Netflix is diving headfirst into the woke culture as the streaming platform introduces its new series Grand Army. There isn’t a lack of woke media on Netflix, and if the trailer and the cast are anything to go by, then the Grand Army will be massive. But there are also allegations of abusive workplace coming from behind the scenes, so let’s parse through it all.
Grand Army is the new Netflix show, positioned as THE series for the month of October. With a minority cast, the show is an adaptation of the play Slut by Katie Cappiello. Netflix picked up the show last year with Katie serving as the executive producer.
Grand Army Netflix Cast – Lead By Minorities
Grand Army on Netflix features a leading cast of predominantly minority actors.
Source: Netflix
The trailer for Grand Army on Netflix was pretty generous in showing the cast of the new show. Including a whole host of new faces, almost all minorities, the cast seems to be loaded with young talent. Considering the subject matter, or what we can glean from the trailer, it is going to be an uncomfortable portrayal of America as seen through the eyes of teenagers.
Grand Army Netflix cast is lead by Odessa A’zion. She plays Odessa Del Marco, a junior from Stuyvesant Town. Odley Jean plays junior, Dominique “Dom” Pierre, from East New York, Maliq Johnson plays sophomore, Jayson Jackson, from Spanish Harlem, Amalia Yoo plays freshman, Leila Kwan Zimmer, from Upper West Side, and Amir Bageria plays senior, Siddhartha Pakam, from Jackson Heights.
The five actors of the Grand Army cast will be the main focus of the show. The series is focusing on the lives of the five teenagers as we see the world through their eyes with the American education system and current culture forming the backdrop. Grand Army is set for the 16 October 2020 release.
Grand Army Plot Details – What is the Story of the Show?
As the trailer for the Grand Army was playing, the American national anthem filtered through. As the anthem was playing and the flag was being stretched on a basketball court, we see a whole team and one person from the other team taking the knee.
Just this little imagery is enough to tell you what subject matter and how the whole idea will be dealt with in the Grand Army. Race relations, the school system, being teenagers, and everything that means to be a teenager and a minority in America seems to be taking center stage.
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According to the synopsis available on Netflix, Grand Army follows, “Five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn take on a chaotic world as they fight to succeed, survive, break free and seize the future.”
Five students give the perspective as to how it is studying in the largest public school in Brooklyn. The story also deals with school violence, LGBTQ+ identity, romance, and trying to stay above water.
Grand Army Netflix Abusive and Exploitative Workplace Allegations and Controversy
The teaser trailer for Grand Army was released on October 16. The same day a writer by the name Ming Peiffer came forward saying she was one of the writers in the show and later quit saying the show was promoting “racist exploitation and abuse.”
In a three-tweet thread, she made some scalding accusations about the Netflix series’s creator and showrunner. She called the showrunner a “Karen” and the show simple exploitation of racial issues and stereotyping. She also did not have anything nice to say about Netflix, while explaining she and two other writers of color quit after seeing where it was headed.
Ming Peiffer wrote, “Me and the [2 other] writers of colour who worked on the show quit due to racist exploitation and abuse. The show runner and creator went full Karen and called Netflix hr on the Black writer in the room for getting a haircut. Yes you read that correctly. Who wants to interview us?”
The allegation has not been addressed by Netflix or the creator and showrunner of the Grand Army. Considering the inclusive cast and some hot button topics being tackled in the show, it would be a shame if the new Netflix series is bogged down and tainted by controversy.
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Last modified: October 1, 2020
