Underground - New Series about the Underground Railroad on WGN

[Thomas Kearney]

This Saturday starting at 10 AM, WGN America will have a marathon of all 10 episodes of Season 1. I will have a recap of Episodes 7-10 on the Forum after the marathon.

[Thomas Kearney]

OK, here we go:

Moses and Pearly Mae's daughter, Boo, is taken in by Elizabeth after she spots her while taking a walk. Rosalee's brother James is put to work in the cotton fields, and Sam tries to purchase their freedom. John is out of town at the time to attend his brother's (who is also the Master) nomination as a senator from Georgia. While John is away, Elizabeth's former boyfried, a US Marshall, comes to check for the runaways, but is locked in the basement when it is discovered she is hiding runaways. Sam comes forward to the Master announcing his intent to purchase the freedom of him and James, but is denied. So he runs away. He is caught and hung while the Master makes his nomination acceptance speech. Pullman and his son go to visit his wife (played by Jennifer Nettles) in a mental hospital after she was lobotomized. While searching for the runaways, they come across Rosalee and capture her. She is held in a meat house after an attempt to pose as citizens with Mr. Cato to get Noah a doctor after he is injured in an explosion that claimed Henry's life. Mr. Cato steals a stagecoach filled with money to create a distraction for the slave catchers and Rosalee and Noah escape, making it to John and Elizabeth's house. Noah and Elizabeth go to the Sherriff's office to free the slaves, where Noah is jailed for holding the office up. Meanwhile, Rosalee and Boo manage to safely leave the house and make their way for the next safe house, where Rosalee meets Maryland Native Harriet Tubman. Back at the plantation, Ernestine hangs the Master for being cruel to the slaves.

That'll do it for Season 1 of Underground! I will have recaps of Season 2 after the episodes air.

[Linda Anderson]

Season 2 of Underground starts on March 8.

Here's an article from The Daily Beast about the series.

"How the Election Made Slavery Drama ‘Underground’ So Painfully Relevant"

"When Underground’s cast and creators sit down with The Daily Beast, it is just days after the Women’s March harnessed the nation’s distressed voices to become the largest one-day protest in U.S. history.
"If the times in which we watch a historical drama colors the lens through which we watch it, then the Underground team is well aware of the impact its narrative will have on an audience today."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/20...evant.html

[Thomas Kearney]

I have to catch up on demand and will post a recap after watching. Love John Legend's song for the show. He also plays Maryland Native Frederick Douglas in the show and is married to Chrissy Tiegen, who was on my wall Junior Year in High School (it was a poster).

[Thomas Kearney]

For those in town for the Lincoln Institute Meeting or any fans of the show, WGN America will be at Rosecroft Raceway with Alfie the horse from Underground March 19th. First post 4:40.

Track Website: http://www.rosecroft.com/

Flyer on the front door: https://twitter.com/ThomasE_Kearney/stat...2979360768

[L Verge]

Rosecroft Raceway is about twenty minutes from Surratt House and a really great place. The Surratt Society held its 30th anniversary celebration there in 2010, and members even got to pose with some of the winners for photo ops. The track has been around my entire life, and the trotters are wonderful to watch - just as sleek and majestic as their cousins who don't race in harness.

[JMadonna]

Don't know if this is true or not but FWIW I heard that those lawn statues of a black boy that would hold your horse (and are now a symbol of racism) were used as part of the Underground railroad. They marked the house of a friend to escaped slaves.