Washington Black

Matt Roush says...

A young boy named George Washington “Wash” Black flies out of slavery into a world of adventure in a sprawling eight-part limited series based on Esi Edugyan’s acclaimed picaresque novel. (All episodes are available for binge-watching.) The story, which alternates between timelines, begins in 1800s Barbados, where 11-year-old orphan Wash (Eddie Karanja) toils on a sugar plantation, discovered by the sadistic owner’s abolitionist brother (Lucifer’s Tom Ellis) to be a precocious visionary and gifted artist. With his mentor, Wash escapes personal trauma in a flying machine out of Jules Verne, tangles with pirates and survives the freezing Arctic. As a 19-year-old adult (now played by Ernest Kingsley Jr.), Wash pursues his scientific and romantic dreams in a Black township in Nova Scotia, with a new adult peer (Sterling K. Brown, an executive producer) and mixed-race love interest (Iola Evans). It’s an ambitious production that is at its best when depicting the wonder and curiosity of young Wash, who’s very much ahead of his changing times. 

What's Worth Watching (Jul 23)