Review: Still Star-Crossed....

ABC's newest offering, "Still Star-Crossed" is a lavishly presented tale of the aftermath created by the deaths of the doomed couple "Romeo & Juliet". 'Fair Verona' is in crisis for the stabilizing presence of 'The Prince' is no more as he dies and passes on the mantle of ruler onto his only son. However, the deaths of the 'Star-Crossed Lovers' has created a greater rift between the feuding Montegues and Capulets Verona's two most powerful noble families. 

With a young and untested Prince on the throne, the machinations of the two 'House Fathers' begin in earnest as the opportunity for greater power has been lost with the heir to the Montegues and the only living child of the Capulet bloodline. But as the two families prepare to move against the other once and for all, the young prince realizes 'there are far greater threats outside the walls of fair Verona'.

Venice, Capua, Naples and Rome helmed by the Di Medici's all have their eye on the city-state. Should they attack as the two great houses tear themselves and the city-state apart, all will be lost! If all that weren't enough, the young prince has a sister named, 'Isabella' who was beloved by their father the Prince, but was never considered for rulership. Yet, it is plain young Isabella has little intention to be 'ruler' in some future husband's household. Instead, she eyes the throne...closely.

Yet still, there is a possibility the promise lost with the deaths of the lovers can still be realized. There is still young Montegue and Capulet blood to be joined in marriage as Lord Montegue's waystrel nephew and cousin to Romeo, 'Benivido' and Lord Capulet's ward, 'Rosalind' are chosen to bridge the gap between families to settle the peace once and for all. There's one major problem; they hate each other.

Of course, there are a myriad of other complications, characters both angel and villain to make this a worthy blend of period piece and 'soap opera' nearly on the scale of 'Game of Thrones' (it's good but no nudity, copious amounts of blood, profanity and dragons.) If one is into the thrashings about during the Di Medici era in Italy, it's definitely worth a watch.

Now, the 'fun part' comes from the obvious 'flip out' from critics of the show. Primarily the whole 'diversity' thing. Of course there are plenty of white faces and the two fathers Montegue and Capulet are white. But, then it gets 'different' from there. Sprinkled within the noble houses and the royal house are all shades and colors. That seems to annoy many critics because it's 'unrealistic' according to them. However, it's far more accurate than we have been led to believe under the revisionist history we've been fed for the last 250 years.

Here's where 'pin-meets-bubble'. Sorry, but before the full advent of the 'Atlantic African Slave Trade', there was no such thing as 'races'. People were identified by their nation or status as royal, craftsman, merchant, landowner, commoner or servant. Everyone has either forgotten or conveniently glossed over the fact that the 'Moors' invaded Europe and ruled over much of Southern Europe for nearly 300 years. It was their presence which enabled the renaissance as Moorish and Saracen teachers, doctors, mathematicians, engineers, scientists and more traveled and settled freely through much of europe.







During that time, people of African descent traded, served in European armies ofttimes as Generals, Dukes and other landed and titled ranks. Life during this time was hardly 'idyllic' as there were only the wealthy, the skilled and the poor. But those who would insinuate that the setting portrayed in 'Still Star-Crossed' is unrealistic have an 'unrealistic' view of the world and history. It wasn't until the 19th Century that the 'whitewashing' of history took its greatest effect. 

It had to as the Atlantic Slave Trade was one of the most lucrative enterprises in the world. When so much money is at stake to capture, house and keep a group of people enslaved, the last thing anyone profiting from the endeavor wanted was for their customers to see the 'merchandise' as anything resembling 'human'. So we get 200 and change worth of historical revision and the result is people complaining about a fictional historical drama not being 'realistic' because it's accurate to the time period culturally, but not in the eyes of those who hold down the dogma.

Still all whiny complaints aside, ABC looks like they have a winner here as the pilot promises more than enough drama, subplots, subterfuge and 'will-they-or-won't-they' anyone who gets into this kind of show could possibly stand. Though I have little care about the fortunes of a major Network and their success, I hope "Still Star-Crossed" finds a strong audience because it's going to piss off a horde of haters and that in itself is something to cheer about.