The Whimsical 'Washington Black' is Flawed But Still Worth Watching

While watching Washington Black, the new Hulu series that debuted with all eight episodes at once, I couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone involved felt they were doing very important work. To be clear, historical dramas, even fantastical ones like Washington Black, are important. They give the viewers context for our past, can reframe our thinking and open our minds to worlds beyond our front door. However, if the series’ vibe is “we are doing something important here,” that can lead to a detached feeling in the viewer, a problem that plagues what should be a spectacular series. 

The characters and what they experience are vitally significant (especially considering the current state of our world). But, in the four episodes made available for review, the characters never truly become fully realized people, hindered not so much by the performances (which are outstanding for the most part) but by the structural narrative and whimsical storytelling devices that fall short.

Based on the hit 2018 novel of the same name by Esi Edugyan, the series follows 11-year-old Washington “Wash” Black (Eddie Karanja), a young slave working on a plantation in Barbados in the early 1800s. Over the course of the series, he makes the journey from Barbados to Norfolk, Virginia, and then to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the final stop on the Underground Railroad.

In Barbados, Wash is raised by Big Kit (Shaunette Renee Wilson), who tries to shield Wash from the cruel sugar plantation owner Eramus (Julian Rhind-Tutt). When Eramus’s brother Titch (Tom Ellis) comes to visit, he sees how bright Wash is and how naturally adept he is at science and math. Titch, an abolitionist, treats Wash as somewhat of an equal, much to the chagrin of Eramus and their other, and even nastier, brother Phillip (Chris Patrick-Simpson). 

(Maybe it’s because Titch is played by Lucifer himself that it’s hard to believe Titch is as good as he seems.)

When tragedy strikes and Wash is accused of a crime, Wash and Titch escape Barbados on one of Titch’s flying hot air balloon-like contraptions, which he’s named the Cloud Cutter. Pirates and more tragedy follow until Wash ends up in Halifax, where he assumes the name Jack Crawford (Ernest Kingsley Jr. plays Wash as a young adult). All this is told in a very convoluted fashion with flash forwards and flashbacks, and the true nature of Wash’s crimes not being revealed until the third episode. The series does not abide by the adage that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

In Halifax, we also meet Tanna Goff (Iola Evans), the daughter of a white man, Mr. Goff (Rupert Graves), and a black woman who died when Tanna was ten. Tanna has been passing as white, and her father is anxious to marry her off to William McGee (Edward Bluemel). “Your marriage is vital to our survival,” Goff tells his daughter. But Tanna has grown weary of “denying the other half of who I am.” She’s ready to live in her truth. McGee has a surprising secret of his own revealed in the closing moments of the fourth episode. 

There’s also the ever-so-small problem that Tanna is in love with Wash. “I don’t care if she’s rich and fancy. I see her and she sees me,” he says. Their love story is the weakest link in the series. Their dialogue is a bit much. “Your heart is as safe with me as though it were floating in water,” he tells her, which is cheesy, and also, is it that safe for a heart to be floating in water?

Sterling K. Brown, last seen in Hulu’s Paradise, is being heavily promoted with the release of the series. He’s an executive producer, but his character, Medwin Harris, is more of a supporting player. Medwin runs a boarding house, works at the dock, and becomes Wash’s de facto protector once people come looking for him. “It’s a story about family lost and family found, about a young man and the boy he used to be,” Medwin tells viewers as the series begins. Brown’s manner of speaking lends gravitas to everything he says. 

Amid all the whimsy of Titch and Wash’s creations and some almost fantasy-like sequences (one with an octopus looks almost out of the live-action Little Mermaid), there’s the undercurrent of the racist, cruel world these characters exist in. Wash may be free in Halifax, but still his romance with a white woman is forbidden. Black people are segregated and treated terribly consistently. 

One of the most powerful arcs is John (Rick Worthy), the man who looked after Medwin when he first arrived. “Always gotta have someone watching out for us. Keep an eye on that door. Keep that wolf from sneaking in the back, tearing us all apart,” he tells Medwin. His storyline will break your heart. 

One character calls out Wash’s contradiction. He has a very American-sounding name but a British accent. The series is also a bit of a contradiction. Whimsy and the harsh reality of slavery co-exist to varying degrees of success. However, the performances, particularly those of the actors playing Wash, are excellent. So go ahead and take the ride. 

All eight episodes of Washington Black are streaming from Wednesday, July 23, 2025, on Hulu or Disney+ under the Hulu tile.