In the likes of Dune , See , or Game Of Thrones , the outsized physicality of Jason Momoa has always been put to ferocious use. There’s a visceral strength to his every sneer or battle cry, the kind that can casually rip studio artifice asunder. It feels somehow fitting, then, that Momoa's best performance yet is based on a real-life warrior who forever changed the history of his native Hawaii, an ocean away from Hollywood.

Momoa (who also co-created the series, co-writes, and directs the epic ninth episode) plays Kaʻiana, a real-life Native Hawaiian warrior from history. In the opening episode, Momoa seems to be almost channelling Aquaman , leaping into the ocean and wrangling a shark, but this role is actually his best showcase yet as a dramatic actor. Torn between worlds,

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