Roots Revisited

Just a few hours before the remake of the Roots miniseries made its debut, Snoop Dogg posted a heartfelt video on Instagram explaining why he wouldn’t be watching it. “How the fuck are they going to put Roots on, on Memorial Day?” Snoop Dogg said. “They going to just to keep beating that shit into our heads about how they did us, huh?…Let’s create our own shit based on today, how we live and how we inspire people today. Black is what’s real. Fuck that old shit.” You can certainly understand where Snoop is coming from, particularly in a year when the lack of diversity in Hollywood was—yet again—exposed when all the actor nominations at the Academy Awards went to white actors (for the second year in a row). But if Snoop had tuned in to Roots, he would have seen a masterful production that was far more inspiring than it was reductive. Yes, the horror story of slavery is retold with scenes of brutal beatings, families being ripped apart and humans treated as livestock, but the miniseries also makes an action hero out of its central character Kunta Kinte (played by British actor Malachi Kirby). This is not just a tale of historic injustice and victimization, it is an epic about inner strength, resilience, staying true to yourself and never giving up the fight against evil. It is also—thanks to the impressive performances by Kirby and the large cast of supporting players—a powerful testament to the diverse pool of acting talent that’s just waiting to be tapped by Hollywood. Roots is not always easy to watch because of the graphic scenes of physical and emotional violence, but fans of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones gleefully expose themselves to that kind of grim fare on a weekly basis, and at least this time they’ll come away with a well-researched history lesson rather than just a vicarious thrill.
Roots continues through Thursday starting at 9pm each night on the History Channel, A&E and Lifetime.