This week Disney + unveiled its newest orginal limited series Washington Black.
Our hero is George Washington “Wash” Black (Eddie Karanja), an 11-year-old boy born on a Barbados sugar plantation, where he is raised by an older enslaved woman, Big Kit (Shaunette Renée Wilson), and under the cruelty of the plantation owner, Erasmus Wilde (Julian Rhind-Tutt). When Wilde is visited by his well-meaning, budding scientist brother Christopher a.k.a. Titch (Tom Ellis)- who has come to seek financial help from his brother to successfully create his hot air balloon-esque contraption, the Cloud Cutter- Wash’s fascination with Titch’s inventions piques Titch’s interest, and the two quickly bond over Wash’s artistry and scientific skills, and a mentorship develops. When tragedy strikes the plantation, Titch and Wash embark on an unexpected adventure that takes Wash far from home, full of wonder and danger.
The series also shows Wash as a young adult, now known as Jack Crawford (Ernest Kingsley Jr), who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Both the town and Wash are protected by Medwin Harris (Sterling K. Brown) and Angie (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), and that’s tested when Wash’s past starts to catch up to him with the arrival of Willard (Billy Boyd).
Wash also captures the attention of a new arrival in town, Tanna Goff (Iola Evans), the biracial daughter of marine biologist G.M. Goff (Rupert Graves). Tanna was born in the Soloman Islands, her mother a native woman, but has been “passing” for a white woman for most of her life since her mother’s death, and now faces the dilemma of her being stuck in an unwanted betrothal to wealthy Billy McGee (Edward Bluemel) after her and her father left London under mysterious circumstances. As Tanna and Wash’s attraction grows, Tanna longs for a life that she chooses- a life she must fight for against the ways of the world around her.
Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and the team have adapted the Booker prize shortlisted novel by Esi Edugyan into an unmissable series full of boyhood adventures and compelling performances from Karanja, Ellis, Kingsley Jr., Brown, Evans and Boyd.
4 stars
Washington Black is streaming on Disney+ now
