This got my attention when I saw that Christian Bale played the lead: a former soldier and respected expert who is called in to investigate a lurid death at what was a nascent US military Academy.

What’s more, the series is based on a fiction book of the same title, in which a young Edgar Allan Poe, while at the Academy (he actually did briefly attend), is drawn to center stage amid the turmoil.

The portrayal of Poe is engaging, and as you can imagine, the language is elevated. Christian Bale is always fun to watch, but a strong cast did well to support the production. One well-known actress appeared whom I didn’t recognize under her costume and speech pattern. Keep an eye out for a starlet who made a name for herself dealing with, say, the supernatural. Two other veterans of Hollywood made cameos or played minor roles. One was Hollywood royalty whose early roles included a few minutes in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

WRH