Language barriers, cultural barriers, social barriers…the epitome of immigration much? As foreigners in another country, immigrants facing these issues have had to do much to overcome them.  Others have just sat quietly trying to stay unnoticed, and dealt with the difficulties.  I think what’s special, and what I enjoyed, about the plays Yellow Face and A View from the Bridge was the immigrant groups’ determination to overcome the barriers they faced.  I’ve always been one to stand up for my beliefs, which is probably why I was able to relate with the actions these people took.

The Chinese immigrants in Yellow Face and the Italians in A View from the Bridge faced issues of racism and legality/citizenship, respectively, which created varying conflicts in their stories.  Nonetheless, their feelings of inferiority to “American” citizens are clearly elucidated in the texts of the plays.  The Chinese acting unions felt strong racism against their ethnicity in the theater world, which created a bigger, public issue in the world of theater.  Beatrice’s cousins, in contrast, felt oppressed on a more personal level, by Eddie in particular.  This, to me, raises the question of whether oppression on a personal or general level is worse.  While one who is being oppressed on the personal level great public pressure, as those oppressed generally would, he does not have a support group as do those who are oppressed in groups.  The Chinese immigrants in the play had each other to count on in their cause, and to share their feelings with, while Marco and Rodolpho did not.  Moreover, they could not seek support from anyone really (perhaps Catherine, in Rodolpho’s case anyways) because they could not make themselves known in society, for fear of deportation.  Unfortunately, they as well have, because they were ultimately deported, but how could they have known that?

In writing their plays, Miller and Hwang targeted different issues in the immigrant experience: Miller’s play is more focused on the issue of citizenship for immigrants, as Intrigulus did.  I thought it was interesting to read about day-to-day immigrant life, in contrast with hearing about it after-the-matter, as in Intringulus.  Contrastinagly, Hwang’s was a greater focus on ethnic groups and racism, although this play, similar to Miller’s was also happening “in the moment.”  The two plays though, express the feelings of disappointment with immigrant life, since characters in both plays were left without the supposed “glorious” feeling of America.  What I’m referring to is Hwang’s father’s lines at the end of the play of how his actual American experience did not live up to what he had dreamed.  Likewise, Marco’s disappointment in the end of the play expresses many immigrants’ disappointment, obviously, especially those facing deportation. Reading Rodolpho’s lines too, even though he was not deported, display the not-so-glamorous American life.  These emotions would probably have been expressed even more effectively if we had been watching the play instead of reading them, as the actors’ body language and expressions would give off feelings to the audience even more than text could.

I’m glad we had this opportunity to explore themes of immigration in this unit because they are integral to New York City life.  While many of you are “friends” with Jesse Eisenberg, Nicki and I are friends, without quotation marks.

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Because sadly I was not able to see Asuncion, I have the alternate blog topic of comparing and contrasting the themes of immigrant experience in A View From The Bridge and Yellow Face. At first glance, I suppose these plays seem really different. One is about a famous playwright facing racism and hypocrisy in the theater world, and one is about the workings of an Italian family housing illegal immigrants. However because of the theme of immigrant life, the two share some ideas.

Both plays portrayed the hardships of immigrating, legally or not. Characters in both plays faced distrust from others because they were immigrants. In Yellow Face, Henry Hwang’s bank is investigated solely because he is Chinese. In A View From The Bridge, Eddie does not trust Rodolpho because he assumes that citizenship is his only goal. People just trying to lead normal lives are inhibited by their immigrant status.

On a more positive note, both plays also exhibit a beautiful sense of community. Hwang tries showing us the beauty of the Asian community through Marcus and his newfound status. Simply because he was “Asian” he found a place where he seemed to belong and acceptance from the people around him. Similarly in A View From The Bridge, Eddie and Beatrice take in Marco and Rodolpho simply because they’re family. Despite the fact that they have never met these men (clear by Marco’s “Are you my cousin?”), they feel compelled to help them. Because they are Italian, they welcome them with open arms into their home and into their Italian community in New York.

Both plays show us a little bit about being an immigrant in New York. Sure, one features a playwright and one has characters working on ships, but they really do share an important foundation.

It’s interesting to compare these two plays to everything else we’ve read and seen in this unit as well. There is a lot of art about immigrants, and so there is a lot of variation in the arts’ forms, methods, and messages. Each piece will resonate differently with each individual, and I think that’s what makes art so beautiful.

The closest thing I have to a picture with Jesse Eisenberg...

“Hey dude, why do you think Jesse Eisenberg produced a Spanish play?”

“I have no idea man. Asunción does mean assumption in English. Maybe it’s about a Spanish Jew who’s misunderstood?”

This conversation actually took place between a friend and I. We had no idea what the play was about, and so we used what we knew about the Spanish word “asunción” and Jesse Eisenberg being a white Jew. We’ve all been there, making judgements based on race and first impressions. In one way or another we’re all racist, whether it be subtle or apparent. We’re aware of many stereotypes and we all play on them. This is what Jesse Eisenberg wanted to show us when, in “Asunción,” Edgar, a rather submissive, ethnocentric man, has to house his brother’s fiance, a Filipino woman whom he knows nothing about, for a week.

The entire plot of Asunción made it the most hilarious play I’ve ever seen. Jesse had the crowd roaring with laughter every other minute, from the African bongo jam in the intro to the almost hard to watch, “near fellatio,” scene. What made the play so enjoyable to watch was the fact that it felt real. The dialogue was believable, as well the whole situation. Yet much of this real feeling came from the stage, which was very nicely set up. The stage was an apartment space that looked like it housed two not so well off individuals. Dirty dishes were piled up in the sink, the walls had funny color designs as well as a sort of worn look to it. All of those stage aspects meshed very well with the personalities of the play’s amusing duo, Edgar and Vinny.

Despite the large comedic atmosphere the play had, there were moments where the dialogue had the crowd in complete silence. Jesse Eisenberg was able to place dramatic moments in between the laughter to make us stop and think about what he was really trying to tell us. These scenes were key to helping us piece together everything that Jesse was showing us. This is what made Asunción an effective play. Like many satires, this one was basically Jesse holding up a mirror to society. He was able to show us society’s subtle racial profiling as well as the issue of ethnocentrism that is present here in America. For the most part, Edgar played the mirror that reflected our racism. He was a self-centered person who thought he knew everything and that he was superior to everyone including his very successful brother (Although Vinny comes up a plausible exception). In reality he had nothing and essentially blew up his very small experiences, going to Cambodia for two days (by accident!), and having a small part of his blog published. This kind of person was the perfect choice to portray Jesse’s message because Edgar is the kind of guy people want to punch in the face sometimes (or maybe a lot of the time). Showing Edgar combined with us not liking him (personality-wise, otherwise his scenes were hilarious), is a perfect point to make. It shows that we are blind to our racism, and that we should be more conscious of it so we don’t make the same horrible mistakes as Edgar.

Overall, the play was fantastic. The stage was great, the plot was well written, the jokes hit the right notes, and the actors were phenomenal, and not to mention quite famous! I believe Jesse Eisenberg made a success with Asunción. Despite the hilarity his message was clear, and that makes me appreciate his whole production so much more.

I never expected Asuncion to be as great as I thought it would be. From the title I honestly thought it was going to be another Spanish play and I was excited for it. When we sat in our seats I saw the set and immediately realized that this was not going to be what I expected at all. It surprised me and that wasn’t a bad thing at all.

If I had to recommend a theater performance to anyone it would be this one. It was a hilarious ride that was all brought together by the fast paced script, the awesome performance from actors Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha, and the cool hipster apartment set that gave everything more meaning. I have to stop and talk about the set that really engaged me towards learning more about the characters that live there. It was a small compact stage with a very realistic depiction of a New York apartment with a small kitchen and living room that seemed to fit everything that was needed. There was the one couch with a coffee table, the stereo with a cd collection and a desk/music corner. In the kitchen the African poster stood out and it actually made me wonder about why it is there. We soon find out that its because Justin Bartha’s character Vinny teaches African studies. The set stands out a lot as I remember the play and I would actually want to live in an apartment like that.

Watching the play was like watching a television sitcom but it was our own private performance. Instead of the fake audience television laughs we actually laughed as an audience. This was a new feeling for me because I haven’t seen many comedic plays other than this and The Bald Soprano this one clearly being the better experience. Jesse Eisenberg took his comedy extremely seriously and it was awesome. His awkwardness in the way he portrayed Edgar and his introverted homosexuality developed as the story moved along. Eisenberg wrote his character to his own strengths and it made his character seem like him. Even off stage when we all saw him outside he seemed very awkward and did anyone notice that he never smiled? I don’t remember him smiling at all he was very hyper while cleaning the bathroom after his LSD trip but I still don’t remember him smiling. It was alright because it was really funny. His own personal style was memorable and I liked that he actually left the theater on a bike like Edgar would have.

I really liked how we all were able to discuss the play during the intermission as the first half left us wanting to know what happens next. It was exciting and at first I thought the play was over and I really didn’t want it to be. Luckily it was intermission and I knew from the first half already this play was going to be one of the best things we see this semester. The second half surprised me again because that’s where all the action was. The best joke out of all that I am going to remember is when Edgars brother comes back to their apartment and says something along the lines of, “ This place is a mess, except for the bathroom which is spotless.” This play outshined the other plays we’ve seen in terms of story, acting, and overall enjoyment and that is what I will remember.

It was a rainy weekday, and I walked into the Rattlesnake Theatre knowing that a mundane and unexceptional play awaited me. I wanted to quickly jot down some important theatrical strategies, figure out the play’s message and rush out. Surprisingly however, Asuncíon consisted of that every element that held me back and forced me to stay. Engraved within the play was not only sidesplitting comedy, but a powerful message as well. Perhaps the reason Asuncíon was so impressive was because it managed brighten the mood and fill the room with laughter. The storyline gave the audience something to relate to as well. Unlike Bald Soprano, where senseless blabber is in fashion, or Intrigulis, where an undocumented immigrant’s sorrow is the topic of discussion, Asuncíon threw out a couple of casual characters who experienced the very contagious, racist preconceived notions that we all are guilty of.

Before the play even started, I began taking note of the stage and its accessories. I wondered how exactly each of the rooms and space would be used. I glanced over the dirty dishes, messy books, and random posters. I was quickly able to catch the normality of this house, for messy and dirty isn’t an uncommon trait in a house of men. Once the play was started, I worked to scrutinize the acting, dialogue, and costumes of the characters. I just felt obliged to notice these things because I knew Professor Healey would be noticing it. Despite standing inexperienced in the field of acting, I must say Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha were equally brilliant in their acting. Edgar’s facial expressions were crystal clear in portraying his weak character, desperate to gain Vinny’s acceptance and approval. Edgar’s frantic acting and dialogue compelled every audience member to painfully pity him. Vinny’s insensitivity and ridicule towards Edgar, and sexual interest in Asuncíon were visible in his dialogue as well as facial and bodily expressions. He was just that average man doing his thing in life, disregarding petty issues, unlike the very anxious Edgar who’s couldn’t help but try to concentrate and be perfect for Vinny all the time. In my opinion, the outfits of the characters were quite fit for their roles as well. Edgar’s older brother looked and dressed differently in reflection of his successful and wealthy career. Vinny dressed very casual, although his beaded necklace could’ve been put away. Edgar wore loose sweats and tees, and his body was pretty much lost in his clothes. This gave him a very scrawny and childish look, which worked for his child-like character. Asuncíon dressed according to her character as well, as she wore short dresses and night suits that not only attracted Vinny but possibly increased Edgar’s suspicion that she was a sex slave, as well.  The dialogue of the play left the audience loud and laughing most of the time. At times I couldn’t understand what a character would be saying because the audience was still busy laughing, and I don’t blame them for that. I impatiently awaited the next joke, and constantly reminded myself how amusing and interesting this play was. It terms of comedy, Eisenberg did an outstanding job as a playwright as well as actor. Asuncíon was definitely effective in attracting the attention of audience and making them laugh.

In terms of labeling this play effective in getting its point across, I’m not quite sure how high of a ranking I can offer. Sure, it was a great idea to use comedy to convey the illness of racism that hurts our society today, but I’m not too positive in believing that the audience left the theater deeply touched by the guilt of every day racism that they indulge in. The play definitely touched the idea of false racist assumptions that we make everyday. Edgar was after all, an innocent and naïve guy and for him to make the assumption that Asuncíon was a sex slave, was pretty shocking and alarming. It only came to show that even the most harmless of people unintentionally throw people into racial stereotypes and commit hurtful acts of racism. This important message however, was however too covered by the comedic elements of the play. In the entirety of the play, the audience ended up laughing at everything including the misunderstanding of Asuncíon as a sex slave, by Edgar. The case of preconceived racial notions is too serious of a dilemma in society, and the play’s comedy seemed to take this societal dilemma too lightly. Perhaps today’s audience is too ignorant of these issues, and their attention can only be captured by presenting them with other sorts of entertainment such as comedy. Whatever the reason may be, despite being a very successful and funny play (one that I would love to go see again), it fell short on powerfully electrocuting its audience members, and making them aware of as well as prohibiting them from being racist and stereotypical.

Honestly, this play had me shackled down, on my knees, with my mouth wide open – wait… I shouldn’t go there. But really, right from the get go, I was enslaved by the complex set design and was forced by the social norms to sell myse– oh, I’m sorry I shouldn’t go there either. Ok, let me try again, I thought that this play was so real and interesting that it made me want to smoke a … ughh, this is getting annoying. These are some of the events and themes that were prevalent in Jesse Eisenberg’s Asunción.

In all seriousness, I thought that this play was fantastic from a comedic perspective as it was full of humor with Edgar’s ignorant comments to Vinny’s “Oh my God, please don’t do it” moment when he was about to… you know. The constant ignorance of Edgar as he kept saying that he has been to Cambodia and that he knows all about prostitution in the Philippines just made it all the more funnier to watch. Although the play was supposed to send a strong political message, I believe, as most of my classmates do, that the sheer hilariousness of it detracted and somewhat overwhelmed the political message that was trying to be sent.

Since we were so close to the stage, I could see that the set was soo complex and it did make the play more effective. There were numerous amount of books that were very disorganized on the left side of the stage and gave me the vibe that these people were well educated yet, did not have a sense of direction which proved to be correct as I met the characters and the play slowly went on. As the play goes on, everything, including the characters and the set, become full of chaos. These people, especially Edgar, are irrational as he immediately labels Asunción a prostitute just because she comes from the Philippines.

Not only do I believe that the scenic design was effective in adding to the comedy, just the acting itself did really resonate within me. We all know that Jesse Eisenberg is a tremendous actor but acting live in front of an audience is way different then acting without an audience. I believe that each character including the more minor character, Asunción’s husband, (sorry, can’t remember name) fit into their roles well. Edgar’s character as snobbish and dogmatic, while at the same time, a sycophantic and obsequious individual added to the play because it made his arguments more comical.

All in all, Asunción, for me, did prove to be effective because of the set, the acting, and just the hilarious comments that were made. Without a doubt, I thought that this play stood out the most, from the other play’s we have seen other then the reason that Jesse Eisenberg was in it was because of all the comedy as it made it easier to follow.

I have to admit, my initial expectations for Asuncíon were low. Although Jesse Eisenberg is a phenomenal actor, he has never written a play before, and I have never seen him act in a live performance. Having done acting off and on stage, I can say for a fact that performing live and playing a role in a movie are two completely different experiences. In addition to my doubts with Jesse, the title through me for a loop as I thought the play would be about a Spanish individual named Asuncíon trying to make a living for themself in America, which in all honesty doesn’t seem very entertaining. Thankfully, all my preconceptions were wrong!

Asuncíon is a witty, comedic, energetic, and slightly perverted performance that everyone, ages 17 and up, should experience. I have never seen a play that had me crying, laughing, astonished, and fearful all at the same time. Jesse’s writing blew me away. Incorporating sex slaves, drugs, and fellatio into a story that conveys important messages about stereotyping and self-perception was ingenious. Throughout Asuncíon, one could find hundreds of subtle and blatant displays of stereotypes. While Jesse’s character, Edgar, is believes his cell phone was stolen by a group of African American gangsters, perceives his Filipino sister-in-law to be a sex slave, or thinks his older brother is a corrupt business man that bought a foreign prostitute to be his wife, it makes me wonder how blind people are to their own stereotypes. People are always so quick to judge others, they sometimes forget to stop and give themselves some constructive criticism. It’s so easy to forget to take a step back and take look at ourselves, and Asuncíon does a fantastic job reminding us to do so.

In order to have a great show, one needs a cast to fit the part. Performing alongside Jesse were Camille Mana (Asuncíon), Remy Auberjonois (Stuart), and The Hangover’s Justin Bartha (Vinny). Although Jesse’s performance was great, it was Justin Bartha’s performance that really surpassed my expectations. An actor who tends to play second hand roles, I was interested to see how Justin would fare off taking on a main part, in a live play nonetheless. Surprisingly, Justin took the role head on and did a phenomenal job, equal if not better than Jesse’s. Anyone who could convince the audience to believe that he was about to make Jesse “suck his dick” on stage without actually doing so deserves a Tony in my book. Of course, I could not forget to mention Camille Mana’s and Remy Auberjonois’ performances as they were able to hold their own even among such famous stars like Jesse and Justin. The whole cast was able to create an atmosphere in which I felt immerged into the situation at hand and sympathize with the characters.

Overall I loved Asuncíon and I refer it to anyone who gets the chance to stop by the Cherry Lane Theater; and no, its not because I got to personally meet Jesse and Justin after performance to find out that they were more than happy to sign my playbill and take a picture with me. But I have to admit, it did make the whole experience a little bit more surreal. Thanks again Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha!

If you were wondering, that is Jesse smiling

The moment I stepped out of the subway and into The Village, I knew I was in an environment that was very special. Vintage shops and little cafes lined the narrow streets of Greenwich Village, a place I had only been to once before in my life. And I remembered it well. There is an artistic feel to the area, a liberal mindset, and an aura that makes me want to be a struggling bohemian artist living in a studio apartment. It was also the perfect setting for a play like Asuncion to be shown in. It was as if the whole environment surrounding the Cherry Lane Theater led to the build up of the setting of Jesse Eisenberg’s play. And lets face it, if this play was shown in a broadway theater, it wouldn’t have been as effective. The choice to keep this play off-broadway and in a tiny theater in the heart of the Village was beneficial, even if it limits the number of people who are able to see it. The small audience and the close feel to the actors added to the energy of the play overall, and I believe it is something that could not have been pulled off anywhere else.

Yet this was in no way the only facet of the play that I thought was pulled off excellently. The acting and the plot of the show was phenomenal. To be honest, I had watch only bits and pieces of The Social Network, so although I was excited to see a popular movie star on stage, I really did not have much expectations towards his acting ability. Yet I was blown away by his performance, and it only took me a few minutes to realize how truly talented he was. His body language fascinated me. I found myself staring at the way he sat- his legs scrunched together in fetal position, his back hunched and hands fidgeting. And I couldn’t help but wonder if he was really this awkward in real life (I didn’t know that shortly after the play I would find out the answer for myself!!!). Eisenberg made Edgar feel so real to me, like I personally knew him and connected to him, even if he was a tad bit strange (yeah, thats an understatement…). Still, I was extremely impressed by how he portrayed the character of Edgar as realistic rather than a over-exagerated caraciture. Edgar’s character could so easily  have turned into another Mr.Smith from the Bald Soprano, meaning the character could have been over the top in a way that made you feel as though the character wasn’t relatable. Yet, Eisenberg worked well with the unique awkwardness of Edgar. I could actually picture myself sitting next to an Edgar in my high school, shaking my head every time he would raise his hand to contribute to the conversation by saying something off topic and inappropriate. These tend to be the type of people I appreciate to have in class, because one, they are hilarious, and two, they distract the teacher from doing their actual job.

Anyway, along with being a fabulous actor, Eisenberg is also a great playwright. At first I was dubious because many times I feel that an artist should really only focus on one field of art and concentrate of perfecting it. Yet, I really enjoyed the script and plot- much more than I did of the Bald Soprano. For one thing, I think the style of humor was much more main stream, but also it was just a lot more funny. I found myself tilting my head back and holding my stomach, the way in which I laugh when I am really hysterical, not just giggling or chuckling. This is something I don’t often do when watching a play. Since the acting was so good, I think the punchlines were carried out perfectly. Also the humor was made to prove a point.

This is a factor I want to expand on. In The Bald Soprano, the humor was nonsensical and seemed to have no meaning to the plot of the play. Whereas, with Asuncion, the humor between the characters and the irony of the situations, all made sense to the plot. Edgar believed Asuncion to be a “slave worker” in the Philippines not just because it is ridiculous and fits in with what his crazy character would believe, but also because it shows the ignorance surrounding races. Through Vinny and Edgar’s immaturity (and comedy) we are able to see that making judgements based on stereotypes are usually wrong and can lead to troublesome situations. Therefore, Eisenberg did an excellent job of balancing what I believe are the two opposite sides of the spectrum to film: entertainment and meaning. He was able to write a play that was both hilarious and meaningful to me.

This production has got to be the funniest play I have ever seen by FAR! I was literally entertained from beginning to end. Everything about the show intrigued me, from the intricate set to the vivacious characters. And is it wrong that I found all the sexual jokes hilarious?? When Professor Healey announced in class that Jesse Eisenberg had written the show, only one thing was going through my mind: “Who the hell is Jesse Eisenberg??” I had never seen “The Social Network” so that name was completely foreign to me. But now I know Jesse Eisenberg is a very famous actor and playwright (who seems to naturally give off an awkward vibe on and off stage) who managed to successfully convey a powerful message in his play, Asunción.

There were many interesting aspects in the play. Though the main focus was to show the effects and commonness of racism, I found myself fascinated with the ambiguous relationship between Edgar and Vinny. Throughout the play, Edgar goes out of his way to please Vinny. Vinny’s every word seemed to be a solid law to Edgar, which made me wonder what it is about Vinny that makes Edgar so drawn to him, so eager to get on his good side. Was it just because Edgar saw Vinny as a respectable mentor and looked up to him? Or did Edgar’s feelings for Vinny go beyond their friendship? I would have liked Eisenberg to write more about what was going on between the two roommates. Other than that, I thought all the actors portrayed their characters extremely well. And let’s not forget the unbelievable scene, where we ALMOST got to see Justin Bartha’s buttocks! (It was a bit embarrassing to witness, actually.)

This play was definitely effective in showing viewers how people can be so narrow minded and ignorant about different cultures. As soon as Edgar met Asuncion and learned where she had come from, he jumped to absurd conclusions, quickly labeling her as a prostitute. He developed a firm preconception of her immediately and stuck to it, even after he got to know her a little better and saw that she was actually a very sweet person. I thought this aspect of the play was so realistic. It showed that even a very worldly and educated person can hold unfair stereotypes. This was a perfect reflection of our society today, where practically everyone has prejudices against other races. Thankfully, Eisenberg was talented enough to express this message to the audience while still managing to put the entire room into hysterics.

We all know that guy who is the professor on everything. That one guy who assumingly is all-knowing and, of course, ten times better than you are and ever will be. You know the guy I’m talking about, the man who when you talk to him, the only thought running through your head is “Is it rude to punch this guy in the face?”  The character of Edgar is truly a tribute to “that guy”, and I believe that Jesse Eisenberg captures that so well in his new play Asuncion.

Let’s forget for a second that Jesse Eisenberg is an academy-award nominated young man and that Justin Bartha has also appeared quite frequently on the Big Screen, for these preconceived notions may cloud our judgment. When you remove these biases you will be pleasantly surprised to find that the play still holds water. The performances were solid, ranging from wildly serious to riotously funny.

Everything about this play was awesome. Dirty dishes aside, I wish my apartment was as chill as Vinny and Edgars, and, in concurrence with Kayde, I just may convince my roommate to let me redecorate in the near future.  The helter-skelter quality the set gave off helped add to the free-spirited nature of Bartha’s character. Every character on that stage had natural humoristic tendencies, which offset the semi-serious theme of the play.

That’s really what I loved about the play- the rolling on floor laughing quality it contained. I honestly feel bad for the people around me, because whenever I get going I probably have the most obnoxious laugh in the whole world, and that laugh was pretty much persistent throughout the entire show.

But the play consisted of more than cheap sex jokes and hilarious “off the cuff” comments. The reason it was so funny was because it was so real. The play was mind-blowingly honest, and that is why I loved it so much. Going back to what I said earlier, we all know “that guy”. That young man who is so “open minded” and “worldly” is really put to the test when Asuncion struts into his door, and this concept is so great. What Mr Eisenberg really conveyed here was that we all are susceptible to profiling, even those who claim to be the most fair minded and non-judgmental people in the world. As the Avenue Q song goes, “we’re all a little bit racist sometimes”. He really makes a person think twice about their own perceptions of everyone and whether or not they are making some snap judgments themselves. His criticisms were both accurate and reflective of our own hypocritical society. The show was extremely effective, and in the attempt it wasn’t overly dramatic and depressing, as most shows about prejudice and racism are. I loved this show, so much so that I am seriously considering seeing it again.