“Them” Relies on Brutality Over Nuanced Social Commentary

Episode: 1 – April 9, 2021
Network: Amazon Prime
Showrunner: Little Marvin
Genre: Horror

My Thoughts

Them, Amazon Prime’s newest horror anthology series, has a lot of potential. The premise—escaping violence in the South, a Black family relocates to East Compton in the 1950s when it was still an all-white enclave and horror ensues—is intriguing. In the wake of other television shows like Watchmen and Lovecraft Country that also took Black history and twisted it with fantastical elements, there was a real opportunity to explore different aspects of racial violence: redlining, white flight, and blockbusting. Unfortunately, Little Marvin, who created Them and wrote four episodes, fails to live up to the potential of his own premise…

To read the rest of my review, head over to Tor.com.