Hello!
As extreme as this might sound, I think I have never loved a tv show as much as I love The Get Down. I am a person who is very critical of the media I consume, because everything from magazines to tv shows has an impact even if we think it doesn't, because more often than not, this media we are consuming are catering to white, ethnocentric ideals, aesthetics, etc etc. I have jumped from series to series and as much as I try to appreciate them without their problematic aspects (racism, homophobia, misogyny) they always stick out to me and make me think that what I watch is a representation of what I am, what I like. Having said this, The Get Down is everything I'm looking for in a series.
The Get Down is set in the late 70's, telling us the beginnings and evolution of what we now know as hip-hop, rap, break-dancing, street art/graffiti and how they were all linked and how they spread in the Bronx. But mind you, this is not just for the fans of these genres, for the fans yes it will be nostalgic, amazing, every other good adjective you may think of; but I re-watched this show with a friend who doesn't like any of these styles of music, and he absolutely loved the show too. It has an astounding capacity of gripping you since the first seconds of the first episode until the last seconds of the last one. Not kidding, when I first watched it and when I re-watched it I saw all the episodes in a row, it was that good to me.
So like I mentioned, the action is set in the Bronx, and the tools we're given to weave around this decrepit neighbourhood are old documentaries that fit in perfectly to show us the true reality of some events; Grand Master Flash and the Fantastic Four Plus One, that'd be Ezequiel Figuero, Shaolin Fantastic, Dizzee Kipling, Ra Ra Kipling and Boo Boo Kipling. From abandoned buildings in the Bronx to gay bars in Soho to thrilling underground parties all over the city, action is guaranteed in the show. The cast is so talented, and some people complain about Jaden Smith but I actually loved his performance? I think it just fits in with his character. But the rest of the cast. Oh boy. I had seen Shameik Moore's performance in Dope and fell in love with him but in The Get Down he was simply amazing, I foresee great parts for him the future. Zeke Figuero's character was the main one, and although he's really powerful, I feel like he never stole the show, and the writers found a perfect balance so that they could all shine. Some characters were not as explored as others but that's what I'm waiting on for the 2nd season. Contrasting with the underground, hip hop vibe of the Fantastic Four Plus One, we have The Soul Madonnas, the group of ladies that stole my heart. We have Mylene Cruz, Regina and Yolanda Kipling, and man do I love my women of colour. They're gorgeous, sing like angels and I love how their different personalities intertwine, it's amazing seeing a good group of ladies without the toxicity and cat fighting. All these characters seem to have fairy dust sprinkled all over them even through the hardships of growing up in such a tough neighborhood and in poverty. The show doesn't have the need to make their lives a tragic sob story to make it interesting, but rather turn it into a story about courage, leadership and hope.
What this show also excels at too is the capacity to mix the historical aspects to other elements of hip hop and whatnot. As a person of colour who is part of the LGBT+ community, it meant a lot seeing beautiful diverse people on screen, rocking afros and every shade of black there is, hearing the different accents and languages, and seeing other PoC exploring their sexuality and people on screen saying that "it's okay", there's no judgement, just colourful, unapologetic queerness. I simply loved the approach to what is such a big topic and also the beginnings of a culture, you almost never see LGBT+ representation on screen besides white gay couples or lesbians that get killed off or other sad stories. It's never this beautiful or happy. All in all this show is amazing at breaking stereotypes. We get shown black men crying, being emotional, exploring sexualities, being nerds. Where else would you get that? Besides angry, muscular black men yelling and shooting guns, or tough gang members, what representation do our black men get? Basically none. The show just captures the heart and soul of the Bronx with all its colourful population, street violence, but also all the music. Oh my gosh the music. No other producer could've done it that well. It's been days and I'm still humming every song from the glorious soundtrack.
The sets, the political statements, the music, the cast, the wardrobe, no matter how flamboyant it gets, it just captures the true essence of those decades, and I love every single second of the show.
Rating on IMDb: 8,6
My rating: 9
The Get Down is set in the late 70's, telling us the beginnings and evolution of what we now know as hip-hop, rap, break-dancing, street art/graffiti and how they were all linked and how they spread in the Bronx. But mind you, this is not just for the fans of these genres, for the fans yes it will be nostalgic, amazing, every other good adjective you may think of; but I re-watched this show with a friend who doesn't like any of these styles of music, and he absolutely loved the show too. It has an astounding capacity of gripping you since the first seconds of the first episode until the last seconds of the last one. Not kidding, when I first watched it and when I re-watched it I saw all the episodes in a row, it was that good to me.
So like I mentioned, the action is set in the Bronx, and the tools we're given to weave around this decrepit neighbourhood are old documentaries that fit in perfectly to show us the true reality of some events; Grand Master Flash and the Fantastic Four Plus One, that'd be Ezequiel Figuero, Shaolin Fantastic, Dizzee Kipling, Ra Ra Kipling and Boo Boo Kipling. From abandoned buildings in the Bronx to gay bars in Soho to thrilling underground parties all over the city, action is guaranteed in the show. The cast is so talented, and some people complain about Jaden Smith but I actually loved his performance? I think it just fits in with his character. But the rest of the cast. Oh boy. I had seen Shameik Moore's performance in Dope and fell in love with him but in The Get Down he was simply amazing, I foresee great parts for him the future. Zeke Figuero's character was the main one, and although he's really powerful, I feel like he never stole the show, and the writers found a perfect balance so that they could all shine. Some characters were not as explored as others but that's what I'm waiting on for the 2nd season. Contrasting with the underground, hip hop vibe of the Fantastic Four Plus One, we have The Soul Madonnas, the group of ladies that stole my heart. We have Mylene Cruz, Regina and Yolanda Kipling, and man do I love my women of colour. They're gorgeous, sing like angels and I love how their different personalities intertwine, it's amazing seeing a good group of ladies without the toxicity and cat fighting. All these characters seem to have fairy dust sprinkled all over them even through the hardships of growing up in such a tough neighborhood and in poverty. The show doesn't have the need to make their lives a tragic sob story to make it interesting, but rather turn it into a story about courage, leadership and hope.
What this show also excels at too is the capacity to mix the historical aspects to other elements of hip hop and whatnot. As a person of colour who is part of the LGBT+ community, it meant a lot seeing beautiful diverse people on screen, rocking afros and every shade of black there is, hearing the different accents and languages, and seeing other PoC exploring their sexuality and people on screen saying that "it's okay", there's no judgement, just colourful, unapologetic queerness. I simply loved the approach to what is such a big topic and also the beginnings of a culture, you almost never see LGBT+ representation on screen besides white gay couples or lesbians that get killed off or other sad stories. It's never this beautiful or happy. All in all this show is amazing at breaking stereotypes. We get shown black men crying, being emotional, exploring sexualities, being nerds. Where else would you get that? Besides angry, muscular black men yelling and shooting guns, or tough gang members, what representation do our black men get? Basically none. The show just captures the heart and soul of the Bronx with all its colourful population, street violence, but also all the music. Oh my gosh the music. No other producer could've done it that well. It's been days and I'm still humming every song from the glorious soundtrack.
The sets, the political statements, the music, the cast, the wardrobe, no matter how flamboyant it gets, it just captures the true essence of those decades, and I love every single second of the show.
Rating on IMDb: 8,6
My rating: 9
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