By Shivam Das · Updated October 12, 2026
Quick answer: The Admiral Benbow opening in MGM+’s 2026 Treasure Island can feel more like a family melodrama than a traditional pirate adventure because it foregrounds Bess Hawkins’ choices, her charged encounter with Billy Bones, and Jim’s unusual memory before the voyage becomes the central attraction. That emphasis is a deliberate change in focus—not proof that the series has abandoned adventure altogether.
The new adaptation begins with a familiar promise: a stranger arrives carrying the secret that will pull a young hero into danger. But this version spends time on the emotional and strategic calculations around the inn. Bess is not simply waiting for Jim to inherit the story; she is an active participant in the decisions that set the voyage in motion. For viewers expecting immediate swordplay, that shift can feel like a detour.
Why the Admiral Benbow scenes feel soapy to some viewers
Melodrama often grows out of charged conversations, withheld information and relationships in which every person wants something different. The opening uses those ingredients: Billy Bones has a map and a dangerous past; Bess sees an opportunity as well as a risk; and Jim is trying to understand a world in which adults are making decisions around him. Those competing motives create tension, but they are quieter than a chase or a sword fight.
The flirtation and negotiation around Billy Bones can also change the tone. Instead of presenting the inn only as a launchpad for Jim’s adventure, the series makes it a place where adults bargain, test one another and conceal their intentions. That can add psychological texture, although viewers who came for a brisk pirate yarn may find the emphasis overextended.
Jim Hawkins is still central—but the story shares the spotlight
Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel is framed around Jim’s growth into a resourceful young adventurer. The television adaptation broadens the family dynamic by giving Bess a more substantial role. The official series description places mother and son together at the center of the discovery of Captain Flint’s map, while the cast guide identifies Tom Sweet as Jim and Hayley Atwell as Bess.
That expansion has a trade-off. Bess can feel more decisive and dramatically interesting, but the opening has more people and motives to establish before Jim’s journey fully takes shape. If the balance later shifts toward Jim’s choices and consequences, the slower setup may pay off. If it does not, book purists may reasonably wonder why the familiar protagonist feels less dominant.
The adventure arrives through suspicion, not spectacle
The opening’s strongest adventure mechanism is the map itself: it gives each character a reason to lie, cooperate or take a risk. The suspense depends less on immediate action than on the audience asking who knows what—and who is using whom. Once Jim and Bess set sail aboard the Hispaniola, that uncertainty can travel with them.
Long John Silver is another important part of the tonal shift. David Oyelowo plays a figure whose charm and danger can be expressed through restraint rather than constant theatrical menace. The official first-look material presents Silver with his parrot, while the premiere’s wider setup positions him as a calculating presence whose plans threaten the fragile alliances aboard ship.
What the Guardian review actually says
The Guardian’s October 12, 2026 review awarded the series two out of five stars and used the headline “Treasure Island review – this TV stinker does its best to ruin a literary classic.” The review questions the addition of a superpower and argues that the young hero is reduced to an afterthought. That is a critic’s assessment, not a measurement of how every viewer will respond.
The distinction matters: criticism of the adaptation’s larger creative choices is not the same as proof that every scene in the Admiral Benbow sequence fails. The opening can be judged on its own terms—whether its character tension builds anticipation, whether its dialogue earns the time it takes, and whether it gives Jim a meaningful path into the adventure.
Is the slower opening a flaw or a setup?
The fairest verdict is that the opening makes a clear bet: character conflict first, open-sea adventure second. That approach can deepen a familiar story, particularly when Bess and the other adults have genuine agency. It can also dilute the immediacy that readers associate with Stevenson’s novel if the scenes repeat the same emotional beats without moving the plot forward.
Episode 2 will be a useful test. The official episode guide says the story continues aboard the Hispaniola, with Bess seeking protection, Silver laying groundwork for mutiny and violence disrupting the voyage. Those developments should reveal whether the opening’s negotiations were laying track for a tense adventure or simply delaying it.
Watch the official trailer
The official trailer offers a look at the series’ mix of family conflict, shipboard tension and pirate adventure.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the Admiral Benbow opening feel like a soap opera?
It spends substantial time on flirtation, family dynamics, negotiation and hidden motives before the sea voyage becomes the focus. Viewers who prefer fast action may find that emphasis slow.
Who plays Bess Hawkins in Treasure Island (2026)?
Hayley Atwell plays Bess Hawkins, Jim’s mother. The adaptation gives Bess a more prominent role than many readers may expect from the classic novel.
Who plays Jim Hawkins?
Tom Sweet plays Jim Hawkins, the young protagonist whose journey begins at the Admiral Benbow Inn.
What did The Guardian rate Treasure Island?
The Guardian’s review published on October 12, 2026, awarded the series two out of five stars and criticized several of the adaptation’s creative choices.
Where can viewers watch Treasure Island?
The series premiered on MGM+ in the United States on October 11, 2026. Paramount+ UK and Ireland lists the UK premiere for October 12, 2026. Availability depends on territory and subscription.
Sources and further reading
- The Guardian: Treasure Island review, October 12, 2026
- Paramount+ UK & Ireland: Treasure Island guide and first-look images
- Rotten Tomatoes: Treasure Island Season 1 episode guide
Editorial note: Promotional images are credited to Paramount+ UK & Ireland. This article discusses a critic’s published opinion separately from its own analysis; audience consensus should not be inferred from a single review.