Washington Black

Washington Black really caught me off guard-in the best way. It's got everything I love in a series: science, tech, social justice, and a little romance.

The story pulls you in and keeps you thinking. It doesn't talk down to the audience, and the characters actually feel like real people, not just plot devices. There's a depth to it, but it's still totally watchable and entertaining.

If you're into shows that mix brains with emotion and don't follow the same old predictable formula, give this one a shot. It's something different-and it works.

Intriguing yarn about a boy and his destiny, although I found the adventures of young Washington Black the better of the two narratives.

I appreciate what the writers tried to do but the pacing of the older Washington storyline is uneven, and the leads have an immiscible chemistry.

On a technical level, the cinematography and special effects are movie quality, where it's really difficult to spot the seams. All-in-all, a remarkable achievement in today's tv industry where technical quality takes a backseat.

The themes of racism, colonisation, tribal traditions, prejudice, greed, childhood trauma, conditioning, envy, love, powerlessness, hope, science and friendship are touched upon, but it remains a fairy tale, simplified for children's eyes. If you have already outgrown the child's perspective, it is difficult to follow this simplified story. You have already realized that life is not that simple, that many things don't make sense, that reality often pulls the rug out from under your feet without any symbolism or mysticism behind it. Many who are exhausted by a system that is still not fair for everyone may be frustrated by this simplification. In this respect, you can be entertained by beautiful images, interesting actors, costumes, interesting hairstyles and backdrops, landscapes and conversations. All kinds of emotions are generated because it's about a child. It's comparable to fast food. Everything is quite nice and looks pretty, but it lacks important nutrients and somehow you don't really get full from it. And as usual with fairy tales, the story ends where life really gets going and becomes difficult, everyday life.

Came for Sterling K Brown, stayed hoping the series would get better. It didn't.

I'll preface this by saying I haven't read the book, and am interested in doing so based on many reviews saying how the series deviated so far from the source material.

As a child who grew up in the south in an evangelical home, I was sheltered from stories of the realities of what slavery and the experiences of black people was and is like in North America. That said, this is the type of tedious series I would have been allowed to watch. Ultimately this series felt as if it was directed by someone hell-bent on watering down what could have been a really compelling story, like it was meant for kids. If that was intentional, well done. It was bland and inoffensive.

Aside from that, to me the series felt amateurish from the start. I have a hard time sticking with series or movies where over acting is obvious and dialog seems forced, and that was the case. I hoped it would get better by the end but it was consistently bland. Without a spoiler, I did have a moment near the end of the last episode that made me teary eyed, immediately followed by a montage at the end that made me cringe again.

Washington Black is visually spectacular - Barbados, Victorian London, Moroccan deserts, icy Antarctica - the show looks like a globe-trotting epic with a massive budget. But the writing doesn't rise to the same level. The tone is oddly childish for a story about slavery and identity, and the logic often stretches belief (a child from Barbados tracked across continents in the 1800s?).

Eddie Karanja is fantastic as young Wash, and McGee adds rare complexity. It's also refreshing to see free Black characters portrayed as artists and leaders, not just victims. The love story is simple but sincere. Titch feels like a caricature, and Willard has Chuck Norris plot armor.

Gorgeous to watch. Frustrating to follow.