I read a few reviews talking about the accuracy/timeliness of the series. Factually, if you haven't read the book by Colson Whitehead, this seems like an inaccurate and propagandistic show. But make no mistake, this series is about the novel. As an adaptation of Whitehead's novel, Jenkins respects the source material and leads a superior cast. Each actor's emotions aren't expressed in the normal way we expect actors to emote. Each character's trauma has repressed their ability to emote and empathize. Cora's story is one of survival - and this adaptation (or what I've seen so far) does a great job at capturing how Cora copes with the changes in her life. And yes - in the case of the show and novel - the Underground Railroad IS real and tangible. Cora actually sees and follows it in the last chapter.
We, as viewers, know this isn't true, but it's an unusual take on the impersonal history I was taught in high school. This show humanizes slavery, the suffering, and the atrocities that were committed to further capitalism and oppress people with more melanin than their European cousins. But stick with it, please. Watch to the end. I know I will.
We, as viewers, know this isn't true, but it's an unusual take on the impersonal history I was taught in high school. This show humanizes slavery, the suffering, and the atrocities that were committed to further capitalism and oppress people with more melanin than their European cousins. But stick with it, please. Watch to the end. I know I will.