I said I would mind jog beyond introspection, that was the aim when I started the site but nothing has been more compelling than myself (ahem…). Until this evening, I watched Oprah’s interview with the exonerated “Central Park Five" together with When They See Us’ main cast.

I watched When They See Us a few weeks ago, I know nothing about Central Park Five prior to this and was shocked that this happened in the US. I was shocked by almost all the true crime series/ documentaries (Making a Murderer, The Staircase, The Case Against Adnan Syed), even American Vandal before I realized it was a satire… . The mini-series was good, but it didn’t compel me to write about it until I get to listen to the five men’s review of the show, and their very candid (very vulnerable) sharing of what really happened to each of them in Oprah’s interview. The open conversation between the cast and the exonerated men moved me to tears.

30 years after the trial and years after their exoneration, the five men never talked about how they experienced the tragic ordeal as individuals, they just knew it was a tragedy that they would not want to revisit. Netflix’s show made it possible for them to relive the pain through each other’s point of view as individuals.

This show has not only educated or challenged us to scrutinize the US justice system and institutions, it allows us (if we can even begin) to understand how the country failed them; how underprivileged African-Americans have it harder than anyone else; how ill-equipped parents could fail their children even when their intention is to protect them… . But what shocked me the most is their kindness. After what happened to them, they could have been bitter or angry or full of hate - but they chose kindness. The guy (Korey) who had it the worst even showed empathy for the evil prosecutor.

I have never seen so much humanity in tragedy in our modern history. Kudos to the cast for their authentic acting and the creator’s storytelling.

No matter how crooked the system is, at least the show creators are allowed to tell this story. The same cannot be said for other countries.

If you have not watch it, do it!