Warning: Major spoilers for The Continental episode 1 "Brothers In Arms - Night 1" below!
Summary
- The Continental episode 1 reveals that the High Table, the ruling organization in the John Wick franchise, originated during the Roman Empire, making it over 2000 years old.
- The gold coin press stolen from The Continental's vault is believed to be irreplaceable and could potentially destroy the High Table if it falls into the wrong hands.
- The series explores new avenues beyond John Wick, which delves into young Winston's rise to power in 1970s New York and provides further insight into the High Table.
The High Table is the mysterious organization that rules the criminal underworld of the John Wick franchise, and The Continental episode 1 reveals something shocking about their origins. One of the elements that set the original John Wick apart from other action movies was the amount of world-building it featured, including the Continental Hotel itself. Subsequent movies would flesh out the franchise's lore even further while making the High Table - the largely unseen council of crime lords that seem to be the secret rulers of the world - the primary villains.
Following Wick's "death" in Chapter 4, the series will be exploring some new avenues beyond its original main protagonist. 2024 will see the release of movie spinoff Ballerina starring Ana de Armas, featuring a guest appearance by Keanu Reeves' Wick. Peacock's miniseries The High Table's Adjudicator (Katie McGrath) providing insight into how old the organization is.
The Continental Confirms The High Table Is Even Older Than The Roman Empire
The Continental opens with an intense action sequence, where Winston's older brother Frankie (Ben Robson) steals a gold coin press from the hotel's vault. This naturally puts him on the High Table's hit list, with the manager Cormac (Mel Gibson) pulling Winston back from London to use as bait to lure Frankie into the open. The Adjudicator, meanwhile, captures and tortures Frankie's partner Razo (Simon Wan), and calls the object the duo stole "the keys to the world" and one that could topple an organization that "pre-dates the Roman Empire."
The latter reveal is particularly eye-browsing raising, as it highlights just how old the High Table really is. The John Wick movies had previously suggested the organization went as far back as the Aztecs (which lasted from the 14th to the 16th centuries). The Continental's first episode confirms they reach as far back as the Roman Empire, which was founded in 27 BC. The series understandably kept the origins and founding of the High Table a secret, but the reveal they've existed for over 2000 years and managed to remain hidden from the real world the entire time gives an insight into how powerful they are.
Why The Coin Press Could Finally Destroy The High Table After Thousands Of Years
Gold coins are the currency of the John Wick universe, where even a simple drink costs one coin. The movies have never made it clear precisely how this currency works, though it's believed the coins essentially pay for favors and act as a sign that the person paying for a service is trustworthy and part of the same underworld.
The gold coin press stolen from the Continental's vault appears irreplaceable to the High Table, with The Adjudicator ominously stating its theft could "topple" the organization. Of course, followers of the movies will know this doesn't come to as the High Table is functioning just fine decades later. Still, it underlines just how invaluable the coins are to this secretive council and how the loss of the press could be enough to destroy them