The Continental Episode 1 review: A “good” guy turns bad and Katie McGrath returns

The Continental — John Wick’s spin-off — just premiered its first action packed episode and cements itself as a part of the universe.

At long last The Continental — aka the John Wick spin-off mini-series — has finally aired the first of its three episodes.

Set in an alternate version of the 1970s, the series follows Winston Scott, the eventual owner of the hotel, as he tries to get himself and his family out of danger.

As the first episode of The Continental just premiered, the show has proven that it belongs in the John Wick universe and introduces fans to a whole new cast of colorful characters. Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Continental Episode 1…

The Continental keeps up with John Wick’s action

One of the biggest mysteries going into the series was if the show would be able to keep up with John Wick’s tradition of complex and perfectly choreographed action sequences.

Thankfully, from the very beginning of the show’s first episode, The Continental shows that fans had nothing to worry about as Frankie, Winston’s brother, shoots his way out of the hotel in a way that is very much John Wick inspired.

Not only is the action scene creative and fun to watch, it shows that John wasn’t the only hotel guest to break The Continental’s golden rule: no business is to be conducted on the grounds. In Frankie’s case, his consequence is more guards while John saw a bounty be put on his head.

Frankie’s shoot out with The Continental staff isn’t the only impressive action sequence, as Winston fights off more Continental guards in London and a ragtag group of friends who shoot their way out of an illegal gun sale.

As John Wick is best known for its use for violence, it’s cool to see it’s spin-off series hold up the tradition.

Brothers stick together no matter what

The driving force for the series stems from the relationship between Winston and Frankie, two brothers who are sent on the wrong path, as the show begins with Frankie being sent to jail at a young age.

While Winston isn’t a complete angel as he makes his money by scamming wealthy businessmen, he still isn’t involved in the criminal underworld like his brother is.

However, after Frankie steals a priceless piece of equipment from The Continental owners — also known as The High Table — Winston is forced to find his brother and try to save him from certain death.

Although this doesn’t work entirely (Frankie is killed at the end of Episode 1), Winston seems to have vowed to take revenge against The Continental, its manager Cormac, and The High Table itself, proving that, while you have maybe internal beef with your family, you’ll stand up for them no matter what.

Katie McGrath’s seconds of screen time steals the show

McGrath plays The Adjudicator, a characters fans first saw in John Wick: Chapter 3 who acts as a spokesperson for The High Table.

Fans were already so excited to see McGrath in the series as she hasn’t been seen in anything since her last appearance in The CW’s Supergirl in 2021.

In The Continental, McGrath’s character is seen as a threatening presence towards the end of Episode 1 as she oversees the murder of Frankie’s heist accomplice.

Although McGrath is only in the episode for a few brief minutes, she completely steals the show as she commits 1000% to being evil and showcases why Winston and his crew should be afraid to come face to face with her in the upcoming episodes.

The Continental Episode 1 review score: 4/5

The Continental Episode 1 is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish and sets up a dangerous plot going into the last two episodes as Winston tries to seek the ultimate revenge and take his place as the owner of the assassin hotel.

The Continental Episode 1 is now streaming through Peacock. In the meantime, check out our other John Wick coverage below:

John Wick: Chapter 4 review | Is John Wick true? | Killa explained | Ranking the movies | Is there a post-credits scene? | Marquis explained | Ballerina cameo | How long is Chapter 4? | Caine explained | Potential Chapter 5 | What happens to Charon? | 13 Best John Wick kills | Post-credit scene explained | Does the dog die? | Keanu Reeves on emotional ending | Is Chapter 5 streaming? | Movies to watch if you like JW | Will there be a Chapter 5? | Ballerina spinoff