of Hardy’s performance by frequently abandoning him for gratuitous exposition dumps. All of Knull’s scenes look the same, playing like a dimly lit teaser for a video game. The gray-haired villain is bound to a throne, grumbling threats with his head hung, over and over with no build in tension or information. And if you can’t piece together what he’s up to from his muttering, don’t worry because Venom will explain it, as will another symbiote and several other human characters. As if “creepy alien aims for world-shattering conquest” is a new concept in superhero movies. 

When Venom: The Last Dance embraces Tom Hardy’s vision, it is glorious. 

While the Venom of the comics and the video games can be a gnarly horror, Hardy’s spin on the character is far more charismatic. As we saw in the rave sequence of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the lobster tank in Venom, and various scenes in Last Dance, this Venom is like a pesky little brother, fueled by chocolate, blood lust, and roaring impulses. Venom: The Last Dance is at its very best in these moments of chaotic inner conflict. 

For instance, a drunken Eddie can barely stand, but Venom wants one more drink. So not only does he roar “TEQUILA!” with the enthusiasm of a frat boy on his 21st birthday, but his shiny black tentacles explode from Eddie’s back to give his own spin on Tom Cruise’s Cocktail agility. It’s a mess, and it’s uproariously hilarious. Other sequences that relish this playful mayhem involve a stolen horse, stowing away on an airplane from the outside, and a joyful dance number with Venom’s beloved Mrs. Chen (the divine Peggy Lu) to the music of ABBA. (Of course, Venom is an ABBA fan.) 

It’s not just that Venom gets to be the chaos demon we love to live through vicariously. It’s that Hardy playing Eddie is his perfectly matched straight man. Whether facing the indignity of losing a shoe, getting peed on by a drunk stranger, or making things awkward while warning off a could-be foe, Hardy grimaces, grins, and huffs with supreme comedic timing. As Eddie and Venom, Hardy is both Abbott and Costello, Lemmon and Matthau, Martin and Lewis. And as outrageous as everything around him is, he’s even able to ground more heartfelt moments of bonding because it’s impossible not to root for them, the oddest couple. 

Venom: The Last Dance delivers plenty of action, graphic and goofy. 

Though rated PG-13, this Venom movie is pretty wildly violent. It starts off strong, giving Venom the chance to chow down on the heads of bad guys. Later, several humans will be put into the organic extraterrestrial version of a woodchipper, resulting in mists of blood. And as other symbiotes and alien beasties come out to play, all bets are off as the violence gets more comic, full of explosions, slithering limbs, and variously colored viscera. 

Fans of Venom’s lore will likely thrill over a climax that has all kinds of symbiote variants joining the fray. (Think Deadpool and Wolverine‘s climax with much more slime and less swearing.) And yet the most thrilling action moments are during a chase scene that’s far less about violence than it is Venom leaping from one river-living critter to another to escape the clutches of the military. Venom as a fish! Venom as a frog! Venom making Eddie — ever so briefly — into a merman! These seem like Marcel pitches that could have been killed off by studio notes, and yet here they are — madly entertaining, absolutely ridiculous, and all the more miraculous because of it. 

In the end, this makes for a movie that, like its predecessors, is a mess. Where Eddie and Venom have largely come to terms with being two very different personalities sharing the same vessel, Venom: The Last Dance feels at war with itself. On one hand, it is a silly road trip comedy enhanced by the shapeshifting silliness of its eponymous alien goofball. On the other hand, it’s a straight-faced sci-fi drama about alien invasion. The former is kinetic, surprising, and uniquely thrilling as it collides genre expectations with a no-fucks-given energy. The latter — despite noble efforts from Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor as a military leader, and Clark Backo as a spirited symbiote ally — is a slog, dragged down by cumbersome drama, stern speeches, and an aching lack of Venom. 

Venom: The Last Dance is therefore one-half of a wonderful movie. Still, it’s worth sticking through the rest for a totally gonzo finale that’s somehow equally absurd and moving. 

Venom: The Last Dance opens exclusively in theaters Oct. 25.

Read More 

The final three episodes of “The Legend of Vox Machina” Season premiere Oct. 24 on Prime Video. Watch an exclusive clip.

The final three episodes of “The Legend of Vox Machina” Season premiere Oct. 24 on Prime Video. Watch an exclusive clip.

Read More 

Netflix has dropped its trailer for “Hot Frosty”, a festive rom-com about a woman magically bringing a handsome snowman to life.

Netflix has dropped its trailer for “Hot Frosty”, a festive rom-com about a woman magically bringing a handsome snowman to life.

Read More 

Erin Lee Carr’s latest documentary ‘Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara’ investigates the mystery of ‘Fake Tegan’, a hacker who has been terrorizing the legendary band for over 15 years.

Erin Lee Carr’s latest documentary ‘Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara’ investigates the mystery of ‘Fake Tegan’, a hacker who has been terrorizing the legendary band for over 15 years.

Read More 

Directed by Greg Maclean, Netflix’s ‘Territory’ is ‘Yellowstone’ meets ‘Succession’ on an Australian outback cattle station. TV review.

Netflix‘s Territory provides an apt metaphor for itself during its first episode, as cold-eyed scavengers circle injured prey. Though their victim fights for survival, the opportunistic carnivores stand poised to finish it off and fill their bellies from its carcass.

Having seen two episodes of Netflix’s new Australian series, it’s too early to say whether Territory‘s Marianne Station will emerge unscathed from the power struggles and predators that threaten it. No matter how it ends, it could easily get just as bloody. Yet beyond the fighting and scheming, at its true core, Territory is the universal tale of a stressed out mum who has to do everything around this place.

What is Netflix’s Territory about?

The quickest way to describe Territory is as Yellowstone crossed with Succession in the Australian outback. Directed by Wolf Creek‘s Greg McLean and filmed on location in the Northern Territory, the six-episode series focuses on the Lawson family, fifth-generation ranchers who own and run an enormous cattle station about the size of Belgium, the fictional Marianne Station. However, you can’t be a king without others coveting your crown. 

When the ranch’s line of succession is unexpectedly thrown into question, the Lawsons begin jostling for position. Rival ranchers and wealthy mining magnates are also moving in on the ranch, sensing weakness and discord amongst the ruling family. Then there’s the Traditional Owners of the land, Australia’s Aboriginal people, who have a stake in the game as well. 

Between the big ranching business, high stakes family drama, internal and external power struggles, and the issue of inheritance, comparisons with Paramount’s Yellowstone and HBO’s Succession are both inevitable and justified. However, Territory does appear closer to the former’s Western melodrama than the latter’s corporate absurdity. While there is an occasional spark of wry Australian humour courtesy of Emily Lawson’s (Anna Torv) brother Hank (Dan Wyllie), the show largely plays it straight, focusing on drama and violence. This seems a shame, as these scant moments add a refreshing levity to the series that differentiates it from the glut of self-serious television. 

Instead, Territory works to distinguish itself by embracing its Australian nature, emphasising wide landscapes of red dirt, dangerous wildlife, and leaning heavily into the local culture and vernacular. This naturally means that there are elements in Territory which a non-Australian audience may not catch, such as certain nuances regarding language or Indigenous land rights. You’ll probably want to switch on subtitles if you’re at all concerned about deciphering Australian accents as well. Even so, such details don’t bar understanding of the series’ overarching story. There are enough context clues for non-Australian viewers, who could even learn some local slang while they’re at it.

And regardless of language, everyone can recognise a toxic, dysfunctional family.

Who are the Lawson family in Netflix’s Territory?

While Territory‘s Lawsons are technically a family, there’s little familial love to go around. Patriarch Colin (Robert Taylor) rules and overrules Marianne Station and everyone on it, viewing his relatives as disappointing, scheming wretches who cannot be trusted with the family legacy. In Colin’s eyes, the only other competent Lawson is his youngest son Daniel (Jake Ryan).

Colin’s eldest son Graham (Michael Dorman) is an alcoholic, having turned to drink after the death of his first wife. The couple’s son Marshall (Sam Corlett) is estranged from the family, preferring to spend his time in the company of less law-abiding folk. Graham’s second wife Emily (Torv) comes from a family whose habit of stealing livestock is widely known. Finally, Graham and Emily’s daughter Susie (Philippa Northeast) has dropped out of university and is a woman — a fact which prompts Colin to dismiss her as heir to Marianne Station despite her enthusiasm for running the ranch.

Though the younger generation are slightly more modern, the Lawsons in general are tough, rough people who aren’t given to softer expressions of emotion. No tears are shed despite close personal loss marking Territory‘s first episode, as emotional repression and bullheaded pride lead the Lawsons to largely deal with their feelings via alcohol, fistfights, and stone-faced gruffness. Self-serving callousness is far more common here than consideration. In the type of place where people will start a bidding war at a funeral, the Aussie concept of mateship apparently remains a mere concept in Territory. 

With such scant affection between most of the Lawson family, some of whom are so severely flawed as to be unsympathetic, it feels inevitable and perhaps for the best that this Australian cattle dynasty falls apart.

The paradox of tradition in Territory

Despite this, the Lawsons continue to fight for Marianne Station’s survival, forced to follow a patriarch driven by pride, legacy, and tradition. Yet stubborn loyalty to tradition is also their largest obstacle to securing the ranch’s future, with Colin unreasonably basing decisions on pride rather than viability. He may want to keep the Lawson men in positions of authority, but the women are undoubtedly the more competent members of the family.

Then there is the omnipresent, unspoken issue of the Lawson family’s claim to the land being based on European colonisation. Indigenous ownership is widely recognised in Australia, with an acknowledgement of country typically delivered when opening events. With tradition looming so large in Territory, it would be bizarre if the series didn’t include the Traditional Owners of the land.

Aboriginal stockman Nolan Brannock (Clarence Ryan) is one of Territory‘s most reasonable characters, and is largely uninvolved with the Lawson’s squabbling and posturing. Unfortunately, he is still subject to the family’s dominance, which directly impacts his personal aspirations. Nolan straddles two worlds and struggles to find appreciation in either, navigating business deals while trying to act for his Indigenous community, and working to build his own operation rather than keep an inherited castle from collapsing. It’s a notable contrast to the Lawsons, whose involvement in their local rancher’s association is explicitly self-interested.

The Lawsons claim Marrianne Station’s land as theirs because it was their father’s, and his father’s, and his father’s. Yet if this is the metric by which we measure ownership, one could argue that Nolan and Indigenous elder Uncle Bryce (Hamilton Morris) have an even stronger claim.

Anna Torv plays the ranch mum to everyone in Territory

Though such issues enrich Territory‘s world, the series’ focus is on the Lawsons, and primarily on Emily. Leading a strong Australian ensemble cast, Torv embodies a woman whose life has been a fight full of hard work, stress, and ethical compromises. While Colin holds ultimate authority at Marianne Station, it seems as though Emily is the only one actively working to keep it afloat (and keep the audience from actively cheering for the Lawson family’s decline).

A perpetually tense, no-nonsense disciplinarian who favours practicality over sentimentality, it’s easy to see Emily as the latest in a long line of women who must be smarter and sharper than the lacklustre men who heavily influence their lives. Emily is forced to act as the overburdened, underappreciated ranch mum in the absence of other reasonable adults, managing her milquetoast husband, navigating her hostile and misogynistic father-in-law, being a literal mother to Suzie and stepmother to Marshall, and taking a physical role in running the station.

Yet despite her competence, Emily’s claim on Marianne Station is the weakest as the only family member who isn’t a Lawson by blood. Her shrewd capability and acumen do make viewers want her to succeed. Even so, Territory makes clear that anyone who wants a happy ending will have to fight for it, perhaps even literally. Emily would probably be much happier if she gave up on the station, left her doleful husband, and absconded to somewhere less inhospitable in every sense. 

It isn’t just Australia’s animals that can kill you in Territory

Australia is famous for having a plethora of dangers that can kill you, a reputation that Territory leans into from the outset. The show quickly makes clear that it isn’t adverse to Game of Thrones-style nightmare-fuel endings in a confronting scene early on, though such brutality is infrequent and softened by Territory‘s refusal to relish in gore even where it would be appropriate. Still, it’s a clear signpost that Territory‘s violence will extend far beyond verbal threats.

This promise is made all the clearer through the presence of guns. Seeing Territory‘s characters pull guns on each other feels natural to the Western genre, and many viewers likely won’t bat an eye at such lawlessness, but it was jarring to me as an Australian. Gun violence isn’t a concern in Australian cities due to the country’s strict gun control policies. Even so, firearms are much more common among farmers protecting their livestock from predators, meaning Territory‘s characters certainly have access to such weapons, and can easily turn them on each other. 

Territory‘s early episodes largely stick to good old fashioned fistfights as per Australian custom. Even so, guns remain as a looming promise of inevitable violence. They’re a reminder that the situation can always get worse — and it probably will.

Territory marks its own

Territory aspires to be the next global television sensation, making a mark not just within Australia but beyond. In this regard, its obvious similarities to popular U.S. shows are both a blessing and a curse. If you enjoyed Yellowstone or the family drama of Succession, you may be more likely to give Territory a try. Alternatively, you may be less likely to give it a try having already had Yellowstone at home. 

Contending with such titles, Territory puts in the effort to set itself apart by embracing its distinctly Australian characteristics, making it different enough to be intriguing while still familiar enough to be comfortable. This Australian flair keeps Territory engaging even through a few predictable or underbaked plot points, luring viewers with a fresher take on well-known tropes — one sprinkled with red dust, dropped Ls, and swarming with crocodiles.

Territory rides onto Netflix Oct. 24.

Read More