Women of the Movement is a historical drama recounting the story of the revolutionary Mamie Till-Mobley. A six episodes long limited series, this ABC drama is created and written by Marissa Jo Cerar and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, based on the book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S. Anderson. We have Adrienne Warren at the centre playing the role of Mamie Till-Mobley along with Cedric Joe, Tonya Pinkins, Glynn Turman, Ray Fisher, Chris Coy, Julia McDermott, Carter Jenkins and, Gary Basaraba. This article covers the review for Women of the Movement episode 1 which has a runtime of one hour and 30 minutes.
– Women of the Movement review contains mild spoilers –
Women of the Movement: “Mother and Son”
The first episode of Women of the Movement starts with the birth of Emmett Till. From this very start, the tone for the series is set when we see the white nurse ignoring Till’s mother, Mamie irrespective of the fact that her water has broken and she is lying in soaked sheets. The idea of ‘white supremacy’ is loud and clear on the face of the time the people of colour were struggling to lift their heads up high.
We see fourteen years pass and Emmett Till growing up to be a fine young man in Chicago. However, always protected by his mother, he desires to go on a vacation with his great uncle and cousins in Mississippi to get an adventurous take on life. On his arrival, Emmett is thrilled but, notices how black people are treated differently on this side of the bridge. In all fun and joke, an incident takes place which prompts a consequence unimaginable.
Finally, we see the tragedy strike and Mamie put in the middle of the spotlight. Making her way up, the next episodes are going to account for Mamie’s detailed journey to get justice was the wrong that was committed against her son and destroyed her life.
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Based on true incidents, the story of the series is not unknown. Yet with the first episode itself, pulls you into the message it is trying to give out. The domineering white populace, the ever-struggling black people, the show makers help you understand the atmosphere that is still relevant to date. Focusing on one of the most important and infuriating key moments in world history, there is a little distraction provided here and there which adds to the lack of focus.
Propelling the Civil Rights movement, the show also owns up to the air of feminism surrounding it and the power of motherhood that if required, one mother alone can shake up the world for her child.
Women of the Movement: Final Verdict
The actors are amazing and the story is the one that needs to be heard and revised loud and clear. Especially, Adrienne Warren who catches the eye of the audience and the intention of her character. Hopefully, after the recent Black Lives Matter movement that surged across the globe, this series is instrumental in showcasing the plight and racism that needs to be confronted and ended.
You can watch the limited series Women of the Movement now, available on Hulu with Live TV. The episodes will get a weekly release with the last episode coming out on the 20th of January, 2022.