Submitted by NicholasCajun t3_zld8df in television

#Kindred

Premise: Young Black aspiring writer Dana (Mallori Johnson) has just moved to Los Angeles when she is suddenly pulled back into 1800s and a planation that has ties to her family in this adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's novel of the same name.

Subreddit(s): | Platform: | Metacritic: | Genre(s) :--:|:--:|:--:|:--:|:--:| r/KindredTV| Hulu | [62/100] (score guide)| Drama, Science Fiction ​ Links:

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bigtit2 t1_j05s8i6 wrote

I wish it was a limited series.

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cuckoodev t1_j0782oj wrote

Me too because I liked it and now worry that any show I like will be immediately cancelled these days.

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freedraw t1_j09uat6 wrote

On the opposite end, we don’t want a situation like the Handmaids Tale where they finish the story from the book and then just keep making seasons that get progressively worse.

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cuckoodev t1_j09z107 wrote

Definitely. I want three seasons max, even better if they can wrap it up in two tbh. Less worrying about cancellation.

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Weeezysan t1_j0texie wrote

Yes. You have a good point. The Leftovers is a good example. It had a beginning a middle and an end. 3 seasons was just enough.

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Secret_Credit_5219 t1_j0hoin2 wrote

Now I am too. I just finished it and if they leave it where they left it off at the end, I will boycott FX.

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AngmarsFinest t1_j056s2v wrote

There’s an irony here that the most stressful part of this show is everything happening in the present. The neighbors, Dana’s aunt/uncle, Kevin’s sister. 2016 is so chaotic lol

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teenylilthing t1_j05fz5i wrote

Yeah, it's been a while since I've read it, but the present timeline isn't anything like this in the book, right? I'm not sure if my memory is bad or if they've just changed a bunch of things. I thought she was married to Kevin, not like, just meeting him when the time traveling starts? And I don't remember the move from Brooklyn to LA, or the drama with the aunt and uncle, the neighbors, etc. Or Olivia in 1815??

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bigtit2 t1_j05scy7 wrote

They definitely switched it up. I mean for starters in the book present time took place in the 1980’s so all of the modern technology wasn’t present. There was no aunt in the book or mother iirc. Also Kevin was her boyfriend and not a new friend.

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Adorable_Raccoon t1_j1xw0hl wrote

Idk if Kevin was her boyfriend or husband but they were in a committed relationship for several years before she started disappearing. Having the added complication of Kevin being a stranger makes it worse. :/

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AngmarsFinest t1_j05l322 wrote

I’ve never read the book, so I don’t have a frame of reference for any of the changes.

I was excited about this show since we have a black lead traveling through time…but I’m over slave narratives and black trauma. Disappointed

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F00dbAby t1_j05w2ee wrote

same although i have been told by book readers its more than just some black trauma and i know the author is really hyped up so im still gonna give it a chance

one day I will get a black sci fi story that is not involved with race to a degree

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duracell_batteries t1_j0s70lj wrote

Octavia Butler’s Lilith Trilogy is really visceral and imaginative in regards to how far removed sentient life can be, conversations on autonomy, community, sustainability, progress, leadership.

In addition, N.K. Jemisin and Nnedi Okorafor are beloved contemporary sci fi writers whose work fits your description.

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F00dbAby t1_j0sdjc7 wrote

I have heard of Jemisin but not Okorafor I’ll look into it

Thanks

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anonyfool t1_j097n18 wrote

Binti is mostly about conflict with tribes in Africa and species so that might fit the bill for your black sci fi, at least the starting novella. I stopped reading Kindred because I was overwhelmed with the trauma she suffers in slavery times when she inhabits the body of her ancestor - the encounters got worse and worse.

There's also Dahlgren-17 post apocalypse that has some race stuff in it but not black trauma at all and is more about sex because IIRC the writer is working through some experiments with language and his own sexuality/experiences in it, I think it has the most by quantity and detail sex scenes i've ever encountered in a book and it felt repetitious by the end because some of the encounters felt like the same actions again and again.

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profeDB t1_j05hz66 wrote

I haven't read the novel, but now I want to. Thoroughly enjoyed that! A bit disappointed that its going to be a continuing series - who knows when we'll get the next season.

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anonyfool t1_j0978eu wrote

I started the book but could not finish it. The situation in the time jumps to American slavery period are brutal and feel hopeless.

I had recently finished Beloved so I didn't have the mental strength to go through the trauma of slavery second hand again, YMMV.

Had same problem with the recent Underground mini series and season three plus of The Handmaids Tale - I'm not that much of a masochist so it depends on your threshold for empathy/sympathy.

I liked the stories of Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents and the Xenogenesis books a lot more, because even though there is a lot of traumatic events (post apocalyptic), there is a glimmer of hope more present as well (even if you don't agree with the direction it heads.)

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TheBloodChildHeir t1_j0ab2l7 wrote

>American slavery period are brutal and feel hopeless. My mother got me into African American authors so I know there are writers who look like me as a kid.

This is the entire point of her horror/thrillers.

Iike you could say the movie get out is an evolution of her brand of horror, except get out ended way nicer than what she would have wrote, because the point of her books is to make you feel something even if she has to have something out of left field be the vehicle.

My favorite Story she wrote is blood child. Sorry for my rant, but I get super excited about her stories getting love. She's been shadowed by the likes of Lovecraft imo.

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Venezia9 t1_j055eij wrote

Watched it and thought it was pretty good. Deviates from the novel, but seems to be in the same spirit.

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Xianthoppe916 t1_j12e3jt wrote

The neighbor is way out of control nosy. Serious entitlement issues.

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angierss t1_j1n6642 wrote

dana did leave their cat in the 1800's

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helvetica_unicorn t1_j0ettdk wrote

Do yourself a favor and just read the book.

I was so excited for this adaptation but it deviated in so many ways that do not pay off. I think they should’ve updated the timeframe but stayed true to the source material. The story was already pretty great.

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nanashimist t1_j1d1ysf wrote

I kept having to remind myself it’s only based on the book just to keep myself from hating the show

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AdvancedRisk505 t1_j0sg52i wrote

I dont like how Dana is all about Rufus. like who cares about that kid, he in a bunch of precarious situations maybe he is meant to die.

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StrawberryJinx t1_j16lyj8 wrote

I mean...she has to care about him long enough for him to have a child if she wants to continue to exist.

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ProblematicByProxy t1_j19wgq1 wrote

The book that this show is based on is one of my favorites of all time. I am so disappointed with the way the show was done. It was so different from the book and not in a good way. It all was just a pale comparison to the real thing,

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Roaring_Twenties99 t1_j12y1hp wrote

I absolutely loved this series. The characters are very entertaining (Dana/Sarah get on my damn nerves, though), and the complexity of it all rattles me. I binged watched it all in one sitting and hope they bring it back for a second season.

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NationalProduct6458 t1_j29tnvt wrote

Why does the show title page say "KINDREO" every episode? Anyone else notice this? Surely typing "kindreo" must be intentional? But, why?

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Define-it- t1_j0ehq04 wrote

Where’d this white boyfriend come from 🙄🙄

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AdvancedRisk505 t1_j0sfxze wrote

they were married in the book and it was also in the 70's so they changed a few things.

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