Before giving my impression of this series (spoiler-free), I would just like to say that anyone with a true love of brilliant writing, beautiful set design and deep, rich, captivating character arcs should avoid any and all criticisms of The Good Lord Bird at all costs!
Seriously -- the negative remarks against this show are entirely unfounded, and I say this as someone who's actually taken the time to read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, and who can appreciate sensitivity to historical inaccuracy in television & movies. This series does not do that.
In fact, I find it to be an insanely refreshing departure from the genre (slavery-era cinema) in that it doesn't insert immense amounts of undue virtuosity and evil into its characters as a point of emphasis to the horror of slavery. It doesn't pacify them, either, but what it does is invoke pragmatism into the behavior of its characters, making them feel far more real than they would otherwise.
This, to me, is what makes this series a masterpiece. I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a substitute for an education, which should be no different from *any* cinematic retelling of history, but getting upset with this series taking creative liberties with characters would be like getting upset with Titanic for doing the same.
Not that this in any way reaches for the same emotional or dramatic response as a film like Titanic, but it does present characters and an environment which were clearly not meant to be taken literally. I would argue that this is the entire purpose of art itself!
Personally, I don't want to watch something only to be patronized by writers who believe their only duty is to inform me of which side is righteous and which is evil. Imagine how horrendous Breaking Bad would be if they spent ten minutes of every episode layering in PSA's of the dangers of crystal meth. It was never Vince Gilligan's job to teach us not to be like Walter White. It was simply his purpose to take the audience on a journey, and to strike every emotional chord within us through the art of storytelling.
My feeling on television series like this, as well as movies, is that so long as they can get me to think differently about the human experience, and to relate to characters in ways that can be incredibly difficult in everyday life, then they are deserving of praise -- no asterisk necessary.
This is art, after all, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, it should leave us with a more complex view of the world around us. It should provoke us to think in new ways, to challenge our preconceptions, and -- if it's good enough -- to gift us with an extraordinary experience.
The Good Lord Bird does this in spades, and I think it ultimately will go down as one of the best TV series of all-time. I understand why it will take some time for this to happen, particularly because it is so incredibly different, but once enough people view it and it finds its way to the right audience, I have no doubt that it will be gain a massive amount of praise and recognition. It's excellent and I implore anyone capable of laying down their staunchness of history to watch it! You will not regret it! The casting is flawless, the acting is flawless, and the writing is flawless! You will love it!
Seriously -- the negative remarks against this show are entirely unfounded, and I say this as someone who's actually taken the time to read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, and who can appreciate sensitivity to historical inaccuracy in television & movies. This series does not do that.
In fact, I find it to be an insanely refreshing departure from the genre (slavery-era cinema) in that it doesn't insert immense amounts of undue virtuosity and evil into its characters as a point of emphasis to the horror of slavery. It doesn't pacify them, either, but what it does is invoke pragmatism into the behavior of its characters, making them feel far more real than they would otherwise.
This, to me, is what makes this series a masterpiece. I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a substitute for an education, which should be no different from *any* cinematic retelling of history, but getting upset with this series taking creative liberties with characters would be like getting upset with Titanic for doing the same.
Not that this in any way reaches for the same emotional or dramatic response as a film like Titanic, but it does present characters and an environment which were clearly not meant to be taken literally. I would argue that this is the entire purpose of art itself!
Personally, I don't want to watch something only to be patronized by writers who believe their only duty is to inform me of which side is righteous and which is evil. Imagine how horrendous Breaking Bad would be if they spent ten minutes of every episode layering in PSA's of the dangers of crystal meth. It was never Vince Gilligan's job to teach us not to be like Walter White. It was simply his purpose to take the audience on a journey, and to strike every emotional chord within us through the art of storytelling.
My feeling on television series like this, as well as movies, is that so long as they can get me to think differently about the human experience, and to relate to characters in ways that can be incredibly difficult in everyday life, then they are deserving of praise -- no asterisk necessary.
This is art, after all, and at the risk of sounding repetitive, it should leave us with a more complex view of the world around us. It should provoke us to think in new ways, to challenge our preconceptions, and -- if it's good enough -- to gift us with an extraordinary experience.
The Good Lord Bird does this in spades, and I think it ultimately will go down as one of the best TV series of all-time. I understand why it will take some time for this to happen, particularly because it is so incredibly different, but once enough people view it and it finds its way to the right audience, I have no doubt that it will be gain a massive amount of praise and recognition. It's excellent and I implore anyone capable of laying down their staunchness of history to watch it! You will not regret it! The casting is flawless, the acting is flawless, and the writing is flawless! You will love it!