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FC/OT: Revolutionary War buffs - any thoughts on AMC's 'Turn - Washington's Spies'?

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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq

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I was looking for something new to binge and since I have a bit of an emerging interest in the Revolutionary War and our Founding Fathers (thank you Lin Manuel Miranda!), and since AMC makes some pretty good TV dramas, I thought it might be worth checking out. I guess it's about a group called The Culper Ring (which I assume is/was real) who, under Washington's direction, spied on the Brits. I really enjoyed the first episode - especially the dynamic between future spy Abe Woodhull and his British loyalist father (who I guess is a judge).

I think it only lasted four seasons but that seems like a pretty good run for a show with zero U.S. known stars/actors. Worth the time? Too historically inaccurate? Appreciate the thoughts and comments!

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An enthusiastic yes to Turn! You'll love to hate Simcoe (you'll find out soon enough) and there are a number of really interesting characters. Plus, it's actually based in reality. Not everything, of course, but a lot. Definitely give it a try.
 
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Just got my dad started on it. I watched almost from the beginning in real time. I found it entertaining, though it lags a bit toward the end.

Many of the characters are based on real people, as well as many of the events. There are definitely liberties taken to make the story more interesting. If you can't deal with inaccuracies in a pseudo-historical show, don't watch. It ain't John Adams.

I would say to give it 3 or 4 episodes. If it's not grabbing you by then, ditch it.

PS. if you are looking for a binge that is somewhat historical, I recommend Wild, Wild Country on netflix. First episode a bit slow, but picks up after that.
 
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ouirpsu said:
An enthusiastic yes to Turn! You'll love to hate Simcoe and there are a number of really interesting characters. Plus, it's actually based in reality. Not everything, of course, but a lot. Definitely give it a try.
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Great, thanks! It has a pretty good overall score on IMDB and I think that's encouraging. Looking forward to diving a bit deeper on vacation next week.
 
Grant Green said:
Just got my dad started on it. I watched almost from the beginning in real time. I found it entertaining, though it lags a bit toward the end.

Many of the characters are based on real people, as well as many of the events. There are definitely liberties taken to make the story more interesting. If you can't deal with inaccuracies in a pseudo-historical show, don't watch. It ain't John Adams.

I would say to give it 3 or 4 episodes. If it's not grabbing you by then, ditch it.

PS. if you are looking for a binge that is somewhat historical, I recommend Wild, Wild Country on netflix. First episode a bit slow, but picks up after that.
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Will check out Wild, Wild Country - is it post-Civil War era? I love shows set then. I'm not a stickler for complete accuracy but I do enjoy shows a bit more if there's an element of authenticity - the first episode seemed to tick a lot of those boxes for me.
 
Midnighter said:
Will check out Wild, Wild Country - is it post-Civil War era? I love shows set then. I'm not a stickler for complete accuracy but I do enjoy shows a bit more if there's an element of authenticity - the first episode seemed to tick a lot of those boxes for me.
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If you start wild wild country, and don't have any time constraints, you'll finish it in a couple of nights. It's set in the 1970s/1980s. it's an unbelievable (true) story that I had never heard before.
 
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Two of my neighbors were extras in several scenes across the last few seasons. They filmed a good bit of it about a mile from my house along the James River.
 
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From a strict historical perspective, it's stunningly inaccurate. I only watched a handful of episodes, and the obvious inaccuracies made it unwatchable for me.

That said, 99% of those watching probably never even heard about the Culper Ring, or if they had heard of it know of only a few details about it. This affords the script writers, director, and actors a great deal of liberty, as they're telling a tale that's not known by many. (By contrast, I've read multiple books on it, and had several conversations with the guy that was considered the authority on Rev War spy rings before he died a few years ago.)

You probably will get some good general info on the Rev War era, and some details on what took place in the NYC/CT/Northern NJ area between 1776 through 1783. Just try to keep in mind that a lot of what is depicted is fictional, or while based on facts is seriously modified from what did take place.
 
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Tom McAndrew said:
From a strict historical perspective, it's stunningly inaccurate. I only watched a handful of episodes, and the obvious inaccuracies made it unwatchable for me.

That said, 99% of those watching probably never even heard about the Culper Ring, or if they had heard of it know of only a few details about it. This affords the script writers, director, and actors a great deal of liberty, as they're telling a tale that's not know by many. (By contrast, I've read multiple books on it, and had several conversations with the guy that was considered the authority on Rev War spy rings before he died a few years ago.)

You probably will get some good general info on the Rev War era, and some details on what took place in the NYC/CT/Northern NJ area between 1776 through 1783. Just try to keep in mind that a lot of what is depicted is fictional, or while based on facts is seriously modified from what did take place.
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Thanks Tom - that sort of thing won’t bother me much since I know very little about the real events. May have some questions for you and others from time to time though...
 
Midnighter said:
Will check out Wild, Wild Country - is it post-Civil War era? I love shows set then. I'm not a stickler for complete accuracy but I do enjoy shows a bit more if there's an element of authenticity - the first episode seemed to tick a lot of those boxes for me.
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Wild wild country is a documentary based on the Rajneesh cult/religion that settled on a commune in Oregon in the early 80s. I never knew of it until I moved to Oregon.
Pretty fascinating.

Incidentally, I drive through the town of Antelope (virtual ghost town in Central Oregon) every year, which is where much of this took place. I will never look at Antelope the same.

shaniko-oregon-lee-santa.jpg
 
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Grant Green said:
Wild wild country is a documentary based on the Rajneesh cult/religion that settled on a commune in Oregon in the early 80s. I never knew of it until I moved to Oregon.
Pretty fascinating.

Incidentally, I drive through the town of Antelope (virtual ghost town in Central Oregon) every year, which is where much of this took place. I will never look at Antelope the same.

shaniko-oregon-lee-santa.jpg
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whoa! did you know the story about antelope before the documentary came out?
 
I highly recommend it. It's very well done and interesting. Great character development and suspenseful.

I didn't think that there was any liberties taken that you were like "whoa, not accurate". I think that you'd have to be a Rev War buff, to really know what's not accurate.

Great show, very binge worthy
 
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acg116 said:
whoa! did you know the story about antelope before the documentary came out?
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I only knew that it was a cult that poisoned a bunch of people (don't worry, not a big spoiler), but did not know they had invaded Antelope.

We pass through on our way back from rafting on the John Day River every year (we pass by their compound when on the river). The first year we did it, it was Memorial Day weekend and our vehicle was running on fumes in the middle of freaking nowhere after a long hot weekend. Antelope was the first town we reached but were greeted by this..
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Oregon+Pictures+080.jpg
 
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