The Red Road

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.

At some points during the show it seems that there can be pointless scenes and the pacing can be slow, however, the foreshadowing of several different characters and the room for future plot lines could be immense.

Character development is spread in between the range of characters and gives us a chance to see and start to like the characters in the show, either good or bad. The different characters have deep personalities and are slowly revealed in different ways which creates a really grainy patch of the morals and decision making of these characters between either their families or moral beliefs.

The Red Road leaves room for future development but barely shows what it is capable of with just the first season. this isn't the type of show that instantly sticks, this show will develop and become more and more intriguing as time passes.

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.

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

With soooo much absolute crap that's on-screen, it's a damn shame when a fairly decent program gets canceled just as it's starting to get legs. This was never going to be a mainstream show, but for those taking the time to get into it.. it was well worthwhile. Was the story a bit slow at first, and more convoluted than need be.. maybe. But it did not insult its' audience intelligence with pablum BS junk. Far from it.. and as far as the acting goes, this was as good a group as you will find in any decent TV drama today (and Julianne Nicholson was brilliant). Without a doubt the script had weaknesses, but not many ever do not. Actors that get cut off at the knees when shows get dropped are hurt the most. They pour themselves into their work, and are then forced to walk away before the job gets accomplished. Would just like to let them know their efforts were well appreciated, and it's seriously regretful shortsighted minds had control of the overall process. Bravo to those involved for those two very good seasons.