Little Marvin’s horror anthology “Them” has arguably been a trending topic at least once a week in the past month. From Jordan Peele comparisons to allegations of exploitation, Marvin’s project has almost heard it all, and the creator has been telling audiences he disagrees.
Recently the series’ executive producer Lena Waithe was met with another online lashing from viewers who took to their social media platforms blasting the actress over the graphic racial violence scenes in the show. Several critics accused the actress of profiting off Black pain. One Twitter user wrote, “#THEM is the most depressing traumatic piece of ass show I’ve ever seen. Amazing cast but that story line is just evil.” They added, “One thing about Lena Waithe is that she will make sure black people suffer in whatever film or show she’s apart of making 🤮.”
While talking recently with media outlet The Grio, Marvin explained that he stood by his project even if it is a little unsettling for some. The writer seemingly executed his plan the way he intended and says that he’s just bringing awareness to a specific sector of the diaspora.
“I think we set out to make a show that was an emotional roller coaster, and it was very much rooted in truth. I’m not interested in cardboard cutouts. I’m interested in all of our complexity and all of our nuance, and all of our flaws. And so I wanted to be unafraid of exploring that,” he said.
Marvin was aware that not everyone would open to his latest project but hoped that those who do are left satisfied with their experience. “Will everyone go on that journey? Maybe not,” he expressed. “But I hope that the journey is rewarding enough that the folks who stick to it are going to feel rewarded by having gone on that journey with us.”
As far as the recent Peele comparisons go, actress Anika Noni Rose says the series is far from what viewers have seen in a while. “I don’t think we’ve really seen anything like this. As much as ‘Get Out’ was an entryway and a welcome, it is not ‘Get Out.’ It is not ’Us.’ It is not ‘Lovecraft Country,’” the actress told Grio. Rose believes Peele’s film’s themes, such as fears and conversation the Black community has about white people, differ from those in “Them.”
The actress views it more like a retelling. “It is its own thing, and it is so true to the time period and the genre of the ’50s and that sort of pulp genre,” she added. “It’s also true to the truths of people’s journey, the Great Migration and thinking they were escaping terror and horror.”
