MUST SEE TV. NO. REALLY.

                            

                                           Trailer:  "Good Lord Bird"

If you have access to Showtime and you haven't checked out "Good Lord Bird," it's time to get it done.  The series is based on James McBride's novel of the same name.  Knowing it's a novel, you don't expect 100% historical accuracy, and "Good Lord Bird" definitely takes some historical liberties with John Brown's attack on the Harper's Ferry armory in 1859.  As the show opens, there's a banner that says "This is True" (or words to that effect) followed by a notice that most of it actually happened.  It helps when the film maker admits up front that it's not historically accurate.

What follows is an inspired performance by Ethan Hawke as John Brown.  Hawke is barely recognizable in his 1850's costume and make up.  That's no small feat, as his face is easy to recognize from his other films.  Here he becomes John Brown, a man we barely know, and as Hawke plays him, a man we might rather not know. Hawke is a gifted actor with a stunning resume, but "Good Lord Bird" may be his best work yet. 

If Hawke's performance is brilliant (and it is), 15
year old Joshua Caleb Johnson's "Onion" is a perfect match for Hawke.  Johnson is young but as strong an actor as Hawke.  The two make an interesting pair; John Brown mentoring Onion to become a fighter to free the enslaved negroes of America is a dramatic coming of age story.

"Good Lord Bird" covers the doomed attack of Harper's Ferry with some humor, some drama, and a lot of soul searching.  Sadly, there are many issues in 1859 that are still issues today, and those issues were not resolved by John Brown's determination, nor several bloody years of Civil War.  There's a message here.  If we can't deal with racism, it can lead to war again.  And again nothing will be resolved by the death toll.

Daveed Diggs is Frederick Douglass, and he brings Douglass to life, both as a statesman for abolishing slavery, and a man with secrets and flaws when not igniting a crowd to action.  

This is "Must See TV."  If you're an American, black, white, or other, you should educate yourself about the costs of racism.  "Good Lord Bird" is factual enough facts to force you to confront the problems of John Brown's day and ours.  The 7 episodes are all entertaining and educational, but the final episode is unforgettable.  The 8 minute jail house scene near the end of the episode is outstanding.  Onion visits John Brown in jail, the night before he is to be hung.  Their "Last Words" are profound.  Their performances are gripping.  This is 8 minutes of 2 actors at the top of their games that will glue you to your seat.

I know.  It's an odd title.  I ignored it the first time I saw a link to it because the title didn't interest me.  It turns out that the title is fully explained in the first episode.  So don't be put off by "Good Lord Bird."  See it if you can.  You won't regret it.