If Django Unchained, Then Underground

Slavery is the gathering of all the heinous actions a human can commit and unleashing them onto another group of humans for centuries. It is the most excruciating period of history to see depicted. From the moment of conception, we begin ingesting the indignity perpetuated onto our enslaved ancestors. It is funneled through our fallopian tubes and it exits with us as we leave our mother’s bodies. The shame does not belong to us though. We were not the savages. Our ancestors were survivors. There was an intentional attempt to warp our ancestor’s minds and to alter every generation afterward. We must exorcise our systems of that. It takes re-examining and re-directing to face trauma. If you are a non-Black person who is reluctant to watch a film or show about enslaved people, I would suggest viewing the stories from a different perspective. On paper slavery ended in 1863 and somewhat more concretely in 1865 but watching films/ shows set in that time should make the damaging stains slavery left on society more prevalent. The hatred and the institutions built on that hatred did not disintegrate with a proclamation or with the South being unable to secede from the North.

Django Unchained and Underground (Misha Green’s WGN America series) gives us dynamic heroic figures set in the time of slavery. Django, Rosalee (Jurnee Smollett’s character) and Noah (Aldis Hodge’s character) are superheroes. Depicted in a way that makes you think of the innumerable superheroes that truly lived through that time. There should be action figures of all three of those characters. Underground was cancelled prematurely because WGN America was going through changes and consequently was unable to be picked up by another station, and I need to have something commemorating the show. I digress because you need to know why this show deserves more recognition and is on par with great artwork like Django Unchained.

Ain’t No Grave That Can Hold Love Down

• Love is driving Django before the audience is made aware of his motivation. He only answered Schultz question because he knew it would get him out of his current situation and bring him closer to finding his wife. He pretends to be a “black slaver” which “there’s nothing lower than” for Broomhilda. He envisions her on his journey, her presence in his mind pushes him to continue.

• A more controversial, unnerving, and unhealthy dynamic is Stephen’s love for Calvin Candie. Even though Stephen’s disdain for Django is a major component in his revealing Django and Schultz deceit to Candie, his love for Candie is his other motivation. No moment displays his love more than his earth-shattering cry when Calvin is shot by Shultz. He helped to raise Calvin. Imagine loving a child and knowing all along you were legally going to be his property after his father died. I was going to include the actors’ names next to their respective characters but honestly if you don’t know who plays who in that movie by now there’s no hope for you.

• Underground offers many different compelling relationships. The love from a mother to her children, manifesting itself in negative and positive ways.

• Our main characters Rosalee and Noah fall quickly for one another. There are undeniable tones of intrigue and admiration in their attraction. Through 2 seasons we get to experience the development of their love. Rosalee and Noah make decisions with the other at the forefront of their minds. Even when their circumstances have separated them, they make life threatening decisions to reconnect. What is the point of life without love in it? It also is the ultimate resistance to slavery because one of the main goals and results of slavery was to demolish the Black family. Rosalee and Noah fighting for the freedom of their family is the perfect portrayal of the resilience of Black people.

• Though August Pullman’s (Christopher Meloni’s character) actions are despicable, his love for his son is the catalyst. His financial struggles override human decency and there is no remorse on his behalf for the choices he makes.

A Hundred Strong Women, with Strong Stories to Tell

• When we meet Broomhilda for the first time outside of Django’s memory, she is being put in the “hot box.” She is being punished for trying to flee her captors. Hildy is not waiting for Django to come save her, she is fearlessly trying to free herself.

• Underground in comparison to Django Unchained offers an array of exemplary women. Ernestine (Rosalee’s mother portrayed by Amirah Vann) did everything she could think of to shelter her children throughout the horrors of their reality. She wanted them to be as comfortable as possible. No matter what you think of her, she sacrifices herself for her children. She barters, plans, and executes her plans adapting as the circumstances change. Ernestine’s choices are confusing to her older children. Tell me what is more relatable than not being able to understand your mother’s decisions. We see Ernestine in control of her life and at her lowest point in life, in just two seasons.

• Boo’s mother, Pearly Mae (Adina Porter’s character), is the reason the “Macon 7” were able to escape the people who enslaved them. She was able to read the song which gave instructions to reaching freedom. Pearly Mae yields her body to ensure that her daughter and husband could continue to the North.

• When we meet Rosalee she is living the life her mother has made for her. An unexpected loss at the beginning of the series starts to amend her perspective. She withstands physical abuse from an overseer for the first time to protect her younger brother from that pain and permanent scarring. Her arc from season 1 episode 1 to the final episode of the show is immense but it is not surprising. She rescues herself and others on multiple occasions.

• Elizabeth (Jessica De Gouw’s character) is being overcome by loss while her lawyer husband begins contemplating living the life of an abolitionist. She is hesitant to commit to that life change but is enlightened by the moral necessity to do so. She begins making the choices she deems right without relying on her husband.

• Harriet Tubman (portrayed by Aisha Hinds). I literally should not have to say anything more than that name. She is strength. She gives a monologue to end all monologues. My veins are reverberating just thinking of it.

Who Did That To You? : Gruesome Unwatchable Moments

I personally enjoy gory films. I can stomach a lot of bloodshed and violence. Though there are several moments in Django Unchained and Underground that still pulls my eyes to the floor, fills them with water, and churns my intestines.

• The scene where the captors are being entertained by demanding 2 enslaved men to fight until one man dies, is one of those moments. Also, when Candie has one of the people he has enslaved ripped apart by his dogs.

• I vividly remember Kerry Washington stating in an interview that she thought that one of the apparatuses around the neck of the people being held against their will was something that Quentin Tarantino made up. She did the research or was informed that it was a contraption really used on Black people during the time of slavery. Our worst imagination could not equate to the horrors inflicted on Black people in that time.

• I must like to torture myself because I remember the night Underground aired, I watched it twice. Crying at the same scenes profusely, each time. Later, in the series they did not shy from showing one of the most polarizing images from that time and on, lynching.

My theory when those scenes come across the screen and you want to turn the film or show off is to remember that actual people had to endure that torture. Put your head down for a moment, close your eyes and then give the story your respect and attention.

Cato (Alano Miller’s character in Underground), Stephen, and Django (while he was on the Candyland plantation pretending to be a “black slaver”)

• All three of these characters make calculated moves and use their intelligence in a way that makes the viewer uncomfortable. In Django’s case, he is fighting within himself pretending to be something he detests to get his wife back. Stephen is an observer, knowledgeable enough to only show it when necessary. As I mentioned earlier, Stephen is the reason Django and Schultz scheme was exposed. He noticed the inconspicuous interactions and was suspicious of the peculiar arrival of strangers. He is what would be called an “Uncle Tom.” That term is belittling, and it does not put the responsibility on the person who has brainwashed and demolished the self-worth of another human being. I by no means am saying that Stephen is a redeemable character and I personally was happy when Django killed him initially. I will say revisiting the character it is important to recognize and not penalize Stockholm syndrome.

• Cato is a character with such depth. When we are first introduced to him, it is easy to peg him as a one-dimensional person. He surprises the viewer immediately by wanting part in the plan to escape. He plays a role in front of the people who think they have control over him, but he is steps ahead observing, trying to acquire and preserve his freedom. Cato’s relationship to Noah is like Stephen and Django’s because there is envy there, from Cato and Stephen to Noah and Django respectively.

Underground is on hulu.com. Watch it now. The world was only given 2 seasons of this perfect show that had somehow improved from the 1st to 2nd season. Before I close this out, there are a couple of more notable comparisons I must make. Underground uses modern music and negro spirituals naturally in emotionally charged scenes. Django Unchained has a soundtrack stacked with Tupac, Luis Bacalov, Johnny Cash, John Legend, etc. that to this day is in steady rotation on my iPod. This film and show intertwine comedy in a setting where it is hard for laughter to fit in comfortably. Django Unchained does this more often and less subtly than Underground but it is as effective in the show as it is in the film. Django Unchained and Underground are each blessed with phenomenal, raw, unwavering, thoughtful, unrelenting, outer body performances from every actor. I could put more adjectives, but I think I have made my point. I’m done now. I expect you to watch Underground now. Possibly start a petition for it to be brought back. Nothing to serious.

This was cathartic for me, I am emotionally prepared to re-watch the series myself.