The Red Road

I may have a man crush on Momoa so this might be bias but I stumbled on this gem and can't believe that season 3 wasn't made. The acting was pretty solid, writing was really good. I don't usually watch basic cable shows because they come off pretty corny but there were very few of those moments and got pretty tricky in season 2. I didn't know it was canceled until i was almost finished watching season 2, which made it freaking horrible that i got emotionally attached for no fudging reason. Still, was great show

I am not that familiar with Sundance's television programming up to this point, but when I learned that Jason Momoa was going to be in a dramatic series about race relations between a First Nation people and the white community I was fairly excited. For one, it seemed like Momoa would finally get an opportunity to demonstrate his acting ability. He is often characterized as a very wooden actor, but I think that is more that he is rarely given much to work with besides be big and unsettling. Secondly, it addresses racial issues that often go ignored in fiction in favor of more visible issues.

So far the acting overall is fairly good, although Julianne Nicholson's performance in the first season of Masters of Sex far outshines her work in this first episode. The direction and editing are competent. It is too early yet to tell how good the writing is going to get, but so far the show is quite engrossing and has the potential to be a great show.

In the wake of the recent wrap up of Breaking Bad and the thoroughly impressive True Detective, The Red Road may seem a bit light weight but the brief episode order (6 eps) and rather uncommon setting and perspective show a lot of promise for improvement.

New to Netflix and MY GOD I just found this series on Netflix! Watched both seasons in 2 days and find there's no more episodes? PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN'T TRUE! Love watching Jason. Story line is good. Actors are perfect. PLEASE SEND US MORE. Will there be more and when? What a cliff hanger in season 2! Seriously need more of The Red Road.

watching The Red Road is like patiently watching fog lift before your eyes. little by little we see the shape of the story and depths of these characters unveiled. father and son Kopus, Marie, Jean, and Harold are the most fascinating to discover. they are each deliciously multi-layered.

i think the direction, editing and acting are close to excellent because each scene is drawn out to perfect measure to increase tension or allow for emotional saturation. the only drawback for me so far are the segments dedicated to the star-crossed teenage lovers who may become irksome as forced interjections of sweetness in what would otherwise be a properly moody atmosphere of familial and racial turbulence.

somehow, i like the moody brooding atmosphere of this show. i'm transported by the stillness of the wide shots of woods, lakes and open fields. it's easy to become invested in the place and characters. there is no rush and i like that too. each word is measured, except of course with the character of Jean who is a force of nature in herself, so much so that her ramblings make you dizzy --awesome Julianne Nicholson. Jason Momoa and Tom Sizemore make sinister look good. Martin Henderson is a revelation for me because I have never found him to be particularly impressive. it is also so good to see Tamara Tunie in a completely different light (literally) from her drab post on L&O:SVU.

but if you're looking for weekly action, blood, profanity, sex, and breakneck speed...you won't get much of that here. meanwhile, i am enjoying the slow reveal of illicit activity, emotional disturbance and family drama. i think it's definitely a worthy watch.

This show is based on the Ramapough Mountain "Indians" also known as the "Jackson Whites", who are a likely European/African mixed race ethnic group located in the Ramapo Mountains of Mahwah, (Northern) NJ. Their "tribal" headquarters can be found on Stag Hill Road in Mahwah. The group is currently seeking Federal recognition as a Native American "tribe" (Lenape) but so far have refused to submit to DNA testing to verify their heritage, which previous scientific investigations have shown to be baseless. They are most likely decedents of an unlikely pairing of Hessian deserters and escaped African slaves during the Revolutionary war.

While the show has both Native American and mixed race actors, in real life their appearances look closer to a mixed race heritage. For more information look up the article, "Strangers on the Mountain" from The New Yorker on March of 2010.

Their choice as a plot device is both unique and refreshing. The Ramapough "Indians" have made another recent appearance in the film; "Out of the Furnace" with Woody Harrelson's character 'Harlan DeGroat'. DeGroat (a Dutch not Native American name) is a common last name among them in real life.

Overall the show does a good job getting the setting and atmosphere right (winding mountain roads, ATVs, mountain bungalows etc...), with Momoa fitting the role well. I only wished they had actually filmed this in NJ but the Georgia mountains look spot on. Definitely worth giving it a shot, as it looks to have potential.