A new drama from WGN, “Underground” combines elements of the escape/heist genres and historical fiction to tell the story of the Underground Railroad.
The primary setting is the Macon cotton plantation in 1857 Georgia, which the master (Reed Diamond, “Wayward Pines”) brags is a fortress blessed to him by God that not one slave has escaped from in the twenty years he’s been running it. But looking to change that is one of his field slaves, Noah (Aldis Hodge, “Leverage”). Clever and resolved, Noah has stumbled onto what he believes is the map to freedom, but it’s a dangerous and daring plan that he won’t be able to pull off alone. Among those he looks to as possible collaborators is Rosalee (Jurnee Smollett-Bell, “Friday Night Lights”), a house slave who has grown weary of the cloud of fear she lives under and with whom he forms a connection.
Elsewhere, we meet two other characters who look to figure into Noah’s fate. First up is John Hawkes (Marc Blucas, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), a lawyer with abolitionist leanings that he shares with his wife Elizabeth (Jessica De Gouw, “Arrow”), but both are worried about the consequences of doing more for the cause. And then there’s August Pullman (Christopher Meloni, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), a farmer whose family problems and surprising sympathies seem ready to collide.
What I found really interesting about the pilot was how it played with elements of deception. The characters do it, in ways both big and small, to advance their bigger agendas or just to get through the day. But the show does as well, seemingly leading us in one direction with several characters and plots before pulling the rug out from under us in surprising but satisfying ways. In particular, a familial connection we learn about late in the hour will no doubt cause some complications. There’s also strong performances, with Hodge, Smollett-Bell, and De Gouw (there’s a heartbreaking moment involving her character and a fan) standing out in particular.
There were some weak spots. The intermittent use of modern music (for example, a Kanye West song plays over the opening scene) is distractingly showy. And there’s some stock characterization (like the master’s bitchy, cruel wife) that feels too familiar from recent films on this subject matter. But overall, I think “Underground” is off to a solid start.
“Underground’s” series premiere – “The Macon 7” – airs next Wednesday March 9 on WGN. Until then, please share your thoughts on this preview in the comments section.
