J J

I have a really hard time with horror movies, but I think every white person in this country should watch THEM. It is exceptionally hard to watch, and that's exactly the point. At certain scenes I had to look away. And as I sat through it, with my white fiancé, I was struck at an even deeper level than ever before of what it means to be black in this country. As someone who's always been struck rather deeply as it is, that's saying a lot. White people have the option in this world to look away, to "stop watching because it's too awful". We have the option to disengage, black people do not. Ever. Racism in this country has been a relentless, 24/7 reality for black Americans for CENTURIES. THEM brilliantly creates a visceral experience of the terrifyingly impossible situation of being hunted from every direction, constantly, relentlessly with NO ESCAPE and no end in site, at least no end that doesn't also claim the victim with the victimizer. After each episode the word that came to me the most was "Holocaust". I'm starting to feel like "racism", the word and what it stands for, has become so commonplace that it doesn't elicit the sense of urgency, horror and evil that it should. Most of us say it at least once a day. Too many live in it all day, every day. That's a slippery slope and I fear we've been sliding down it for a long time. THEM also addresses a major issue that came up this past Spring of people dictating what appropriate demonstrations of rage are—the narrative of "yes, things are bad, but violence is unacceptable", which is utterly sadistic as far as I'm concerned. In THEM, when the Emorys retaliate, lash out, fight back, go insane from time to time, it is eminently clear that they are being driven to it, by the torment of white devils. It is eminently clear that theirs is an entirely reasonable, understandable and cathartically NECESSARY response to the torture they are being subjected to on a daily basis. Tormenting someone and then dictating how they are or are not allowed to react is, in itself, torment. Anyway, I could go on and on. As the show carried on, I felt a moral responsibility to see it through and I honestly think there's a moral imperative for every white person in this country to watch it. Black people have been dealing with this hideousness for centuries, white people can sit through 9 episodes. The cast is EXCEPTIONAL.

Show is good. Some of the conflict is a bit forced with characters behaving unrealistically to create problems. The two stars is because they don't give music credits. I don't understand how artists don't credit other artists when they use their work. I'd like to be able to find out more about the musicians and tracks in the show.