Still Star-Crossed

In reading some of the reviews, I was rather surprised by some of the snooty remarks about the racially mixed cast. Especially, given that all the actors did an extraordinary job. Truly, they exceptional in their respective roles. I am, however a HUGE Anthony Stewart Head fan girl. He was so very dreamy as Giles. The set, costumes, and cinematography were absolutely gorgeous. In my opinion, the script adaption was done rather well for a TV series. The only reservation that I have keeping me from becoming fully invested is it's uncertainty regarding staying in production. I never fully recovered from NBC's dick move in canceling Constantine, (seriously I truly hate them for that). That all being said, I do hope for it to become a regular, especially with Scandal coming to an end, I will need something from ShondraLand to appease my broken heart.

As only episode 1 has been released from the new TV series Based on the book by Melinda Taub, Still Star-Crossed, I can only review the one, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

The scenery is bustling and rich, episode one starts you off just before the demise of Romeo and Juliet, setting the scene of the relationships the different character have with each other while also painting a grim picture of the threats that loom over the fair city of Verona.

The actors are competent and endearing, while again only one episode has aired I don't feel it in any way deserves a 1 star review, but then that could be summed up to bigotry and racism.. what else can you call someone who can't look past the colour of someone's skin? I especially like how Lashana Lynch has made Rosaline come alive on screen, from what I've seen she is a strong and fierce woman who speaks her mind.

It receives a strong 7 from me and I will be tuning in for episode 2 guaranteed!

I love this. It makes no attempt to pretend that its some kind of historically accurate representation - costuming for example is all over the place! But the fact that the cast is diverse - and its not an issue, it just simply is - is really refreshing.

Still star crossed is the post Romeo and Juliet story, focusing on the Montague's and the Capulets in the aftermath of the teenagers' deaths. Rosaline and Benvolio are forced into an arranged marriage in an attempt to unite their families and as you can imagine, there is a rocky road ahead as these two figure out they actually DO like each other.

I've seen this show get some heat, which I don't understand. Its not the best thing on television. But its certainly not the worst. Its fun, its a period drama and thus far, the cast seem great.

I'm definitely watching.

I hate classical dramas and such because of the loaded vocabulary that means BS to me. Period dramas are boring and dull, until BAM! Sex scenes that are eye catching full with nipples, boobies, and booty. That is all I have to say about the genre of period dramas.

BUT I'll have to make one exception-this exception. This is not a go-to boring old period Drama. I like it on how the cast is very diverse, it breaks boundaries and the stereotypical "black people are slaves" notion. Here black people are royalty instead of slaves in period dramas. Black people exist, and I am glad the creators decided to fall through the the plan based on talent. Though I want to acknowledge other actors/actresses who are a minority in the show as well, who I probably am unaware of their background and such because their chances to "make it big" in the industry are very slim.

There will be negative reviews on how this is not authentic to the source, how cheesy it is, and how this is part of PC culture. This is an extravagant twist on Shakespeare, it is not suppose to be the same as 100+ other versions of a Romeo & Juliet media productions- that is the point. It has it's cheesy moments, as well as soap operas like Days of our Lives that constantly plays every hour and has never gotten cancelled. Yes, it is part of inclusion of actors/actresses who have a slim chance in the TV/film industry during callbacks for lead/supporting roles or finding work-this is a breath of fresh air, welcome it.

I am not surprised because I am in Shondaland. I love Shondaland. Though I understand this is not Netflix, I hope that this show won't get cut. I have fallen in love with shows with diverse casts (specifically black and latinx) but they ended up getting cut from the lineup (talking about Sense8, The Get Down, Underground, Sleepy Hollow, etc). Again, as much as I want to love the show, I am a bit wary of it's impending demise.

Well done for a first episode. It wasn't perfect and did have its faults, but the casting is superb despite, perhaps, being a little inconsistent in terms of family lines (as a personal desire, it'd be nice to have consistency there for immediate families). But the actors and actresses themselves, do a great job capturing their character perspectives, particularly when one takes into consideration the plot, time period, and what would have been their ages. They also did fairly well with the writing they were given, which was lacking at times, but that, of course, wasn't their faults.

And for all of those making claims that this "turns Shakespeare on its head," or that it's pushing "political correctness" or pushing unnecessary diversity, such are knee jerk reactions from uneducated individuals who cry about authenticity, but usually have no problem with the fact that women are acting in the productions, even though authenticity would mean men playing the women's parts; it's selective outrage that's usually R.W.S.-based.

Please don't let negative reviews that have no legitimate criticisms of the show itself persuade you from watching it, especially if you're like me and have a personal interest in Shakespeare anyway which has pushed you to do your proper due diligence, leading to the truth of yes, there being Black people around at the time (as if Othello didn't make that obvious, anyway). For those still not convinced and in need of visuals, a page online titled, "People of Color in European Art History" (the pg is: medievalpoc) proves it, too.

Besides, let's be honest, if nothing else, it's a great breath of fresh air from what we usually see with such renditions. In Leo DiCaprio's version of R+J, for example, it was nice to see Harold Perrineau, Vondie Curtis-Hall, etc, but the production was still pretty boring in terms of lead character casting, and bland in terms of their performances. It is nice to see TV branching out to cover more period pieces, and as far as diversity goes, I hope things like this continue, as they promote what is a more genuine sense of authenticity and truth, ignoring what is popular belief about the time period in question.

So... based on the first episode, at least, I hope the show's given room to grow into another season or more, allowing it to continue improving and continuing to surprise me. Much like one of my fav shows, "Reign," I have a feeling this, too, will end up blossoming into a wonderful show if it's given a chance/time to.