Review: When They See Us
When They See Us tells the true story of five young boys who are coerced into saying they are at fault for the rape of a young woman. The boys struggled with keeping sane during their trials and years locked away.
February 26, 2020
The show When They See Us came out on Netflix on May 31, 2019. The show is based on true events from a 1989 misalleged rape case. In the show, five young boys are wrongly convicted and coerced into admitting they were at fault for the rape. When They See Us only has four episodes, each about an hour long, that tell the story of these young boys.
One night a huge group of kids, ages thirteen and up, went out to walk around New York’s Central Park. During their time out, they are chased down by cops. Although most escape, a few are caught. When the boys were brought in they were immediately coerced into saying they had raped a girl whom none of the boys knew. They were all underage and had no parents with them during this time.
This show truly shows what can happen behind the scenes of misalleged court cases. The filming is incredible and really gives the watcher a feeling of what it would be like to be in this situation. During the court cases, you get to see how each boy reacts and understands their emotions. When each boy is wrongly proven guilty they are all sent to juvie, except one who was tried as an adult and is sent to prison. The show continues to show each and every one’s experience while they are locked up.
When They See Us gives watchers an insight into how cruel prison life can be. They show scenes from being beaten up to missing their loved ones. The show really touched my heart and made me feel bad for the people that were put into this situation. Throughout the show some of the boys who were caught are let out and they show how hard life is after that. The boys let out go on to live in trouble of finding jobs, love and peace within their family.
I would definitely recommend this show to everyone, it’s such a great story and really shows every character’s emotions in depth. When They See Us is rated TV-MA and would be best for mature viewers due to the strong language and explicit scenes they show. Overall, I would give this show five out of five stars because the filming and acting are amazing.
