tonight, a show called jamestown starts airing on sky in the uk. it’s amazing from start to finish and it deserves so much attention for so many reasons:
- set in the early 17th century
- about british women who were sent to colonise jamestown, virginia
- the horrors of colonialism do not go unaddressed
- good, respectful representation of the native americans
- and they are all actually played by native americans!!!!!
- the female leads are really well written
- fiesty irish barmaid! scheming rich bitch! soft gentle farm wife!
- strong female friendships! healthy platonic male/female relationships!
- the supporting characters are great
- nothing terrible happens just for the sake of the ~historical drama~
- cinematography is absolutely stunning
- covers so much history of the era, from witchcraft to slavery
- made by the company who did downton and the big budget is apparent
- the first episode really just establishes the situation so it’s worth waiting for episode two to really get a feel for it
- warning: there is a rape in the first episode, but it is not gratuitous and is not exploitatively used as a plot device. it’s handled really well.