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The Long Song

43 replies

Dulra · 20/12/2018 08:18

Anyone watching?
I think it is really good and superbly acted. It is set in Jamaica in the last days of slavery it is an equal mix of tragedy, brutality and humour. Last nights episode was hard to watch the master is full of good intentions but his "plan" was completely messed up and he was using both women appallingly. Doesn't look like it will end well for either. I know things were really complex back then and the black Jamicans were really viewed as sub human but it is so hard to watch how they are treated especially knowing that they were treated that way.
What do other people think of it? I was surprised there was no thread on it

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purpleme12 · 20/12/2018 09:20

I really like it. It's compelling. Very ominous

PrincessScarlett · 20/12/2018 10:02

I watched it and thought it was superbly harrowing. I found myself appalled that people were treated like that. Obviously we know the history of slavery and that it did happen but I just cannot understand how white people were so incredibly cruel and managed to get away with it for so long.

Brilliant acting all round.

Reccy2018 · 20/12/2018 10:06

Loved the book so wasnt expecting to love the series as much, but actually I'm really enjoying it (as much as you can enjoy the subject matter). Brilliantly acted and shot, and cant wait to catch up with ep2

purpleme12 · 20/12/2018 10:08

I've not read the book but this makes me want to read it

2rebecca · 20/12/2018 16:01

I found it too simplistic in a "white people bad, black people good" sort of way. A bit like all the Scots are good and the English bad in Outlander or Braveheart. It looked nice and the acting was good but it didn't make me want to watch the rest of it. Everyone else seems to be raving about it though and my husband enjoyed it and I think it's autobiographical.
I prefer documentaries where everyone has some bad and good in them like real life.

Snugglepiggy · 20/12/2018 19:59

Really enjoyed it so far.Wasn't going to watch it as didn't fancy anything too heavy this week but urged by my DD watched on catch up and it's superbly acted.Agree though it doesn't bode well though for tonight's episode.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 20/12/2018 20:13

I watched the first episode last night. I thought it was brilliant. One thing I do struggle with is the graphic ness of the brutality. Not because it’s too shocking or that it shouldn’t be shown, these stories absolutely must be told but I feel maybe it is exploited for shock factor. I am white so I feel maybe it isn’t my place to comment on whether it’s appropriately represented but I’ve noticed myself feeling like this about other programmes depicting the violence carried out on black people. Sometimes it feels gratuitous in the same way the violence against women is depicted in some movies. I know the shock factor is important in some stories though so maybe I’m wrong on this one. It’s the writers’/producers story to tell and they must feel it’s right to show it as they did.

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Dulra · 20/12/2018 20:35

I found it too simplistic in a "white people bad, black people good" sort of way. don't think it was portrayed that way at all. The white people featured were colonists and accurately portrayed as arrogant, entitled and pretty brutal but that's what they were you can't whitewash the past Confused. I don't think the black people were portrayed as "good" just trying to get freedom and not always using very appropriate tactics to achieve it

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Lemoneez · 20/12/2018 21:52

Omg 😭 what a bastard

purpleme12 · 20/12/2018 22:00

Fucking hell.

I might have been able to deal with the hell that is her life if her daughter hadn't gone

Why did her 'friend' take her

I

ursuslemonade · 20/12/2018 22:01

I've kind of expected that they'll snatch the baby. What a pair of bastards...

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Dulra · 20/12/2018 22:02

God so depressing but I guess there are very few happy endings to tales like this Sad. There are no words for him disgusting excuse for a human Angry

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SealSong · 20/12/2018 22:09

"I prefer documentaries where everyone has some bad and good in them like real life."
ahem, this drama was about slavery!! Pretty hard to make that into a drama where 'everyone has some bad and good in them' Hmm

SealSong · 20/12/2018 22:10

If anything, this drama did not represent the full horrors of slavery (not that it set out to). Overall, good though. I do find Andrea Levy's plots a bit heavy handed though.

jessstan2 · 20/12/2018 22:39

I thought it was very good though quite harrowing at times. When you think about it, all that happened not that long ago.

Nice to see our Len in the first episode though he had slimmed down so much to look old. He's a very good actor.

PrincessScarlett · 20/12/2018 22:47

Heartbreaking when they took Emily from July. Was Caroline poisoning Robert against July or was he always a bastard pretending to be good?

And pretty awful that Caroline took July from her mother and then Emily from July. Was it all her plan to get revenge on July?

purpleme12 · 20/12/2018 22:54

Princess Scarlett personally I think he was always a bastard

And in my opinion I don't think she's that conniving or clever I think she was just glad she got him in the end

Choccywoccyhooha · 21/12/2018 00:08

That was so well done.

WidowTwonky · 21/12/2018 00:37

I’d missed the first ep. So how does her son fit in? Assume he was born before the daughter?

Lemoneez · 21/12/2018 07:02

@WidowTwonky her son was a result of a night with a young freed slave who she had grown close to. They had plans to get married and live together. Sadly the morning after he was killed by Julys Father.
She couldn't bear for her son to grow up a slave so she left him on the doorstep of the Baptist church for adoption.

kikashi · 21/12/2018 09:17

I don't mind it being graphic but bear a thought that there are more slaves in the world today than then, often living in just as appalling conditions.
edition.cnn.com/2017/09/19/world/global-slavery-estimates-ilo/index.html

Weightsandmeasures · 21/12/2018 09:30

Kikashi, all slavery is terrible. However, minimising the over 500 years of organised slavery and the subjugation and brutality of a particular group/race is not right. Ship loads of slaves were sometimes dumped at sea (alive) for the sake of insurance. They were mere commodities sold in open market places. The world, governments, academics, etc colluded to make it acceptable. You should read about the slave trade and slavery to understand how different it is and why it is different to modern slavery (which is of course extremely serious and must be stopped and the world and governments would agree).

All over the world there continues to be genocide. Would you use that to minimise the Holocaust?

GreenHillOpposite · 21/12/2018 09:53

I've loved every minute of this, I think that the BBC should do more of this "one episode a night".

I found it too simplistic in a "white people bad, black people good" sort of way. Really? I thought that it was very nuanced, just showed people as people - flawed, resilient, complicated... All in the context, of course, that slavery is horrific. What 'good' aspects of colonialism did you want to see portrayed?

How futile a situation for the people to be granted their 'freedom' with still so much overwhelming poverty, inequality and prejudiced.

The writing was incredible in terms of mixing up the horror and the humour.

Lemoneeza · 21/12/2018 10:34

Totally agree with previous two posts.

SoupDragon · 21/12/2018 10:39

This was amazing. A difficult thing to watch but utterly compelling and brilliantly done.

I found it too simplistic in a "white people bad, black people good" sort of way.

I didn't see that at all. It showed how the white people were utterly sure of their superiority which, I think, is how it was. Were they meant to sugar coat this fact?