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Every story about a rock bands rise and demise eventually hits the same beats.
The members argue and develop massive egos.
They get hooked on drugs.
Actually, were not into music, answers Pistols guitarist and co-founder Steve Jones (Toby Wallace).
All these touches are unusual and a little experimental.
But they dont feel actively dangerous, not in the way that BoylesTrainspottingfelt a little dangerous back in 1996.
The kind of chaos the Sex Pistols generated and embraced was rooted in unpredictability.
This frustrating sense of familiarity is exacerbated by the series flirtations with lesser-known elements of this narrative.
The most truly edgy element inPistolmay be Anson Boons electric portrayal of John Lydon, a.k.a.
Johnny Rotten, the volatile frontman and face of the Sex Pistols.
Underneath the posturing, John also shows moments of decorum and gentleness.
Its a performance that keeps revealing itself, which is the opposite of predictable.
To be fair, there are moments that succeed in recreating the bedlam involved in being a Sex Pistol.
Its obviously been crafted with reverence and care.
But its proof that genuine anarchy cant be recreated.
