Blackstone

I found this series very entertaining. It's nice to see a show about Native Americans where they portray the lead characters and not simply backdrops. They're not simply stereotypes of Native Americans either. The writing is very true-to-life. The language is a bit rough swearing-wise, but that's the way a lot of people talk, even non-Natives. The acting is totally believable. The directing is excellent. It's kind of like a Native American soap opera, but much less melodramatic. The story lines are very interesting to follow. It would be nice to get this here in the States. It definitely deserves more stars.

I tried watching this years ago on cable TV but I found it too cartoonish, too violent, too black and white in its portrayal of Aboriginals on modern day Reserves. Recently I caught it from the Pilot and have watched 14 episodes so far. Now I understand it. You have to watch it from the beginning to understand who are the good guys and bad guys. I hated Andy Fraser before as he is just pure evil, Satan incarnate. But now? I love him. When you watch any movie or TV series, if it does not have a good antagonist then it will fail. You need someone truly bad to contrast with the good characters, the angels if you will. I am addicted to this program. I have not missed an episode. I am invested in these characters. Andy is the only truly bad character. Even his co-conspirators are not as bad as he is. Life as an aboriginal in North America has always been a nightmare and like a horror movie for others who have not seen or heard what that group has been through. This series handles that aspect of Native life very well. There is lots of darkness and bad things happen all the time, but these people still survive, scarred and defeated, but they get back up again because that is all they can do.

I really wanted to watch this series, but I literally could not tolerate the nauseating camera work. Why film directors ever choose this approach is beyond me. Don't they realise that by shaking the camera all over the place, you instantly alienate every single audience member with notion sickness tendencies. Sucj a strange model trend in cinematography.

Many shows decrease in quality with each passing season, Blackstone is the opposite. The show takes a season or so to hit its stride, but incredible character development starts in the first episode. Every character is allowed to have flaws, which allows for nuanced and very real portrayals. The acting on this show is unparalleled, the performers are able to take complex and often very heavy story lines and portray them in a way that is respectful and real. Michelle Thrush and Carmen Moore, often seen in supporting or guest roles in other shows, give career defining lead performances. This show handles sensitive topics incredibly well, and not in an "episode of the week" type fashion. A single issue is often shown from multiple different perspectives. All in all, Blackstone is a riveting, intense, and memorable drama highlighting an incredibly talented cast.

Understand something. I'm not epileptic. Never have been. Could play VirtualBoy hours on end and never get ill. But this show, like with too many productions these days, don't understand how annoying jerking the camera all over the place is. Imagine talking to a person, looking in their face, reading them, but they're quickly swaying back and forth. Won't keep watching. It's broken. Might not even be a bad show. I won't know. Story-wise, it seems decent enough. Not being native, I can't tell you how much of this is theatrical silliness or how much is egregiously "incorrect" to their culture. Regardless... they messed up with the cameras here.