The story itself is engaging and definitely challenges our perceptions of society, morality... what's right and wrong, how people are treated...however, the majority of the characters are very unlikable making it hard to connect with them even when it's intended. The two main characters, the mothers (Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington) are both toxic and equally detestable. You really need to push past the first few eps to get the best out of the story as it is initially quite slow. I personally feel that Kerry Washington's performance in this was not her best and I'm normally a fan (I loved her in Scandal) but she overacted and expressed lots of unnecessary extremity in emotion. Her character would have been better off with a more nuanced portrayal. A lot of the anger was unwarranted and it was a constant state which just didn't make sense, even by the end. Her reaction was the same whether it be to a "Hello" a genuine compliment/good news or a blatant disrespect/racism and insult... to a stranger/her daughter... etc... it was weird, there was no range and I feel that you can be dark and melancholic without anger, anger is different. In general the kids and teens gave good performances, captured the essence of privilege, ignorance, approval seeking/wanting to be loved/accepted well and with more realistic subtleties. Joshua Jackson was a good addition , would have been nice to see more of his character