Ryan Goodling

I believe the power and freedom of art reigns supreme. Let’s address this show for what it is, uncomfortable, unsettling, hard-to-watch. But guess what, sometimes life is uncomfortable, unsettling, and hard to watch. And this show captures that so beautifully. The horrors this family faced from prejudice were far too common practice in the era and unfortunately still linger today. If you can’t watch, then don’t, but don’t respond negatively because this show made you uncomfortable. Art, when done well, is supposed to evoke something from within you, and it doesn’t have to be something happy. If you can’t face the atrocities that African Americans battled for decades because it makes you “uncomfortable”, the blame certainly doesn’t fall on this show. This is a story about a family who has faced all the worst that the world can muster. They doubted each other and often themselves, which doesn’t make them weak. It makes them human. Acting: 5/5. Music 5/5. Directing: 5/5. Plot: 4/5. I only take a point away because I thought Betty’s arc was poorly written/ended.