If the hole in your heart from the end of Mad Men needs healing, take a trip back in time with WGN America’s Manhattan.
The Second World War may be thousands of miles away, but for the characters of the criminally underwatched Manhattan, there is no respite from constant fear-mongering about spies, wiretaps, and weapons. After all, they are building an atomic bomb.
Set in the insular community of Los Alamos, New Mexico, Manhattan is a '40s-era exploration of the bonds between family and country in the face of international catastrophe. The strictly guarded outer limits of the town of Los Alamos provide a sanctuary — and a prison — for the best scientific minds of their generation to come together in the pursuit of a weapon that will bring the Axis powers to their knees. Of course, knowing the historical resolution of the war as we do, the stakes of this proposition are atomic, quite literally.
WGN America
Watching the creation of the bomb itself is fascinating.
Largely because of the fact that the audience knows the bomb will, ultimately, be successful, the series is able to draw a lot of dramatic tension from what might otherwise seem like a bunch of dull scientific discussions. It's not the exact equations or problems of physics that take center stage, but rather the interpersonal conflicts between characters who have different views of how the bomb should be created and used. It's not about one design model vs. another so much as one scientist vs. another.
Plus, if the character drama isn't doing it for you, there's a really cool explosion.
WGN America
The series is full of badass feminists.
And not only that, many of them are celebrated for their talents as scientists. Helen Prins (Katja Herbers) is the sole female member of one of the design groups but isn't afraid to assert her supremacy over the other boys. Liza Winter (Olivia Williams) is a renowned botanist and strives for leadership in Los Alamos. And since women are severely underrepresented in science and tech even today — both in real life and in the media — it's refreshing to watch these women take charge.
WGN America
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