PBS' Reconstruction: America After The Civil War feels repetitive, which perhaps is the point

The A.V. Club

The four-hour Henry Louis Gates, Jr.-hosted documentary unpacks the 12-year period after the Civil War. The result is a documentary that could at times feel almost overwhelming, says Aramide Tinubu. "Reconstruction also feels repetitive at times, which perhaps is the point," says Tinubu. "Rebuilding the country after the Civil War was a daunting task, and the series drives that home time and again by highlighting racist legislation and mass murder, issues that continue to arise. However, since he pushes past 1877, Gates is able to spend time explaining convict leasing, the pipeline to prison system, sharecropping, and all of the mutated forms of slavery that were put in place after Reconstruction ended. With such weighty topics, he’s also careful to give a balanced account of the tenacity of black citizens." ALSO: Reconstruction chooses to tell its story soberly and quietly.