Noughts + Crosses: Short Review
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| Title Screen for Noughts + Crosses, by Huge Designs |
Intro to Noughts + Crosses
When I found out that PeacockTV would be broadcasting Noughts + Crosses, I was happily shocked. Finally, I would be able to see this afrocentric alternate history! I was able to obtain access to the channel with the help of a relative, opened up an account, and began watching the series.
Nearly a month later, I finished watching all six episodes of season one.
What do I think about the whole series so far? In general? Specifically? Well, here I go:
As an alternate history story, it has a low rating of plausibility. According to the first few seconds of the introductory scene of Episode 1, the Aprican Empire conquered Europe 700 years ago from the present-day. However, a brief review of Africa during the 14th Century, reveals that the "Aprican Empire" never existed. The Mali Empire, the Marinid Sultanate, the Ethiopian Empire, and the Kingdom of Benin were all real empires in Africa that would have been involved in some sort of European conquest at that time. Even if all these political states would have agreed to do what the fictional Aprican Empire did in the series, I have not found a historical note stating that the African empires at the time wanted to do that. I am not even sure how logistically possible it could have been for Europe to be conquered during the 14th Century by any African kingdom. It's almost insulting that the writers (not just necessarily the original author of the books) expected us to accept this kind background history. 700 years ago was when the Black Death occurred; that should have made any plan to conquer Europe even more unlikely!
Why are the nations of Europe exactly similar to OTL in this series?
After the introduction of the general P.O.D. (the exact date is never stated), the audience is shown a view of Albion, an alternate version of Britain. Nearly everything in what is represented as alternate-London is built and shown with a Sub-Saharan African aesthetic. I love it!
There is a giant statue of an West African woman that stands out from the London skyline, the clothing for the people are all influenced by African culture, the hairstyles are of African origin and worn by both Black and White citizens of Albion. There is a pejorative word used against Whites, called "Blanker". There are scenes of police brutality (Black against White) that highlight the racist undertones in this alternate society. All of these are things from the series that impressed me.
What I didn't like was the use of English and its alphabet throughout the show. I highly doubt that European languages would be used as common as they are in OTL. The romance aspect of the show I hated, if not downright annoyed by it. Later, I grew to tolerate it and recognized its importance. The segregation aspect of the plot was something that I found to be unlikely to still exist in its present-day. Maybe if it was set in the 20th Century, I would accept that part of the story. I don't remember if there was an explanation as to the etymology of the words noughts and crosses. From an outsider's point of view, it didn't really make much sense to me how these words developed to their current use in the series. Another thing I would like to add is that there isn't any strong mention of how the rest of the world outside of Albion is doing. That is a major weakness of the show. I give the similarity in technology a pass, but it would have been interesting to see how different cars, computers, cell phones, the internet, etc. would have been.
Currently, there is only one season with six episodes. It hasn't been cancelled, as far as I know. The current craziness may have postponed filming for the next collection of episodes, but I look forward for more episodes. I have no interest in reading the books, but I am curious in finding out how it differs from the series.
Nearly every aesthetic I sawn in Noughts + Crosses was what I imagined the World of Lion's Blood to be... if it was set in the 21st Century. Although the former is set in Europe and the latter in the Americas, it is great to see an Afrocentric universe come to life. I just wish that it was more accurate in terms of how it emerged.
Where does this series fit in the Sliding Scale of Alternate History Plausibility®?
Somewhere between Type IV and Type X
Entertaining? Yes. 8.5/10
Do I recommend it for others to watch? Yes, just lower your expectations.
UPDATE, 12/24/2020:
A Reddit poster was able to make a more realistic version of the map shown in the classroom scene:
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