#ryan griffen

@RyanJGriffen

Hey. I missed the last episode, but yeah; Waruu has broken my heart. Cleverman is THE best show on television right now. There’s so much going on throughout the narrative that echoes the real life struggles and oppression of Aboriginal people in Australia. The exploration of racism; policies of assimilation; systematic genocide; eugenics; Aboriginality; and lateral violence is so important. Sadly, I know people like Waruu. People in our communities, our own people, who do more damage than good; who hurt our communities. Those who contribute to, and uphold, the institutional oppression that is killing us. Waruu has turned into that type of person because of his selfishness. It hurts to watch him. I don’t know if he can be redeemed at this juncture. I feel so betrayed by him because of how this show tells a fictional story that is saturated with very real issues, both historical and contemporary. It’s close to home for me. It hurts and he infuriates me. I may have had some hope for him once, but now, I just don’t know. He’s done so much damage.

Rob Collins is beautiful. He’s doing an amazing job. I’d love to know his thoughts and feelings about his character and the path he has taken. It can’t be easy to play Waruu. He’s a highly interesting character. Ryan Griffen has really elevated storytelling, the superhero genre (namely, the villainy therein), and Australian television with this character. Cleverman is absolutely brilliant.

@ClevermanTV