Tweed, Archaeology, and Johnny Flynn: Netflix Made ‘The Dig’ Just For Me

An archeological dig. British accents. The threat of World War II looming on the horizon. Tweed. Johnny Flynn staring intensely at a woman wearing glasses. Anglo-Saxon artifacts…

These are just some of the things that the new Carey Mulligan drama The Dig promises to bring to Netflix this weekend. More importantly they are hyper-specific interests of mine. Forget the smutty sex scenes of Bridgerton, The Dig might actually be the closest thing to porn on Netflix for me and for every woman who has secretly dreamed of being a beautiful widow in the English countryside sitting atop an earth-shattering historical discovery.

Netflix’s The Dig tells the story of the 1939 Sutton Hoo excavation in Surrey, England. In the 1930s, Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) realized that there were about 18 burial mounds on her property. Armed with an interest in archeology, Pretty asked local self-taught archaeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to attempt a dig. Brown and a team of archaeologists including Peggy Preston (Lily James) went to work on Pretty’s land on the eve of World War II. What they found — specifically an Anglo-Saxon funeral ship full of pristine artifacts and imported treasures — redefined historians’ understanding of the Dark Ages. Namely, it seemed that Ancient Britons had way more access to wealth and trade than was previously believed.

For me, there is almost nothing hotter than the sweet exploration of forgotten graves. Discovering how people lived millennia ago fills me with a sense of unbridled wonder. Excavations, such as the one dramatizes in Netflix’s The Dig, are as close as we have to resurrecting the dead in the modern world. Our preconceptions are smashed, our view of humanity is widened, and the actual work of getting all dirty with it comes with its own ready-made double entendres.

I mean, look at this funeral ship and tell me all you see is death, dust, and boredom!

(For the record, this is not exactly what I meant when I said Netflix’s The Dig was the closest thing to pornography for me, but if I had to see it in the Netflix press photo site, you do, too.)

So The Dig has plenty to offer a Dark Age doc-loving nerd like yours truly. However, it has way more than that. Its aesthetics are soft, tweedy, and full of the lazy ambiance of afternoon tea. The film’s visuals are “countrycore” to the bones, romanticizing the way a cloudy sky stretched above an empty green countryside can feel like a quiet slice of heaven. For someone who has been stuck in a cramped city apartment for a year, soft moss palate of The Dig feels like a vacation.

And then there’s Johnny Flynn…

Pushing aside my love of British history, British actors, British aesthetics, and British landscape, The Dig still has something that is guaranteed to get me hot, bothered, and tuning in. Johnny Flynn.

The actor/musician has been making folks swoon for years now, but it was last year’s Emma that really pushed him over the top for me. In that film, he transforms Mr. Knightley from a sardonic know-it-all into a soulful romantic (who just happens to also be a sardonic know-it-all). Johnny Flynn has a particular talent when it comes to staring deeply into the eyes of an actress onscreen. He not only makes you believe that he is one hundred percent bewitched by her, but probably also in love with you. Does it make sense? No. Does it make me swoon? Absolutely.

Netflix’s The Dig might seem to be an understated look at a sleepy subject, but for Anglophilic weirdos like me, it’s our Godzilla vs. Kong. Instead of a kaiju battling a giant ape, we get Ralph Fiennes doddering around with a put-upon accent, Lily James slumming it as an archaeologist in giant specs, and the sight of Johnny Flynn in period uniform. It is fire for those of us who prefer our stories to be chill, sweet, and full of chivalry. Most of all, The Dig‘s got a big Anglo-Saxon boat. All hail The Dig!

Watch The Dig on Netflix