The Divide

Gets off to an interesting start... not what you would expect, as obstacles to trying to exonerate the (apparently obviously) guilty arise, and are seemingly insurmountable.

'Justice don't play right when colour is involved...'. An interesting quote from the African-American prosecutors who struggle with some 'shortcuts' they took to get the original conviction.

Characterized by good performances.. bit of gruff language and some sensuality, but not like what you see on many cable-network produced shows, or European equivalents.

Now available on Netflix.

I'm giving it an 8, but I reserve my 10 votes for movies like "Citizen Kane", so don't think this is a lukewarm rating.

Since I have no particular position regarding Fox News, I was able to look beyond that to see the series as a whole. The organization at the root of this is obviously based on the Innocence Project, so those who think this is just some kind of left-wing liberal propaganda should really look into the Project. It's only left-wing until the bacon they save is your own.

On the whole, I think the writing and acting were well above average, either for movies or TV. Add me to the list of people who would like to see a second season.

I am devastated. I have finished watching the whole series in Netflix, didn't know it was canceled and can't believe it because the show is excellent, and the story very catching. What's the matter with the US TV shows that neglect the audience all the time leaving us with no proper ending. This show leaves us with a lot of situations to be resolved and revealed. I am really disappointed. Sometimes I feel I won 't see more shows until I know they were a success with a due finale. Hate to realize how stupid we are to trust a TV network. 3 more episodes would have rounded the ending and al least let us have a sense of accomplishment!!

The Divide premiered with a 2 hour episode, the totality of what I have seen at the time of writing this review.

At first glance it appeared to be the story of a legal battle between a zealous prosecutor and an initiative trying to establish death row inmates' innocence.

I was perfectly okay with that being the scope and focus of the story, but by the end of the 2 episode pilot it was clear the show was looking at a much broader view of the Judicial system and corruption.

This leads to the introduction of a multitude of complex characters who each have mysterious motivations and goals, and also the establishment of several plot lines for future episodes. Some are acknowledged by the characters themselves, while at least one was only vaguely insinuated.

I was highly entertained by the pilot, and the excellent way the story matured and evolved to be a different and more far reaching than I had ever anticipated sold me on this being one of the best new shows of 2014. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys political or criminal themes in their television.

As a former lawyer and one who fell out of love with the law, the way that this show discusses the machinery of the law struck a strong chord with me. While we have seen much of the legal procedural that this show portrays elsewhere, I also loved the very real and complex relationships within an extended and blended African American family, where the mother and father are legal professionals, and there is the shadow of trauma and loss in the background. I love that they are intelligent, sensitive and caring people, they are also very fallible. The writers tempt us to see these and other characters hidden motives as evil, but it is an intentional trap; there really is little true arch evil in the world - just the damage that comes from assumed and apparent evil. Highly recommended.