61st Street (2022– )
7/10
Lots of reviwers aren't really watching. They got mad without thinking.
13 September 2022
There's way more thoughtfulness and far fewer easy spoonfed answers here than most of the reviewers would have you think. It's far from perfect, and doesn't reach the level of its closest comparisons "The Wire" and "The Night Of"/ But it's way, way too easy to paint this with the Woke brush and convince people that it's nothing but tropes at work. There are tropes, and there are common themes, into which category you fall depends on execution. I'd urge you to think about a few things.

If this show is so blatantly "all cops are bad", "all the poor black kids are totally innocent victims", and every BLM activist is the true hero, then please tell me:

Why is the character with by far the most internal struggle and most significant ongoing dilemma about loyalty versus doing the right thing, the younger white cop (1 of only 2 named recurring cop characters)? If he's the embodiment of bad in this supposed liberal fable, where does the agony come from?

Why is the impetus of all of his dilemma the evidence that his partner gathered on their corrupt boss when actually doing the right (but hard) thing?

Why is the young cop shown isolated and without a fictionalized and unrealistic "blue brotherhood" to fall back on and glean excuses from? That's not complex enough of a picture of cops for you?

Why in god's name is the undercover cop revealed to be stringing along and gaining intel on the defendant's mom a Black guy?

Why is the defendant's younger brother openly shown getting involved with and making money on unjustified crime? Why is the local shady (Black) kingpin try to manipulate the soon-to-be elected official? As a supposedly celebrated BLM neighborhood hero, why is she show taking the bait and not standing up to him?

Why is the shooting of the drug dealer in the first episode set up as a tool for the gang to retaliate against his mother? Where's the suggestion that the shooting of the drug dealer (who was also a snitch) was not justified? Oh yeah, there is none.

Bottom line: please think. Stuff like this isn't made to accuse anyone, to make you mad or guilty, or to serve some "agenda' like state sponsored television (what would that even look like? Lol). It's a story that hopefully engages all kinds of people and has some value, even if it's not perfect. No one can deny that such situations as on this show reflect true life in some way. Dropping your guard and giving stuff a chance won't bite. The great thing about movies and TV is that you lose nothing, you don't have to answer to or argue with anyone else. Just pay attention and think for a little bit, all by yourself. Don't believe the Florida politicians. Learning about bad stuff doesn't hurt you, it can make you better.
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