This post contains spoilers for Hulu’s “Washington Black.”
You get the sense that “Washington Black” has much more in store than just a globe-trotting odyssey as soon as the historical drama starts.
Narration from Sterling K. Brown’s Medwin Harris hints as much when he declares that everyone who steps off the last stop of the Underground Railroad, aka Halifax, Nova Scotia, has their own story — especially the titular protagonist. And that fictional tale isn’t just about a bright young man who ventures to see the world; it’s also about “family lost and family found.” Hence, the sprawling chain of events that unfold over the eight-episode Hulu series about George Washington “Wash” Black’s early life, based on Esi Edugyan’s best-selling 2018 novel.
“Washington Black” isn’t your typical linear tale. The 19th-century-set show, which premiered on Wednesday, travels back and forth in time to trace the journey of an 11-year-old boy (Eddie Karanja), born on a Barbados sugar plantation, who matures into a brilliant young scientist (Ernest Kingsley Jr.) still grappling with trauma after a devastating tragedy sends him away from his island home.
In between this period of hiding, Wash encounters a tribe of protectors who do their best to keep him out of harm’s way — the main ones being Big Kit (Shaunette Renée Wilson), the closet Wash has to a mother figure; Miss Angie (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), who offers Wash guidance; Titch (Tom Ellis), the steam-pump inventor who encourages Wash’s brilliance and also escapes with him after the untimely death of his brother; and, last but not least, Medwin, Wash’s confidante who keeps a close watchful eye over him as he stays at Medwin’s boarding house.
There’s also Wash’s forbidden love interest, Tanna (Lola Evans), a white-passing woman who falls for him just as her father, fellow scientist Mr. Goff (Rupert Graves), arranges for her to wed a wealthy British businessman named William McGee (Edward Bluemel). The love triangle that ensues only further complicates the fact that Wash is still in grave danger of bounty hunters looking to kill him for a crime he didn’t commit.
The weight of that burden is evident throughout the first half of “Washington Black” (critics were only offered the first four episodes to review), but everything comes to a head at the end of Episode 3 when Wash’s past catches up to him.
It all starts with the treachery of Drunk John, who was once considered the de facto mayor of Halifax before Medwin took over. John warns Wash that the bounty hunters are hot on his tracks and lures him out of hiding, only to lead Wash right to his captors for a measly $50 reward. That’s when Medwin busts in guns blazing and kills the hunters to rescue Wash. This wouldn’t be the first time Medwin has had to clean up John’s mess, but it’s certainly the last after his ultimate betrayal.
See, John fell apart some years back after losing his family to slave patrollers. He then spiraled into an alcohol addiction and once put the boarding house in jeopardy after cleaning out the safe. Fed up with his constant letdowns, Medwin sacrifices their history and stabs John, because someone has to look out for the Black Halifax folks. It should at least be the one who won’t sell them out.
This, like a handful of other scenes, is when “Washington Black” is most intriguing. The show tends to drag a bit as the story swells and introduces more characters. However, the emotional moments when we see Wash’s community comfort him — like when a pirate named Barrington (Miles Yikenni) reminds him to never forget his roots, or when slave rebel Nat Turner (Jamie Hector) tells him about their shared history before white men tried to erase it — are most illuminating.
The racial themes in “Washington Black” add a bit of depth to the plot as it calls back to a history of trauma and oppression. Yet, the series plays it fairly safe by sparing us some of the gruesome details. Still, the show offers an extraordinary look at how one young man’s curiosity and resilience lead him on a wondrous journey of self-discovery. Hopefully, the latter half of the series honors Wash’s story with just as much intention.
All eight episodes of “Washington Black” are now streaming on Hulu.