Grand Army
Ratings: 4.7/5
Duration: 9 Episodes
Language: English
Genre: Teen Drama
Director: Silas Howard, So Yong Kim, Tina Mabry, Darnell Martin, Clement Virgo
Writer: Katie Cappiello, Randy McKinnon, Ming Peiffer, Ben Snyder, Hilary Bettis, Alessandra Clark, Lewaa Nasserdeen, Andy Parker
Based On: Cappiello's Slut: The Play (loosely)
Producer: Hilary Bettis, Katie Cappiello, Joshua Donen, Nicolette Donen, Chris Hatcher, Elizabeth Kling, Taja Perkins, Jordan Tappis
Music: Morgan Kibby
Cinematography: Ava Berkofsky, Autumn Eakin, Bobby Shore, Andrew Wehde
Editing: Fabienne Bouville, Jessica Hernández, Darrel Drinkard, Jon Otazua, JoAnne Yarrow
Art Direction: Evan Webber
Release Date: 16 October 2020
Streaming On: Netflix
Star Cast: Odessa A’zion, Odley Jean, Amir Bageria, Maliq Johnson, Amalia Yoo, Alphonso Romero Jones II, Brittany Adebumola, Crystal Sha're Nelson, Thelonius Serrell-Freed, Anthony Ippolito, Brian Altemus, Naiya Ortiz, Ashley Ganger, Katie Griffin, Sydney Meyer, Marcela Avelina, Mercedes Slater, Osias Reid, Lola Blackman, Zac Kara, August Blanco Rosenstein, David Iacono, Lindsay Wu
Plot: The drama series tells the story of five high school students as they struggle with sexual, racial and economic politics and fight to succeed and become somebody.
Review: The story line comes from Cappiello's 2013 play Slut, though it is quickly asserted that Grand Army is not based on said play. Instead, Cappiello builds on existing characters from that work (including Dominique and Leila) and adds new ones, expanding the story's base beyond rape culture and into themes of systemic racism, sexuality, and ethnic identity.
The cast is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual identity, and socioeconomic status. Storylines are often grim and upsetting, but characters show empathy for each other, as well as courage and integrity.
The cast of Grand Army is phenomenal. A'zion (late of CBS' short-lived sitcom Fam, and daughter of Pamela Adlon) embodies Joey's character with forceful accuracy. Newcomer Odley Jean gives an astonishing performance as Dom, who shields herself against challenges with focus.
The scenes between Dom and her friends played by Crystal Sha're Nelson, Brittany Adebumola, and Naiya Ortiz is all love. Dom has to work three times as hard as her white peers to achieve her goals, and she's angry about it, all the while knowing: "My anger doesn't count."
Grand Army is a series about high school students who grapple with everyday problems. The pilot begins with a thwarted terrorist attack disrupting a school day at Grand Army, the fictional Brooklyn high school full of ambitious students from across New York City. Ultimately the tone of the show is uplifting, with characters who are there for each other and who find ways to persevere despite difficulties; there's also a lot of mature content.
The plot line is swollen with trauma. We witness bullying in its raw state. Leila Kwan Zimmer, one of five leads in the show, was adopted from China as a baby by a Jewish American couple. During Leila’s freshman year at Grand Army, she starts struggling with the pressure of being different. We get to see Leila crying in an empty hall after being bullied over her identity. The series gets deep in its characters’ lives.
Grand Army talks about every struggle that Gen Z faces and those belonging to the generation will be able to relate. Others need to understand and learn about these struggles.
