Kindred: Family History

Kindred is the story of a young black woman who occasionally gets pulled back in time to the 19^th century antebellum south.  Based on the novel of the same name written by Octavia Butler, the entire miniseries is now streaming on Hulu.  Dana (Mallori Johnson) sells her New York house which she inherited from her grandmother and moves to Los Angeles to be closer to her Aunt and Uncle, her only remaining family.  But the reunion with them is ill met and feeling alone, she takes solace in her newly found friend, Kevin (Micah Stock).  But suddenly, and without warning, she begins to have episodes, where at first, she thought she was sleepwalking, but then realizes she is, in actuality, time-travelling to the same plantation in 19^th century southern United States. Why is this happening and is there a way to control it? Does it have anything to do with the young boys life she keeps saving?  Watch and find out!

I have only had time to view the first episode, and if it is any indication of the quality of this show, this is going to be amazing.  This isn’t a sparkly, special effects laden sci-fi extravaganza, but is more of a well performed drama with a science fiction element.  The performances are all top notch.  Micah Stock isn’t your normal looking leading man, he isn’t chiseled out of stone with bulging biceps and a six pack, he is more of an “everyman” with a great sense of humor and a compassionate heart, making him easily relatable.  Likewise, Mallori Johnson plays the lead to perfection, showing a range of emotion throughout the first episode that you don’t often see, most of which are played with a deep realism that instantly connects you to the character. She isn’t over the top and her reactions to what is happening to her are strikingly appropriate.

The story is intriguing, and the writing is quite good with a bit of a mystery as to why this is happening and dialogue that felt grounded in the real world. Within the first episode, we are given enough exposition to understand who the characters are, a bit of history on what has brought them together and a touch what traumas lay in their past.  This is done quite expertly without feeling forced or disingenuous and we aren’t given too much information, which can be a problem within a series pilot episode, but just enough to give us the information we need but leave us asking questions and wondering how this is all going to unfold as the series progresses.  This show is very well put together and I can’t wait to see how it all pans out.