The Divide

Gets off to an interesting start... not what you would expect, as obstacles to trying to exonerate the (apparently obviously) guilty arise, and are seemingly insurmountable.

'Justice don't play right when colour is involved...'. An interesting quote from the African-American prosecutors who struggle with some 'shortcuts' they took to get the original conviction.

Characterized by good performances.. bit of gruff language and some sensuality, but not like what you see on many cable-network produced shows, or European equivalents.

Now available on Netflix.

I just finished watching the entire series on Amazon. It was a well- above average crime drama. The acting was very good with one exception. The actor who portrayed the prosecutor, Damon Gupton, was not up to par in my opinion. He had good lines, but didn't always deliver them convincingly. However, the rest of the cast made up for this deficiency and he seemed to become more proficient as the series progressed. There were plenty of twists and lots of suspense, to keep me interested. It was violent, but not over-the-top.

The plot centered around an organization that was like the real-life Innocence Project, taking on cases of questionable convictions. It explored the push and pull that goes on between these kind of advocates for the wrongfully(?) convicted and the criminal justice system.

My biggest complaint about the series was the fact that there were too many loose ends left in the finale. It was terribly disappointing to find out that there will not be a second season because I have plenty of questions about the ultimate fate of several characters.

Several users here accused the series of being too politicized.... pretty ironic, considering their reviews were chock full of their own political commentary.

As a former lawyer and one who fell out of love with the law, the way that this show discusses the machinery of the law struck a strong chord with me. While we have seen much of the legal procedural that this show portrays elsewhere, I also loved the very real and complex relationships within an extended and blended African American family, where the mother and father are legal professionals, and there is the shadow of trauma and loss in the background. I love that they are intelligent, sensitive and caring people, they are also very fallible. The writers tempt us to see these and other characters hidden motives as evil, but it is an intentional trap; there really is little true arch evil in the world - just the damage that comes from assumed and apparent evil. Highly recommended.

I'm giving it an 8, but I reserve my 10 votes for movies like "Citizen Kane", so don't think this is a lukewarm rating.

Since I have no particular position regarding Fox News, I was able to look beyond that to see the series as a whole. The organization at the root of this is obviously based on the Innocence Project, so those who think this is just some kind of left-wing liberal propaganda should really look into the Project. It's only left-wing until the bacon they save is your own.

On the whole, I think the writing and acting were well above average, either for movies or TV. Add me to the list of people who would like to see a second season.

The Divide premiered with a 2 hour episode, the totality of what I have seen at the time of writing this review.

At first glance it appeared to be the story of a legal battle between a zealous prosecutor and an initiative trying to establish death row inmates' innocence.

I was perfectly okay with that being the scope and focus of the story, but by the end of the 2 episode pilot it was clear the show was looking at a much broader view of the Judicial system and corruption.

This leads to the introduction of a multitude of complex characters who each have mysterious motivations and goals, and also the establishment of several plot lines for future episodes. Some are acknowledged by the characters themselves, while at least one was only vaguely insinuated.

I was highly entertained by the pilot, and the excellent way the story matured and evolved to be a different and more far reaching than I had ever anticipated sold me on this being one of the best new shows of 2014. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys political or criminal themes in their television.