Aahana Swrup
‘Get Millie Black’ is a crime noir show centering around the titular ex-Scotland Yard detective who has moved back to Jamaica. As such, Millie-Jean Black, part of the Jamaican Police Force, works missing person cases with her partner Curtis. However, one peculiar case of Janet Fenton’s disappearance opens up a world of trouble for the crime-solving duo. Worse yet, as the investigation brings Millie to Kingston, it crosses her path with Luke Holborn, Scotland Yard’s finest, who is conducting an investigation of his own. Consequently, as Millie’s past converges with an uncertain future, the Detective might just end up undertaking a path that will change her current reality forever.
Created by Marlon James, the show offers a thrilling detective story complete with an unsolvable central mystery and a protagonist haunted by her past trauma. Still, as Millie takes to the streets of Jamaica, the audiences are introduced to a yet underrepresented geographical setting that further cements the story’s grounding in reality.
Get Millie Black is an Original Story by Marlon James
‘Get Millie Black’ offers a unique crime-drive story that checks off the genre-convention boxes while also presenting something new and refreshing to the audience. Nevertheless, despite its focus on the criminal underworld of Jamaica, the show isn’t based on any real people or events. Instead, it is a complete work of fiction penned by Marlon James, the critically acclaimed Jamaican author. James has previously written some well-received and well-loved titles, including his 2005 debut novel ‘John Crow’s Devil’ and the 2014 book ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings,’ which won the esteemed Booker Prize in 2015.
As such, James possesses prominent literary achievements as an author. However, the writer tackles a whole new medium in ‘Get Millie Black.’ The show is James’ original work, written by the author and his team of screenwriters. Reportedly, James didn’t extract direct inspiration from any particular source material for the show. Even so, it is possible that the reality of his mother inspired the show’s central character in some ways. The writer’s mother was a policewoman in Jamaica and one of the first ones to become a Detective. Therefore, the author has attributed his penchant for mystery-solving in his storytelling to his mother.
Thus, even though James doesn’t take direct inspiration for Millie’s character from his mother, she likely has some influence over the writer’s creativity. Speaking of the character with Channel 4 back in 2021, the screenwriter said, “Millie, from the second she appeared in my imagination, was a brilliant, mercurial, hilarious, unpredictable force of nature; someone who was always there, just waiting for her story to be told. I didn’t create her. I found her.” As such, ultimately, Millie and her narrative remain entirely fictitious elements without any firm relationships to reality.
Get Millie Black Explores Jamaica in a New and Authentic Light
‘Get Millie Black’ charts a compelling story about a detective scarred from her past. The show’s central character excels at moral complexity as she goes down certain paths that add a layer of nuance to her character. Yet, the character’s core—revolving around a sense of justice—ensures she never strays from her path. Actress Tamara Lawrance, who helms Millie’s role on-screen, evoked a similar sentiment in a conversation with Deadline. When discussing her character, the actress said, “She’s (Millie is) definitely highly flawed, and she can be a bit self-centered at times, but ultimately, I think she’s driven by justice and a desire to put things right.”
Consequently, the story’s base premise remains a well-treaded route that infuses the show with a sense of familiarity. For instance, shows like ‘Marcella’ and ‘Mare of Easttown’ remain contemporaries of Millie’s tortured detective narrative. Nonetheless, ‘Get Millie Black’ distinguishes itself from the genre with its unique exploration of its setting. The Jamaican author Marlon James presents a dazzlingly authentic depiction of the country and its culture through the show. Therefore, the show’s depiction of the Jamaican reality remains realistic—from tackling social issues, such as the legacy of slavery and racism, which continue to have a significant impact on modern society, to the effects of sexism and classism.
Furthermore, the show maintains this level of authenticity even in its cast and crew. Consequently, a bulk of the artists involved in the project, such as Directors Tanya Hamilton, Annetta Laufer, and lead actress Lawrance, all have roots in Jamaica. As such, in many ways, the show strives to depict Jamaica on an international stage in a way that has been unexplored by mainstream media. As a result, even though ‘Get Millie Black’ retains entirely fictitious origins, it taps into a sense of realism through its characters and settings that tap into socially relevant themes.
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