For Amazon Prime Video’s “The Underground Railroad,” here’s stars Joel Edgerton and William Jackson Harper. Click through to read the conversations we had for Awards Radar.
Showing posts with label The Underground Railroad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Underground Railroad. Show all posts
Sunday, June 27, 2021
Interviews with Abe: The Underground Railroad
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Interview with Abe: Joel Edgerton
Interview with Abe: William Jackson Harper
What I’m Watching: The Underground Railroad (Series Finale)
I don’t think this is what I expected the final hour of this show to be, but it speaks to the emphasis on character and the struggles of those who might otherwise have remained anonymous if not for the representative stories told here. We barely saw Sheila Atim’s Mabel over the course of the previous episodes, and she took center stage here as a strong, resilient woman determined to do everything possible for her friend Polly after a devastating stillbirth and a lack of advocacy from Moses on her behalf, not that it would have done much since Polly’s mental wellbeing wasn’t considered by anyone except for Mabel. There’s a cruel irony to the fact that the language Connelly and others use to dehumanize the slaves much more accurately reflects the way in which the masters so inhumanely treat their alleged property. Though Moses did little to look out for Polly, it was nonetheless horrible to see him whipped repeatedly in the wake of her death, beaten down again and again at a time when he should have been permitted to mourn. This episode powerfully transitioned more than halfway through to Cora and Molly, both escaped from the violence in Indiana and about to set out for unknown territory. While I might have appreciated some closure and a more definitive ending, I think the notion that they’re back on the road, hoping to reach somewhere better is the most optimistic possible way to close out this saga. It’s been a grueling, deeply affecting journey, one that I have no doubt will reap numerous accolades come awards season.
Series grade: B+
Series MVP: Thuso Mbedu as Cora
What I’m Watching: The Underground Railroad (Penultimate Episode)
This episode was particularly devastating because this incredible utopia had been created that seemed so safe from the rest of the ugly world around it, and that was all so violently shattered. Ridgeway wasn’t even part of it, there to rescue, in a sense, Cora from likely death. He was just doing his job, determined to find his most elusive target but not stalking her with a vengeance. Seeing the church surrounded by hundreds of white men with guns was terrifying enough, and they didn’t even wait for the Black people inside to come out before they started shooting. There’s something so scary about the idea of there being no way out, and, to their credit, the community did band together to create a distraction so that they could attempt to escape. Royal getting shot was a crippling moment that almost couldn’t even be experienced because Ridgeway showed up at that exact moment to remind Cora of the only fate that might be worse than what was happening right then. Having all of this happen after Cora told her story about being a wanted woman in church and the corn shucking contest showing pure joy, not to mention the passionate romance that had its brief run between Royal and Cora, made it all the more lamentable. The one bright spot at the end was that Cora managed to get the upper hand with Ridgeway and trap him down somewhere that he couldn’t hurt anyone before making sure there was no way he would once again be able to pursue her. The anguish Homer felt was real even if his allegiance was to the wrong person, and Ridgeway wanting to have his final words heard as a sort of dictation and testament had a poignancy to it. The flashback to Royal giving Cora the gun reminded me of a similar scene from the penultimate episode of “The Sopranos” that I always argue should have been the final scene of the series. I don’t know what to expect in this show’s finale, but after this episode, it’s hard to know what could possibly come next.
Monday, May 17, 2021
What I’m Watching: The Underground Railroad
This episode was a return to the regular hourplus format and also the main narrative of Cora, now far enough away from Ridgeway but not able to escape the memories of what she’s experienced and knows could continue to be possible. Seeing how life was on the farm was so interesting, and their system was an entirely cooperative one that helped to foster community and sustain what it was that they were doing. Finding out that they were able to protect runaways because they fed the judge plenty of wine so he would hand over warrants to them long before he signed them showed that they were merely being clever in how they manage to eke out some form of coexistence, using trade and bribery to protect themselves from a discriminatory and violent nation. Royal and Cora flirting was a nice bit of levity, though that didn’t last when he wanted to go back and join the fight and she wasn’t okay just existing in the way that she was. The scenes of a thriving Underground Railroad with hundreds of passengers all dressed up for travel and an entire board of destinations was exactly what we haven’t seen so far, especially as we saw her board just one car again this time, and this episode delved far into her imagination and her deepest fears related to what might be possible. I’m not sure where the last two episodes of this limited series will go, but I’m not sure that Cora is going to continue her impressively long trek or, like Royal, risk her own life to go back to even more dangerous territory.
What I’m Watching: The Underground Railroad
I was startled when I saw the length of this episode – just nineteen minutes. I know that some streaming series have featured much shorter installments because the content just didn’t need forty minutes or an entire hour, but it suggests that maybe this material could have been folded into another episode. That said, it is an important and somewhat standalone story of redemption, a brief hint of positivity in this truly horrific world. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to see Fiona brutally kicked and beaten after she started the fire, something that ended up being far more destructive than I’m sure she intended and made the incident more directly impactful on the residents of the town. Ironically, it also enabled Fanny to make her escape since no one was looking for her and everyone was distracted by the fires. It was a very perilous journey, but she remained calm and determined, and made it to a station that wasn’t quite as elaborate as the one we saw in the previous episode. The conductor was just as friendly and full of energy, and it was interesting to hear her ask about Cora and receive no response, though that does serve as a reminder that there’s nothing magical about this railroad, which operates in the 1800s when advanced communication technology just didn’t exist. It will be good to check back in with Cora and her new friends in the next episode but it’s reassuring to know that one innocent person made it out and is on her way, hopefully, to a better and safer place.
What I’m Watching: The Underground Railroad
After opening with three installments that featured large crowd scenes that demonstrated the capacity of the masses for participation in cruelty, this show has become far more personal and focused on just its primary characters as it has progressed. I was sure that Ridgeway was returning home to a long-dead father and not merely to the shell of a man who couldn’t possibly recognize in his son what he so desperately needed. Being greeted by the man he once tricked into going into the well felt strange, especially as he had a chained Black woman with him, and it was very interesting to see how that turned out, when he wouldn’t let him be killed and still went to go get Ridgeway a drink before he ended his life, something that did not end up working out in his favor because the eternally loyal Homer got his gun instead. I was excited to see William Jackson Harper from “The Good Place” in town, and even more enthralled when he showed up at the house that night to spirit Cora away and straight to the Underground Railroad. There was something so stylish and fancy about it all, with the alcohol and the flair both at the station and aboard the train, and it almost felt too easy. I’m glad that she’s on a better path at the moment, and her lengthy interactions with Ridgeway in a place that was very personal for him were informative and thought-provoking, particularly when they went out to a restaurant together with her as his clear prisoner.
What I’m Watching: The Underground Railroad
This hour was similarly intimate to the one before it, featuring just five characters on their slow journey west. For as much as Ridgeway earns a living by defending the institution of slavery and attempts to demean his prisoners by referring to them as “it,” he is surprisingly interested in conversation with his most troublesome target, who took multiple opportunities to try to run away whenever they arose. He must have a sense that Cora could be his intellectual equal, even though he would never see her that way, and he appreciated that she took the chance to run when she had it even though it was an annoyance for him to have to pursue her. He had far less tolerance for the white man who insulted his notion of the Great Spirit and angrily defended his right to fulfill his needs rather than do his job. He puts full trust in Homer, even giving him the keys not as a test but to lighten his own workload, certain that he would never run off or do anything to betray him because he chains himself at night to be able to sleep. Cora got to see what a different form of resistance was in Jasper, who had decided what was worth fighting for now and how he was going to be at peace with it all, even though a moment of prayer is what ultimately led to the end of his life. Chaining Cora to his dead body after her latest escape attempt was a cruel way of trying to break her spirit, something she seems determined not to give up.
Sunday, May 16, 2021
What I’m Watching: The Underground Railroad
This episode was markedly shorter than the three that came before it by almost half an hour, and also absent of almost all of the characters, at least as portrayed by the same actors. The insight into Ridgeway’s background was intriguing – make sure to read my interview with Joel Edgerton for more on his feelings about the character – and helped to inform the rather emotionless way that he handles his job. Unlike many of the horrible men and women we’ve met, he didn’t grow up seeing those with a different skin color subjugated and abused frequently, but rather the lack of a concrete distinction between the two is what caused him to feel such resentment towards them as he grew up without praise from his father. The eager manner in which he approached the slavecatchers and sought to become one of them was disturbing, but it’s also informative about how people are drawn to and entranced by malicious causes. I immediately recognized the actor playing Ridgeway’s father as Peter Mullan, who has been an influential part of both “Ozark” and “Westworld” recently and brought the same gravitas to this role. I certainly don’t feel that this extended flashback makes Ridgeway any more sympathetic, and it doesn’t offer much hope that he’ll compromise in any way in his dogged pursuit of the secret railroad network that is giving him so much more work to do, even if he does have a soft spot for one particular boy that others would be quick to cast off or persecute.
Take Three: The Underground Railroad
This show isn’t getting any less bleak, and it’s actually even more disturbing with each new episode. It’s reminding me a lot of the dystopian series “The Handmaid’s Tale” in which religious fervor so cruelly fuels people to treat others in a despicable and inarguably ungodly way. Christianity and devoutness was so present in this episode in all its forms, whether it was Martin reminding Cora about grace, presumably so that he could pretend to blend in, Ethel trying to educate Cora in the ways of the Lord once she decided to actually pay her some attention, and the horrific brutality that the townspeople justified by claiming that North Carolina was God-ordained to be rid of all Black people. That Freedom Trail of hanging bodies was truly terrifying, and things seem to get worse and worse as Cora travels from state to state. Martin was a kinder soul, doing what he could to protect Cora and the other inhabitant of his attic, and it was nice to see actor Damon Herriman, typically known for playing despicable or idiotic people in projects like “Justified” and “Judy and Punch,” portray a truly good soul in this evil world. I was also pleased to see Lily Rabe, who I interviewed recently about her role on “The Undoing,” as Ethel, who was less pure in her intentions and is likely going to bear the brunt of the anger from her neighbors for harboring these unwanted fugitives. It was interesting to note how Ethel’s daughter looked more favorably on the Irish servant her mother was talking down to and how Fiona’s hatred of the detested minority she had replaced. It was disheartening to see Martin so quickly give up his participation in the railroad, and it’s not a good sign that Homer was able to access the ruins of the tunnels, likely giving Ridgeway dangerous information about how to subvert what still remains of the railroad.
Pilot Review: The Underground Railroad
Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.
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