The Underground Railroad

The wife and I are 5 episodes in and so far its excellent, but there's a few things you should know before jumping in, spoiler free.

Number one is this show is not historically accurate in anyway and that's okay, but you should know that. The only true thing about this show is that slavery existed and there was an "underground railroad", but that is not accurately represented.

The Underground Railroad in this show is a literal railroad and in the historical sense it was not, but rather used as a way to secretly communicate the movement of runaway slaves to the north. There are also several other historical inaccuracies, but again that's okay as long as you look at the show as a complete work of fiction that has SOME historical context.

That being said, the show is excellent when you omit historical accuracy. Its a great work of fiction with good acting, cinematography, directing and writing. Very enjoyable and look forward to seeing the end of the story.

Barry Jenkins does what he does best! Beautiful cinematography, amazing score, excellent casting and acting, the pace is deliberate (if not a bit slow). Stand out episodes South Carolina, Fannie Briggs (for the cinematography), Indiana Winter (whew). I love that there aren't any standout stars to distract you as well....that being said you will see a lot for this cast in the future. I definitely recommend but I don't think you should binge it. The subject matter is heavy and you need to allow time to absorb the subtle details.

This 10-part series is filled with deeply impactful scenes of the African-American experience in the South and southern Indiana in the pre-Civil War era.

Cora Randall, the escaped slave, and Arnold Ridgeway, the slave catcher, are unforgettable characters. Some of the violence is extremely graphic.

The series takes a magical realist approach to the story, which is not my favored approach to fiction. I found some symbolism very distracting and the many very dimly-lit scenes hard to follow.

Worth watching.

The enormously well-received series starts strong with an incredibly powerful pilot episode, and a very interesting second one. But that's where the charm ends, and the show becomes obsessed with incredibly boring white characters. I dragged it out till episode 8 so far, and will definitely finish the show - but I think it should just have ended at Episode 2.

Arnold Ridgeway - the most pathetically boring character invented in 2021.

This movie, based on a Pulitzer-winning fantasy fiction novel, is heavy with emotion, violence, and even hope. Those who are looking for fast-paced action or historical accuracy may not enjoy it, but those who appreciate strong characters and a rich story will find it rewarding.

While it throws out some realism to make way for historical metaphors, it stays fiercely loyal to the themes of this dark time in our nation's history. The viewer's emotions are taken on a rough ride with complex characters (especially Homer) and continually changing circumstances.

I'll watch this series many times, and now cannot wait to read the book.