The Plot Against America (2020)

David Simon's sleek adaptation of the Philip Roth novel is terrifying. It is a WWII alternate history Roth wrote during the George W Bush era, but it is painfully familiar in the Donald Trump era. America realized a version of Charles Lindbergh's fascist fantasy under Trump making it an especially timely adaptation. The first few episodes are a bit slow, but the finale is extremely intense. That drive to and from Danville, Kentucky is a masterclass in suspense. The 1940s production design is excellent. The actors are all great; I think Zoe Kazan is especially good as the Bess. From what I've read, Simon changed the perspective of the novel, which was originally told by older Philip (a stand-in for the author) remember his childhood. The show is rather third person omniscient, following the action of all the characters separately. It's more natural for a TV show, but it does feel like something is fundamentally changed by making it more impersonal. And the bleak ending of the show is more pessimistic. Now that we've lived through the Trump era and see that the racists have not gone away, Simon's ending is probably more realistic, appropriately cynical.

Show Me a Hero (2016)

This miniseries from the master David Simon is gripping. He exceeds at crafting and developing characters on all ends of the spectrum. He depicts life in Yonkers from the upper-class white side to the lower-class black side in public housing and then the integrated neighborhoods with the new contentious public housing. It matters that Simon's stories are inspired by real life. He is depicting a real slice of life in America, at times mundane but always real. When people want to see raw everyday America, they would do well to turn to Simon.

The choice of music is very fitting. For the most part, it's not performed music (diagetic) like in Treme. But it features lots of Bruce Springsteen in the Oscar Isaac scenes. And period hip hop in the projects scenes.

It is a timely story about race. They always are about race, actually. But this is very explicit. It is a true story about opposition to building federally mandated public housing in Yonkers, NY in the late 80s. Yes, recent racism in NY. It existed and exists today. You are made to see everyone's side of the story. Oscar Isaac plays the young mayor. He is always excellent, really inhabiting the life of this "hero." My favorite were the first few episodes with the nitty gritty local politics. But the development of Catherine Keener's character was also really engaging. The opening scene is also the ending scene, and while I kind of saw it coming, I was genuinely shaken by it.