Don’t Wait More Than ‘Seven Seconds’ To Watch This Latest Netflix Series

Earlier this year we admitted to having a lot of feelings when it came to a Netflix series depicting police brutality against Black folks, so let’s address your skepticism from the start. Is Seven Seconds actual progress or is it just taking advantage of a politically-charged climate? Well, keep your tissues close and your intersectional discourse closer because if this first episode is any indication, creator Veena Sud got us, fam.

I think it’s easy to see the trailers and feel uneasy at the potential sensationalism, but in watching the show the care is palpable. The hit-and-run of a Black boy by a White police officer and its subsequent cover up acts less like a crux than a spark to this story, shedding light on how messy our lives as human beings are. I was afraid that the show might generate too much sympathy for the cops but it doesn’t. Guilt is guilt and the writers know better than to say otherwise. What’s more interesting are the questions that Seven Seconds forces us to ask ourselves. How does trauma affect a community? What makes violence in the armed forces versus a gang different? What determines the value of a life and a family? How do we wrestle with grief and faith in the face of loss?

As a viewer I always prefer characters to drama and Seven Seconds doesn’t fail on this end, either. Beau Knapp’s performance as a tortured Peter Jablonski torn between protecting his family and revealing the truth creates an almost visceral response. But the real gem here come…