مسلسل When They See Us
Shanae Maerz
When They See Us is a 2019 American crime drama television miniseries created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix, that premiered in four parts on May 31, 2019. It is based on events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case and explores the lives and families of the five Black and Latino male suspects who were falsely accused then prosecuted on charges related to the rape and assault of a white woman in Central Park, New York City. The series features an ensemble cast, including Jharrel Jerome, Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Jovan Adepo, Michael K. Williams, Logan Marshall-Green, Joshua Jackson, Blair Underwood, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Aunjanue Ellis, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and Kylie Bunbury.
When They See Us received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its cast. At the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, it received 11 nominations; Jerome won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie while it was nominated for Outstanding Limited Series and Ellis, Nash, Blackk, Leguizamo, Williams, Blake, and Farmiga all received acting nominations. The series also won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Limited Series.
A companion special, titled Oprah Winfrey Presents When They See Us Now, in which the cast, the creator, and the exonerated five are interviewed, premiered on June 12, 2019, on Netflix and the Oprah Winfrey Network.[5]
When They See Us is based on events of the April 19, 1989, Central Park jogger case and explores the lives of the five suspects who were prosecuted on charges related to the sexual assault of a female victim, and of their families. The five juvenile males of color, the protagonists of the series: Kevin Richardson (Asante Blackk), Antron McCray (Caleel Harris), Yusef Salaam (Ethan Herisse), Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome), and Raymond Santana (Marquis Rodriguez), were divided by the prosecutor into two groups for trial. Each youth was convicted by juries of various charges related to the assault; four were convicted of rape. They were sentenced to maximum terms for juveniles except for Korey Wise. He had been held in facilities and served his time in prison.
They were exonerated in December 2002, when the real perpetrator was unequivocally confirmed. They filed a suit against the city in 2003 for wrongful conviction and were awarded a settlement in 2014.[6]
On July 6, 2017, it was announced that Netflix had given the production Central Park Five a series order consisting of five episodes. The series was created by Ava DuVernay who was also set to write and direct. Executive producers were expected to include DuVernay, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh. Production companies involved with the series were set to include Participant Media, Harpo Films, and Tribeca Productions.[8] On July 9, 2018, it was reported that the series would consist of four episodes, Bradford Young would serve as the series' cinematographer, and Robin Swicord, Attica Locke, and Michael Starrbury would cowrite each episode with DuVernay.[9]
In July 2018, it was announced that Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Jharrel Jerome, and Jovan Adepo had joined the series' main cast.[9][11] On August 3, 2018, it was reported that Niecy Nash, Aunjanue Ellis, Kylie Bunbury, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and Storm Reid had been cast in supporting roles.[12] A week later, it was announced that Chris Chalk, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez, Caleel Harris, Freddy Miyares, Justin Cunningham and Asante Blackk had filled out the main cast, both as adults and as teenagers.[13] By the end of the month, it was reported that Joshua Jackson, Christopher Jackson, Adepero Oduye, Omar Dorsey, Blair Underwood, Famke Janssen, William Sadler, and Aurora Perrineau had also joined the cast.[14]
Principal photography for the series began during the week of August 6, 2018, in New York City, with cinematography by Bradford Young.[13] On August 10, 2018, filming took place on Madison Avenue in the East Harlem area of Manhattan.[15]
When They See Us received widespread critical acclaim. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries has an approval rating of 97% based on 86 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Ava DuVernay pulls no punches in When They See Us, laying out the harrowing events endured by the Central Park Five while adding a necessary layer of humanity to their story that challenges viewers to reconsider what it means to find justice in America."[17] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]
Matt Goldberg of Collider gave it a very positive review, writing: "The emotional impact of When They See Us cannot be understated." He said further, "I watched The Central Park Five earlier this month, and it's a good way to understand the case and its basic facts, but even though [it] has interviews with all five men, it doesn't come close to what DuVernay does here with this cast, her craftsmanship, and Bradford Young's stunning cinematography."[22] Lucy Mangan from The Guardian complimented the miniseries, saying it is
[A] dense, fast-moving series that examines not just the effects of systemic racism but the effects of all sorts of disenfranchisement (though you could argue they all have that same root cause) on people with the boys' background. The lack of money that leads to inadequate lawyers and mothers unable to visit their sons incarcerated in distant places. The lifetime of fear and vulnerability that causes one parent to encourage his son to sign the confession so they can leave the station and sort things out later. The powerlessness in the face of an authority that doesn't look like you or care about you.[23]
In a positive review of the miniseries, Jen Chaney from Vulture wrote that, "When They See Us, Ava DuVernay's sensitively wrought Netflix miniseries about what happened to those boys, strips away the dehumanizing tendency to bunch them together and instead shows what each of them dealt with individually when they were coerced into giving false confessions, forced to do time for a crime they did not commit, and, eventually, exonerated when their convictions were vacated in 2002."[24]
Armond White from National Review criticized the series in his review, unfavorably contrasting its portrayal of racial tension and violence to period films like Boyz n the Hood and Do the Right Thing.[27]
John E. Reid & Associates took DuVernay, ARRA, and Netflix to court in October 2019 because the series called the company's once widely used trademark controversial interrogation technique as "universally rejected." A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit "(b)ecause the First Amendment protects non-factual assertions" and because the plaintiffs did not have sufficient standing to bring the case in the state of Illinois.[44]
The physical evidence against Adnan Syed was scant - a few underwhelming fingerprints. So aside from cell records, what did the prosecutors bring to the jury, to shore up Jay's testimony? Sarah weighs all the other circumstantial evidence they had against Adnan, including curious behavior, a disconcerting note, and an unexplained mid-afternoon phone call.
Possible timelines of the events of January 13, 1999, based on Adnan's memory, court records, and three of Jay's statements: his first two recorded statements to the police and his testimony at the second trial.
In the case file, this hand-drawn map follows the detectives' notes on their interview with Ja'uan. We presume he was showing them where he and Adnan parked the day they went to Best Buy to smoke weed.
We've just added this simple timeline of the case to our Maps, Photos, Etc. page. It covers the major events in the year and a half from when Hae went missing to when Adnan was sentenced to life in prison. We'll have a much more detailed timeline of Jan. 13, 1999 coming later this week. ... Read More
The Visitors, colloquially known as the V's, are the sapient, space-faring extra-terrestrial species of reptilian humanoids who contact humanity in the V series. Using their cloning technology, they disguise themselves to appear identical to humans, concealing their true, more intimidating appearance; in addition to posing as a wise, benevolent race to conceal their sinister goals. What the Visitors call themselves, whether as a species or as individuals, is unknown.
Little is known about the Visitors' home planet, including its name. In the first interview with Chad Decker, Anna stated that her planet is much like theirs, with cities, large oceans, and the like. Later, when Anna goes to visit her mother Diana, who is being held captive in a section of the New York City Mothership that is said to resemble the Visitors' homeworld. It is shown to be very dark, dusty, with many rocks and canyons, not resembling Earth very much, meaning Anna lied.
The Visitors first learned of humanity when they detected the detonation of mankind's first atomic bomb.(Serpent's Tooth) The V's found Earth a sustainable world to become their homeworld. This would explain Alpha, whose presence on Earth has been for 50 years.
Prior to their arrival, the Visitors' history is much unknown. The Visitors had sentsleeper agents decades ahead of their formal arrival to investigate Earth, to undermine its society, and to gain access to key government positions. Among these agents were Dale Maddox, who became an FBI agent and Erica Evans' partner, and Ryan Nichols, who rebelled against the Visitors' plans against mankind. He is one of many who share these ideals.
The Visitors arrived early one morning in 2009 in twenty-nine motherships around the world. Their arrival was heralded by earthquakes caused by their ships. Earth's first response was sending fighter jets to their ships, but their on board electrical systems failed around the motherships. The National Guard of the United States was called in on cities such as New York to evacuate crowds as the bottom hull of the motherships began transforming into a screen. Earth was introduced to the Visitor High Commander Anna, who immediately apologized for the damages caused to Earth in their arrival. She continued by stating her people required water and a valuable mineral, and in exchange, the Visitors would share their knowledge with Earth, then they would leave, in peace. She finished by stating she would be in contact with world leaders within the next few hours.
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