GENIUS: ARETHA SERIES REVIEW

What you want? Baby, you got it! The third incarnation of National Geographic’s “Genius” series tackles one of the greatest singers to ever walk the earth, Miss Aretha Franklin. Cynthia Erivo stars in the title role, alongside Courtney B. Vance in an 8-episode journey that takes us from Aretha’s upbringing in the church to her meteoric rise in the late 60s. Her powerhouse vocals, paired with her genre-defying take on gospel, R&B, and the blues would ultimately give way for a new moniker: The Queen of Soul. Join Rose, Jamarco, Melina, and Elliot to see if this show can garner the R-E-S-P-E-C-T a legend like Aretha deserves!

**This review is available in a longer, uncut, video version for TIME LORD subscribers and above right here**

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: Noah Pink and Kenneth Biller

STARRING: Cynthia Erivo, Shaian Jordan, Courtney B. Vance, David Cross, Malcolm Barrett, Patrice Covington, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Pauletta Washington, Collete L. Coward, Aubriana Davis, Steven G. Norfleet, Bri’anna Harper, Sydney Hunter, Tina Fears, Antonique Smith, Marque Richardson, Braelyn Edwards, Tyler Richardson, Omar J. Dorsey, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Jerren Jackson, Willie Repoley, Drake Strickland, Luke James

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Rose Mattox (Screener Squad, Eye On The Prize)

Originally hailing from Austin then Houston, Rose has been an avid movie and TV fanatic pretty much since birth. She spends spending her days watching Star Trek reruns, 60’s spy fiction, and Audrey Hepburn movies with her beloved minion (see: dog Riley). She also occasionally dabbles in comedy, screenwriting, as well as graphic and interior design. Rose has been contributing to One of Us since 2019 as a member of the Screener Squad, as well as making regular appearances on Eye on the Prize during awards season. She can be found on Twitter at @nightattheopera.

 

Jamarco Shaw (Screener Squad)

Musician. Screenwriter. IMDB trivia page miraculously brought to life. These are a few ways to adequately describe Jamarco Shaw. Born on the southside of Houston, TX, Jamarco (or Marco, as he’s affectionately named, and NEVER Marco Polo) developed a lifelong love for everything pop culture ever since he was running around in his Blue Ranger Underoos. It wasn’t until a five-year detour in Burbank that he discovered that this love would inspire a passion for years to come. When he’s not raving about cinematography and Spider-Verse, he’s been known to make hip hop instrumentals to pass the time. He aspires to join the ranks of such great Renaissance Men as Donald Glover, John Cassavetes, and Jamie Foxx, but until then, you can catch him trying to make sense of whatever Christopher Nolan just released.

 

Melina Eames (Screener Squad)

Melina first discovered that she carried the nerd gene at the tender age of four following her exposure to a little film called A New Hope. In the twenty-some years that followed, Melina continued to grow into her geek identity through the discovery of Batman, Mst3k, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and The Mandalorian. But perhaps her most significant discovery came at the age of fourteen when a night of YouTube mining led her to the review site of Spill.com. Melina became a devoted follower whose fandom did not end with the site’s demise. By then, it had worked its dark magic and left her with a love and appreciation for film criticism that she has yet to shrug.

 

Eliot Nelson (Screener Squad, Staff Writer)

Soaked in the soggy rains of Seattle, Eliot developed a love of sci-fi, movies, cartoons, heavy metal, and all of geekdom.