Meroitic Reviews

Dodger (2022– )

Victorian London had thousands of black residents

[7/10 · 14 February 2022]

First let me say it's a good show. My kid loves it and it's interesting enough from an adult perspective that my wife and I can both watch it as well. It's well acted with reasonable amounts of humour and drama side by side.

One thing I found very interesting was that just like real life Victorian London this show had a number of black and brown people in it. This wouldn't be remarkable but for the people who seem enraged by the inclusion of nonwhite actors in the cast because their inclusion constitutes "wokeism". Period pieces are never really realistic because if they were no one would watch them. Our mores are too different and the disease, filth, cruelty, and degradation they took for granted would be unbearably repulsive for us. The shows are aimed at showing a relatable view of the past rather than showing the past as it actually was. So it seems very strange for anyone to ignore the genuinely unrealistic aspects of this and every show set in the Victorian era to fixate on the fact that London was accurately portrayed as having ethnic minority residents.

No show is perfect of course and I found that some of the plots demanded that minor characters display a level of stupidity that was truly astounding. Overall though I'd say it was entertaining and definitely worth giving a chance.

Black Lightning (2018–2021)

Standard Superhero Stuff, but...

[8/10 · 23 January 2018]

Edit:I really wish we didn't have to wade through nonsensical reviews by weirdos who clearly haven't watched the show but have some extremist Alt-Right axe to grind.

This show is about a guy with superpowers and a secret identity. It also has that whole "I'm getting too old for this" vibe combined with "every time I try to get out, they pull me back in", seasoned with a dash of "the city needs a saviour". If you like that kind of thing, then you should like this. The "but" arises because a lot of people seem to be hostile to any storyline that gives an idea of how Black people describe their experiences in 21C America. The hero is Black and the major villains (who are real scumbags) are also Black. The hero's "Alfred" as it were is White, but you'll see complaints that the show is racist because it portrays some White police officers as racist, rude or disrespectful towards the hero. If the show has any social message, it seems to be that Black people in the US can face extra challenges but they still need to live right and try their damnedest to succeed. But to be honest, it's mainly concerned with the adventures of a human capacitor who wears very very bright body armour and has taken the time to learn martial arts even though he can command electricity. As I said, it's a superhero show, with all that entails. If having a white collar Black guy as the main character doesn't bother you, give it a shot.