I've never written a review on IMDb before, but I felt compelled to write one for Cleverman since so many people have rated this show so low, unfairly low in my opinion.
I'm sure many people watching this show who are not familiar with Australia's past treatment of our Indigenous peoples, will want to call Bullsh**t on the way the treatment of the Hairies is portrayed in this drama. One other reviewer stated that they didn't understand the, "overt discrimination and prejudice shown" seeing as, "The Hairies are not particularly dangerous nor do they seem very detrimental to society as a whole yet are treated as slaves". And there in lies the point of the entire show. Cleverman is drawing parallels (and successfully so)between the government's treatment of the Hairy's and the past treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
So for those who still think that the prejudice and discrimination in the show is baseless, here's a quick fact check for the times the show parallels the treatment of Indigenous Australians. When the Hairy family is separated and the children are forcibly removed from their parents - that happened to our Indigenous Australians. When the Hairies are restricted to a compound and can't move in and out - that happened to them too. When the Hairies are seen as animals and the government's laws reflects that and treats them as sub-human - yep, that happened. When the media keeps citizens ignorant and misinformed by pushing their own agenda - that sure happened and sadly still does. I could go on and on, and that's only a handful of examples found in the first 2 episodes alone.
For some, the fantasy elements may be a turn-off, but I think putting the fantasy twist on Cleverman was an ingenious idea by the creators. It softens the amount of prejudice and discrimination the audience can swallow by allowing them to oh-so-slightly distance themselves from the realistic atrocities committed against Indigenous Australians by placing the story in a non-realistic setting. Which I know, sounds hypocritical of my above points, but I think it allows people to access this show at a level which isn't so confronting that they are put off from watching it and can thereby experience the messages at the show's core. That being said, obviously it's still not subtle enough for many of the first episode's viewers!
Look, I get it, in terms of production value, yes it is lacking in some areas like CGI and set design. But that can mostly be put down to the small budget. This show definitely does not deserve the 1 star rating that some reviewers have given. I can only assume that they're unable to look past Australia's uncomfortable history (or perhaps their ignorance of this history?) and enjoy this show for its clever premise and it's subtle execution.
In summary: At the end of episode 2, the story line of this show has definitely caught my interest. The main character's acting is spot on as 'the dude you kinda hate', and I look forward to seeing how the show develops his character. There are so many individual stories that have been set up, ready to be woven together. That I'm waiting in excited anticipation to see how all of the characters interact and affect one another. Do yourself a favour and go into Cleverman with a willingness to see beyond the small budget and to enjoy the story line as it slowly builds. Who knows, it might even prompt you to learn a bit about Australian history.
It's a solid 8.5/ 10 from me so far.
