Review of Mercy Street

It is amazing how many bad reviews this show has been given by people who have only watched one episode. As now, in the fifth week of its airing, the majority of these reviews seem to centralize on three topics: the presence of blood and gore; the accents; and the characterization. On the first score, people need to be realistic. This is 1) A Civil War setting! and 2) It takes place around a hospital. Given the setting and the time period, there are few programs more JUSTIFIED in the presence of blood and gore! And at least they do it right (as opposed to the stomach ulcer scene in Downton Abbey Season Six). In fact, they brought in experts (and yes, they do cite them on the website) to make sure it was up to scratch. So, for those of strong constitution, this can be a very educational program. No show can appeal to everyone. Do not let naysayers turn you off, but to quote the disclaimer, "Viewer discretion is advised." Next, the accents. Yes,many people are proud of their regional accents. But one must be fair--an accent does not define the actor. Although general accents might have played some role, can we really complain? Not all of them are bad, some of the accents are very good, or at least justifiable. (Where DOES Mrs. Green come from, anyway?) So, let's think on this folks! On the one hand, would people rather have subpar acting than dubious accents? (PRIORITIZE, PEOPLE!) On the other hand, there are alternatives, such as the mute + subtitles option, common for Downton fans who trouble translating the many accents presented. And yes, it is not British. Are we so dependent on the BBC we cannot appreciate something done on American soil? Thirdly, the characterizations: Guess what folks! They are not cardboard people! For instance, and I cannot go into detail due to spoiler constraints, but we have a Southerner who simply wants his family to come out of this alive... and preferably in Alexandria. He isn't all that keen on Slavery as a whole, actually!Another individual is a mother who simply wants to be reunited with her child--but is being exploited in obscene ways for that very reason. When push comes to shove, she is willing to go to gut-churning extremes to see this dream come true. Just two minor examples. Ultimately this is a setting where it is hard for characters to trust, and as a whole they are a stoic bunch. This means you actually have to LOOK at what they say, what they do, how they react… for the first episode, at least. Over the series, though, you learn more and more as they open up to each other, or are forced to by circumstance. So as you watch, the characters themselves unfold. This is key to what the series tries to tell us. No one is really good. No one is really evil. No one is grey. Even the most petty of characters can be seen as sympathetic from some standpoint. Everyone has talents, likes, and dislikes. Everyone has a history, a past, and hopes and dreams for the future—or a reason for not hoping at all. Every action has consequences on some level. And in the end, is all the hatred and grief worth the pain caused unto others? "Blood is neither blue or grey. It is all one color." That, above all, is what is most intriguing about the series. We see each character treated with dignity, but not sugarcoating. We learn to respect the characters, regardless of who they are, because we learn throughout the series their stories, their circumstances, their trials, their fears, and we connect with them, especially the protagonists, but almost the whole cast, on some level. It is not love or hate, here, for the most part. Even the most likable of them has some flaw. (But we still end up liking them.) There is no perfection here. Perhaps that is why people have doubts about this series. Because this is not a story of order and perfection, two things we tend to lack in the modern world. Nonetheless, even as Julian Fellows reminds people that the Pre-WWI world was an illusion, people want to believe it, and so empathize with the quests for order and endeavors for change that Downton Abbey so blatantly displays. So, be not mistaken. This is not Downton Abbey.This is not mere happy-happy escapism. The closest Downton ever got to this was Season II, and even then it falls short. (Not that this isn't a beautiful show, either—just that there is more to this than sets, costumes, and drama.) What is Mercy Street, then? It is a show that wants us to THINK. Think about what makes us human, what matters most to us. It shows that victories do not have to be big in wartime —it can be the little things that make the difference—and that the end goal does not have to be big. It can simply be surviving another day. It challenges the preconceptions of history and forces people to think outside the box. It is a show that wants people to look beyond prejudice, or even conflicts of personality, and actually think about both respect, empathy, and compassion. Or if nothing else, to just think. When is the last time you saw a drama like that on TV? So, give it a shot. Because beyond all that, it is actually interesting. The characters are engaging but surprising, there are some good jokes, the plot is always shifting, and you get to learn something as well! There is never a dull moment on this show; viewers will never be bored.