“Underground” Review

Underground is a television show that first premiered on March 09, 2016 on the network WGN America. This show was created by Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, the show is based on 1800s during the time more than 100,000 slaves were said to escape via “underground railroad.”  The sole purpose of this show seems to be to show what went on behind the scenes of slavery and the experiences of escaping from it.

The pilot episode opens with a black man running through a field looking frightened and all out of breath, not far behind is a white man with a whip in one hand and a gun in the other. After a few more steps the man was knocked out cold by the slave catcher.

Throughout this season it happened to have many scenes like the opening but it soon progressed to the slaves plotting to leave the plantation. A few of the slaves banded together to plot on a plan to leave the plantation. The plan took more than regular field slaves to get the job done. They needed house slaves as well, luckily a field slave named Noah and a house slave named Rosalee had a crush on eachother and he informed her of the plan and she was more than willing to help him out.  She wanted in on the plan to escape as well. She took great risk going into the slave master’s desk and getting his stamp signature and signing forged papers saying they were free slaves.

Everything seemed to go as planned they were found out and the slave master forced a whole group of slaves to holding up logs on their backs. This was a hard task to do if they all fell the slave master threatened to beat them all severely with the whip. They stood up for hours refusing to tell on one another and eventually proved strength and the master seemed to let it go.   

Throughout this show you see a relationship with the slave master Tom and a slave named Ernestine. Although married he has an affair the the slave women and produces three children Rosalee, Sam, and James.  The youngest of the children begins his life as though he were free, playing with the master’s white son, riding horses and facing no trouble. However, his wife puts a bug into the husband’s ear telling him it’s time for the young boy who happens to be his son to become a slave. Ernestine takes this hard and she wants her son to become tough and she has long talks with him preparing him for this journey will have to endure. 

Meanwhile a group of slaves are still waiting on the perfect time to put their escape plan into play. Unexpectedly one night another slave master not to far from the plantation made an attempt to rape Rosalee. She ended up getting away from him but in the process she ended up hurting the man really badly. She knew if she stayed she would be hung for what she did Noah came to her defense and they ran away together that very night.

This show hits alot of interesting topics alot of things we may have not known about slavery and keeps the viewers watching. Its very succesful because of its well known actors and acting in itself the whole drama leaves you wondering and questioning whats happening next.

*Note: season two of Underground premiered on March 8, 2017