Them, Season 1, Episodes 1-4
Premiere Date: Friday, April 9, 2021 on Amazon Prime
Reviewer Rating: 5 Stars
Them is a masterpiece of darkness and cruelty presenting a twisted and accurate depiction of fear personified. Imagine you’re standing on the edge of a cliff; then someone pushes you. You fall into darkness despite seeing light just below. Suddenly, you’re land on another ledge just a short way down and it happens all over, on repeat. Every time you land on the next tier, just when you start to feel safe, you’re falling again. Series creator, writer, and executive producer Little Marvin presents you with that same false-sense of security wrapped up in one of the best horror-series I’ve seen in a while.
As described in the synopsis, Them is a limited anthology series with this first season focusing on an African American family, The Emory’s, who move from North Carolina to Southern California seeking a better life away from the oppression of the South during the 1950s. What they hoped would be a fresh start is marred with outward hatred and supernatural forces beyond their control. From the moment the Emory family sets foot in their new home in East Compton, they are met with ignorance, prejudice, and must also contend with a malevolent force residing under the same roof.
Unless you live it, you can’t put yourself in the shoes of a family like the Emory’s and truly know what it’s like to have people hate you and judge you solely based on the color of your skin. To have all of that to complicate your life in a new state, new city, new home, new job, and new school for their two daughters, add in a terrifying unnatural force in your home threatening you where you are supposed to feel safe. Them season one is all about what happens when not even your own four walls are a comfort.
Henry Emory (Ashley Thomas) and his wife Lucky (Deborah Ayorinde) leave behind a painful past in North Carolina. All their hopes for Henry’s new job as an engineer, and their two surviving children, teenage daughter Rubie (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and five-year old daughter Gracie (Melody Hurd) adjusting to live on the West Coast start to fade as each day progresses.
Allison Pill plays uptight neighbor Betty Wendell. Along with her neighborhood groupies, including Carol (Kim Shaw), Marlene (Bailey Noble), and Dottie (Natalie Britton), Betty makes it her life’s mission to do whatever she must to get rid of the only “negroes” on the block.
In the four-episode screener, I became completely enthralled with every single second of each episode. The way the series is set up, it starts with “Day 1,” then “Day 3” and “Day 4” before jumping to “Day 6.” Each episode provides a glimpse into the Emory’s past, including Henry’s stint in the military and the consequences of fighting in the war. The story of what happens to the Emory’s third child is touched upon but never quite revealed as I’m sure the revelation of this particular storyline will be a shocking one.
I must comment on the acting of some of the guest stars in these four episodes, especially Dale Dickey who plays a strange woman in “Day 1,” and Anika Noni Rose who plays Ella Mae Robinson in “Day 6.” Both Dickey and Rose’s powerful and nuanced performances continue to haunt me. Overall, all the performances are outstanding, but I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Ayorinde’s portrayal of a strong wife and mother. After the traumas she’s experienced just before the move to California, Lucky faces so many hardships on her own. While Henry is away at work, and Rubie at school, Lucky is home with Gracie (because kindergarten hasn’t started yet) and must try to cope with not only Betty and the other outrageous neighbors sitting in front of her house playing loud music and later vandalizing her home, she is surrounded by the uneasiness in the house. After Gracie displays some unusual behavior, Lucky becomes hyperaware of strange occurrences, yet all her revelations are met with skepticism because of what happened to her in North Carolina.
Lucky and little Gracie aren’t the only ones experiencing odd things. Both Rubie and Henry must deal with their own set of trials and tribulations. Rubie must deal with not only going to a new school but being the only black girl. And Henry is mistaken for a new kitchen employee when he’s a skilled engineer at Tanner Aerospace. Them is a well-executed production, from the cast and scripts to the wardrobe, right down to the set designs and nick-nacks on in all the homes. Viewers will be transported to a time many want to forget ever happened yet is so relevant in our present day.
I am an avid fan of the paranormal and supernatural, but admittedly, I don’t know if I can watch the rest of the series, at least not in the dark. I’ll just leave the lights on and be extra grateful I don’t have a basement.
THEM Official Trailer
Watch THEM on Amazon Prime, episodes available on Friday, April 9, 2021
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Judy Manning
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