Saturday, May 07, 2016

Review: Ep 1 & 2 of "Containment" on The CW Network

CW's Containment Will Make You Scared of ... Brown People!
Updated 2019-May-25. I did watch the first season, and the show never had a second season. It turns out the Syrians weren't responsible for the outbreak. We learn several episodes later that corporate shenanigans were responsible. I don't believe the plot "twist" absolves the show from the criticisms I and others made. #1, the images of panic & disease and flatness of the "Syrian" characters won't leave viewers' subconscious minds, regardless of the story. #2, many viewers won't ever watch the later episodes. #3, many viewers will come away with the conclusion that, "We had a close brush with civilizational-ending bioterrorism because of these migrants. We really ought to just stop them coming to avoid the risk." #4, even when the characters learn that their suspicions about the Syrians was unfounded, they never actually discuss them at all.

CW's Containment Will Make You Scared of ... Brown People!

These comments are based on watching the first two episodes of The CW Network series "Containment."
  1. You can follow Containment on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
  2. Within the first several minutes of the first episode, we learn that an undocumented Syrian had left the hospital with symptoms. I stopped watching and Googled "cw containment syrian illegal alien" to see if anybody besides me found this troubling. That's when I found the xenophobic article below.
  3. Islamophobes use @CWContainment, where infected Syrian illegal immigrant=Patient 0, 2 spread fear of brown ppl  http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=12742 
  4. I should preface the remainder of this by emphasizing that I'm not attacking any of the actors who appear in this series. If I was offered a 10 second non-speaking role in a basic cable drama series as a suicide-vest wearing terrorist Arab playboy with a sombrero riding a donkey made up in blackface with a stack of TVs behind me while eating watermelon, I'd jump at the opportunity. I know it's that bad for non-white actors in Hollywood.
  5. I then searched in Twitter to see if anybody else noticed this. Thankfully, several others found the association of a deadly outbreak with an undocumented immigrant troubling.
  6. In @CWContainment, a black kid knocks up a white teen; a #Syrian refugee brings a #WalkingDead virus to USA; a #wall protects.. Wow...
  7. And now illegal Syrian Muslim immigrant brought vial of bio-engineered virus into US. We're not sufficiently xenophobic? Ugh #Containment
  8. First 3 mins of Containment.. It takes place in Atlanta and an illegal Syrian immigrant started it. Cancel this shit.
  9. It's unfortunate they went with the illegal immigrant vector. He could has been anything. #Containment
  10. #Containment wow what a shocker, they made the arab the terrorist. cool.
  11. i hope @CWContainment doesn't go the hella racist route and blame everything on the "illegal middle eastern kid" 🙃
  12. I watched the remainder of episode 1, and I thought other aspects of the show promoted anti-Arab sentiments.
  13. When police go to Sayid's house in @CWContainment, the Arabs hoot & howl, just like the irrational savages racists portray. Thanks, @TheCW
  14. .@CWContainment had option of showing @AtleastLevesque or @Ronny_Mathew in aggressive phase of disease. Brown guy provokes fear much better
  15. Khadijah Ennazer reviewed episode 1 of the show, mentioning her fear that the show would promote hostility towards Arabs and immigrants. One of the show's writers, Julie Plec, promises that the series will not go that route.
  16. really disappointed with @julieplec at the writing in #Containment ... you had the chance to change perceptions and you did not
  17. @deejapples If you keep watching you will see that we make a point of exactly that. I promise.
  18. I do some ranting against Hollywood, this time for how it employs actors to play "ethnic" roles.
  19. I started to watch episode 2.
  20. Ep1, @CWContainment uses @Ronny_Mathew 2 demo zombie phase of disease. Ep2, it uses his autopsy 4 gross special effects. Brown ppl scary
  21. Ep2 @CWContainment White girl @TheElleRoberts too friendly with Syrian boy, gets sick outside of cordon sanitaire. Dangers of miscegenation
  22. Here's an attempt to evaluate the show from a public health perspective. Sadly, it leaves out the ethnic, xenophobic bias at the center of the plot.
  23. I hope you're not going to react to this by thinking, "It's a TV show. Nobody takes this seriously. Chill."
  24. Syrian Refugee With Valid Medical Visa Denied Entry Into U.S., #CAIR Says Local Muslim leaders are demanding the...  http://fb.me/2IZCAJd8p 
  25. #CAIR-LA: Family Members Make Plea for Amputee Refugee (VIDEO) A double-amputee Syrian refugee was denied entry...  http://fb.me/37X3mOTFC 
  26. Anti-refugee bill S.997 comes up for a second subcommittee hearing this Thursday. Voice your opposition....  http://fb.me/50mav6JWZ 
  27. I've written about ethnic, racial and religious stereotyping in numerous TV shows and movies.
  28. Finish this by listening to the Public Enemy classic, "Burn, Hollywood, Burn!".