When They See Us Review

Ahoy Captain Cats here and today I’m going to review a landmark mini-series that is on Netflix and is a must watch for everyone to see and that is When They See Us.

When They See Us is about the events of the “Central Park Jogger” case, which was also better known as the “Central Park Five.” The director Ava DuVernay took her time with the mini-series and showed how everything happens to the five boys who were convicted of six chargers, and four of the boys were sentenced between 5 to 10 years, and one of the boys was sentences between 5 to 15 years in prison.

The first episode we see how the lives of Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Kory Wise, and Raymond Santana were turned upside down by the police at the time, and from here we saw how they were pawns of a crime they didn’t commit. We also see the force police brutality and pulling all the stops so they could throw them all under the bus of the justice system. The second episode, we saw how the justice system was broken, one-sided, and how it was affecting both the community and the families of the boys and themselves.

The Third episode showed and focused on how Antron, Yusef, Kevin, and Raymond struggle with life in and out of prison. We see how, regardless of what they wanted to do with their lives, no one would have given them a chance, and it was heartbreaking to see that. The final episode was focused on Kory Wise’s time in an adult prison. We recognize all of the pain and suffering he went through in his time in prison, repeated assaults on him, the choice of being in an isolation cell that would have made him go mad without the word of advice from a guard how was like a friend to him. We also see how in 2002, the real person who did the crime of the “Central Park Jogger” case and soon after all five boys who became men at this time, their convictions were vacated and Kory walk out as a free man.

All the actors and actresses who work on this project not only gave it their all but personally there performances of a lifetime. They all made you free for the five, their families, their struggles, and of course, how society saw them before and after. At the end of the final episode, you see the real the five and what they are doing now.

When They See Us is a MUST watch, it will break your heart, it will leave you crying for them, it will teach you something and if you don’t want to believe me than see what LeVar Burton said on his Twitter account will make you change otherwise:

I had to keep breathing. Episode #1 nearly broke my heart, however I’ll keep watching. This is essential viewing for Every American! As essential to your understanding of America as was, ROOTS! – LeVar Burton via Twitter