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spotlightsaga · 8 years ago

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Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... American Crime (S03E02) Episode 2 Airdate: March 19, 2017 @abcnetwork Ratings: 1.88 Million :: 0.4 18-49 Demo Share Score: 9/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** 'American Crime' continues to paint a vivid, morose picture of the goings-on in North Carolina with a very broad stroke. Unlike others, I never had doubts that this large scope the show is surveying would hurt the storytelling in any way. Despite its flaws in the past, 'American Crime' had remained a favorite, a yearly event I look forward to and I think this larger framing will allow the show to have an even bigger impact. I'm a little frustrated that ABC has kind just kind of let their critical darling drown a bit though... Less than 24 hours after this episode aired and its IMDB page has yet to be properly updated and that's not even the icing on the cake. This morning when I looked at the ratings it literally made me sick to my stomach... A series low when AC is firing on all cylinders?! Here we have the show at its most relevant societal sting and ABC still has the cap tightly sealed on their big yellow highlighter. I could probably go on all day about how some of these major networks treat these tremendous portrayals of mirroring modern issues, but I suppose I should just be happy that we were given this 3rd season, which doesn't even have a deal in place with Hulu. Sigh. It doesn't matter, eventually S3 of 'American Crime' WILL find its audience because there are a lot of people out there ready to tackle these issues, whether ABC wants to ring the bell while its airing live or not. That's the beauty of modern day streaming... It gives these types of series a chance to be heard, no matter how mishandled the show is by its original network. The great thing about S3 is the speed and pacing which it must move to properly cover everything it wants to in 8 episodes. I've seen many a show throw an array of issues in their episodes like bullet points on a sheet of paper and they end up lost in translation... Not 'American Crime'. Here we have issues that deal directly with Human Trafficking, modern human slavery, and the broken system in place to attempt to thwart its effects. From top to bottom, Episode 2 takes that broad stroke and centralizes into contrasting themes as much as possible. We see Shae pushed into a situation where they want her to testify against her pimp, yet they throw her in a group home that forces her to do things against her will and now instead of sharing a bedroom with 6 other girls, it's 8. This might be a more positive environment, but it's certainly not an attractive one. Kimara, who wants to help her badly, knows that she's moving from one bleak situation to another... And like her conversation with Abby, it's revealed that she's becoming numb. Meanwhile Kimara's attempts to have a baby on her own 'through science' are also cold and wearing her down. Regina King is just a marvel... And not only does she give us a unique social work perspective, she also provides a look through the eyes of a struggling woman of color, attempting to help but feeling helpless. There were a few scenes (especially that scene where she discussed her fertility woes) when I wanted to reach through my screen and hug her, as every word she spilled was like an emotionally intense keystroke on a piano... But Kimara isn't looking for hugs, and wouldn't accept one anyway. She is the badass that she sets out to be, it's just pouring on her right now and she's stuck outside without an umbrella. Speaking of hugs, Coy could use one as well. He needs a purpose, Isaac is supplying him with one... And drugs as well... But not well enough, as his first day is tainted with weakness and vomiting. It looks like he's taking all his doses at night and then becoming dope sick into his shift. Add that to the harsh conditions and it's quite the toxic mix. I get a strange feeling that Isaac is a little sweet on Coy... Coy is handsome, vulnerable, and tragic... Issac is being pushed to be harder on him, but he pulls back. Something is there, I'm just not sure what yet. I could be reading it wrong, but whatever it is, there's something bigger at play between the two. Luis gave us all a massive surprise... He's been playing dumb and weak, but really he's a man on a mission to find his son... Oh and he speaks English just fine, as he delivered one helluva exit speech to the asshole who tried to keep him from leaving. Luis isn't stuck in this system, he's playing it to get what he wants... An extremely left field hook that I'm overjoyed I didn't see coming. It's yet another unique perspective in this whole intriguing mess. Luis will cause trouble where he goes, I really hope it's not his body that's found in the opening scenes of S3. We can't round this out without a key player in S3 who actually has a lot of clout, but up until this point has been blind to what's really going on... Jeanette Hesby. There's been a fire at one of the farms and several people have died, all of her family members try to occupy her with a meaningless runaround or deflect her inquisitive nature about the fire as personal issues within the family. NO, she's concerned that 15 people have died and no one is talking about it. Now 'American Crime' has me wanting to reach through the television to hug AND punch people, that's good... It's firing me up! Jeanette swallows her pride and plays the subservient wife, but then heads to the scene of the fire... The look of horror and the circular camera angle magnified the vertigo she most likely feels when she realizes just what the hell is going on... Chicken wire on the windows? Who is this guy kidding? These were their slaves that were trapped inside a death trap... And now we can only hope Jeanette feels the same fire that we do as we watch this play out in realtime. She, of all the people in the show, has the heaviest hand when it comes to blowing the whistle... But will she do the right thing? I'm hooked... Season 3 continues.

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auburnfamilynews · 6 years ago

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We talked with Rock M Nation in advance of tomorrow night’s Auburn-Missouri matchup.

After a two-game hiatus, basketball Q&A’s are back! Tomorrow night, Auburn opens up a 3-game homestand against the Missouri Tigers. Auburn is desperate for a win having lost 3 straight games and are currently just 2-4 in SEC play. Missouri comes off a tough loss at home against LSU and are 1-5 in SEC play. To learn more about Missouri, Sam Snelling from Rock M Nation joins me today to talk Missouri hoops and gives us a better idea of what to expect from Mizzou’s version of the Tigers on Wednesday night. My thanks to Sam for taking the time to answer my questions. Sam’s answers are in bold below.

How would you assess the job that Cuonzo Martin is doing so far as he looks to get Mizzou back on track?

“Overall I think everyone is really happy with how things are going since Martin arrived. Obviously the addition of the Porters certainly heightened expectations, while not really working out, but he’s done a fantastic job of returning Missouri to it’s roots of being a tough, hard nosed, defensive team. I’m maybe more impressed with his adaption of his offensive style which is something I can see taking shape more so in the coming seasons. If he can continue to land some highly rated players out of the St. Louis area I think he has an opportunity to get past his previous ceiling and really put down roots in Columbia. Which is something Missouri fans are yearning for since the Quin Snyder era (that was the early 2000s for all you young kids out there).”

While Auburn has had injury issues recently, losing Austin Wiley, Missouri lost one of their best players, Jontay Porter, for the season before it even got started. How did Porter’s injury change expectations for Mizzou this year and how have they responded to it?

“Not one of, Jontay was Missouri’s best player and significantly so. Without Jontay Missouri doesn’t have a sure fire NBA guy and it completely changed the focus of their offense. Once Porter went out I think the hope was to maybe find a way to the bubble, but I always thought they were a fringe bubble team with Jontay. Without him any post-season play should be considered a good season.”

“As far as how they’ve adapted, I’d say it’s been okay. When (Jeremiah) Tilmon is on the floor and Mark Smith is knocking down jumpers the Tigers can be down right stingy with the best of teams. I still think they have enough to go on a little run but I think the hopes of getting to .500 in conference are long out the door after their last two losses.”

Mizzou comes into Auburn following an OT loss against LSU where you guys led by 14 with 2 minutes left in the game. Despite the end result, what went well for Mizzou in that game and what can Mizzou take from that game to build off of in the future?

“Against LSU Mizzou was able to control tempo for the first 38 minutes, and then in a weird twist of fate everything LSU needed to go right down the stretch went right. A lot of Mizzou fans will say it was the officiating (there were a few bad calls -- welcome to College officiating) and others might say they melted down. But the reality is they were depleted and held on as long as they could against a team who was vastly more talented.”

“Mizzou knows that they aren’t deep, and when they’re missing contributions from as many guys as they were, it’s almost more of a miracle that they were 14 points ahead rather than they blew the lead. But I think they’re doing a much better job over the last few weeks of knowing who they are and working to execute with that knowledge.”

Senior guard Jordan Geist has stepped up this year and nearly doubled his scoring average. What differences do you see in him this year compared to last year?

“If you could bottle Cuonzo Martin’s mind and turn it into a basketball player I think it might look a lot like Jordan Geist. Geist is a fierce competitor and I think he found the perfect coach to get every last ounce out of him. Mechanically, Geist has fixed his jumper and become a better ball handler. He’s more confident and patient in the face of pressure, and while he can still get turned up a bit he’s far more in control of his emotions. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in the environment at Auburn, but Missouri absolutely needs Geist to play well to have a chance against anyone.”

Around the time of Porter’s injury, Missouri got good news when Mark Smith was ruled eligible to play after transferring in from Illinois. He’s a 47.5% 3-point shooter so far this year (and 3-point defense has been an issue for Auburn). Talk about Smith’s importance and the boost he’s provided to Mizzou?

“Smith represents a lot of what Mizzou fans hope Martin can accomplish in Columbia. He’s a local kid (he’s from Edwardsville, IL which is right across the river from St. Louis), he’s a 4-star player out of high school and even though he originally committed to Illinois he’s shown an immense amount of growth from one season to the next. When he became eligible Mizzou got another capable ball handler on the floor, which is something there’s been a shortage of over the last few years. They also got a tough physical defender and someone who is at least consistent. Smith is a guy with added growth next year could be the kind of guy who helps the Tigers get back into the top tier of the SEC.”

Who’s one player that flies under the radar for Mizzou that Auburn fans should be aware of?

“I often refer to the Tigers as having a big four, and then needing something from at least one other guy. The four are Jordan Geist, Jeremiah Tilmon, Mark Smith, and Kevin Puryear. Lately Puryear has been struggling, while freshman wing Javon Pickett has become more consistent. I think Pickett is somebody who could struggle against Auburn because of their athleticism, but he’s a crafty and long 6’4 wing who has shown he can be really efficient and doesn’t seem to back down from any spotlight.”

“The other one to keep an eye on is Xavier Pinson. Pinson looks like he’s about 14 years old and weighs about a buck and a quarter but he’s a tough competitor and he grew up in the Chicago Public High League so you know he’s unphased by a crazy environment. He tries to be a little too flashy at times but when he plays within himself you can see the makings of a really good point guard.”

Finally, Auburn comes in to this losers of 3 in a row, Mizzou has lost 2 in a row. How do you see this game going? Do you have a score prediction?

“If this were at Mizzou Arena I think the Mizzou might be able to steal this one. On the road in one of the best and toughest places to play in the conference I just don’t think they can win. They rely heavily on younger players and most of those guys aren’t really elitely talented. They’re just a big undermanned right now. I see this going a couple ways, I can see Auburn bursting out of the gates and getting way up early and sort of coasting to a win of around 16-20 points. Or if Mizzou is able to dictate pace I think they hang around for most of the game but ultimately fall short in the last 6-8 minutes and lose by close to 10 points. KenPom says Auburn is favored by 12, I’ll go with my homer pick and say the Tigers keep the scoring down but fall late: 72-62.”

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/1/29/18201672/basketball-q-a-missouri-tigers

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georgiapioneers · 7 years ago

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Chatham Co. NC Genealogies and Histories #northcarolinapioneers

Images of Chatham County Wills and Estates

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