It's "grotesque and completely unnecessary," say some
BBC One’s new drama Gunpowder has been described as “hideously brutal” and “barbaric” after its debut on Saturday night (October 21) included a torture scene that showed a woman being crushed to death under a weighted slab and man being hung, drawn and quartered.
The new show stars Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington as his distant relative Robert Catesby – the man who planned the infamous Gunpowder Plot of November 5, 1605. In the scene in question, English Catholics are being persecuted after the accession to the throne of the Protestant King James I.
On Twitter, the reaction to the show’s violent scene was intense. “Just threw up and cried ’cause someone got their intestines pulled out and hung and their head chopped off,” wrote one. Another posted: “Days later, still traumatised by the execution scenes.” One user described the scene as “one of the most painful things I’ve ever witnessed on TV.”
Holy sh*t that was so barbaric, I nearly threw up in my mouth 😰😰 #Gunpowder 💥💥
— LynneG (@lynger2000) October 21, 2017
Watching gunpowder and just threw up and cried cause someone got there intestines pulled out and hung and their head chopped off WTFF
— liv (@Livvxwhite) October 21, 2017
Feeling traumatised. #Gunpowder is hideously brutal. Humans can be terrifyingly cruel. 🙁
— mother inferior (@motherinferiorb) October 21, 2017
Days later, still traumatised by the execution scenes in #Gunpowder 😫Was merely changing channels & came across that brutality 🤢
— Christina (@christy9410) October 23, 2017
OMG this is grotesque and completely unnecessary. We know it happened but it's not suitable for entertainment. #Gunpowder
— jane (@janeysomerset) October 21, 2017
This execution scene is one of the most painful things I've ever witnessed on TV #Gunpowder
— Megan 🐝 (@meganmaryrose) October 21, 2017
Still recovering from the hung, drawn and quartered scene in last nights #gunpowder
— Charlotte Dubec (@CharlieDubec) October 22, 2017
Not everyone objected to the level of violence on display, though. “This is real accurate history,” wrote one Twitter user. “How many people complaining… happily watch GOT and The Walking Dead?” Another said “it has to be [graphic and gory] for us to understand the depth of persecution, and why Catesby and co. did what they did.”
How many people complaining about the gruesomeness happily watch GOT and The Walking Dead? This is real accurate history! #Gunpowder
— Glen Miller (@glenmiller85) October 21, 2017
I can't believe how many people here have no knowledge of how brutal all the sectarian violence through our history was. 🙄#Gunpowder
— Kaz (@kazzani) October 21, 2017
Yes, it's graphic & gory, but it has to be for us to understand the depth of persecution, and why Catesby & co did what they did. #Gunpowder
— Knitty42 (@Knitty42) October 21, 2017
Brutal but historically accurate. Maybe you more delicate souls should go to bed before 9pm if it upsets you. #Gunpowder
— DDD (@heavenrise) October 21, 2017
Gunpowder continues next Saturday (October 28) at 9.10pm on BBC One.
