Scenes from Episode 3 from Roots. - Contributed

MOVIE: Roots (30th anniversary edition, episode 3)

GENRE: Historical drama

RATING: Five stars.

RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes

WHO'S IN IT: John Amos, Lorne Greene, Vic Marrow, Robert Reed, Madge Sinclair, Gary Collins, Raymond St. Jacques, Beverly Todd.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: This third episode of the epic miniseries is about separation. We had, of course, seen separation before, with Kunta Kinte being taken from his home and family in The Gambia in Episode 1 and his being whipped to say his name was 'Toby' in the second. (This one starts with him bowing and saying "Toby be good nigger," playing up just to bide time to run off again). This time around the separation runs even deeper, as it is a separation between negroes and it is not actually said ('nigger' is used for both), it is the beginning of that separate, but supposedly equal term, 'African American'.

So when Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton is gone; this is nine years after Episode 2 in Spotsylvania county, Virginia, and the character is played by a strapping John Amos) runs away again tobe with Fanta and finally finally finds her, she tells him, "I am young Massa Colin's bed wench. Any children come out of me supposed to be brown." And Kunta Kinte laments "White man don't even leave us." And when he asks her to run north with him, Maggie (the name she was given and accepts) says "I will stay fed, instead of starve."

The resulting argument, which alerts the runaway catchers to Kunta's presence, leads to an especially painful separation, as the toes and part of Kunta's right foot are chopped off (OK, castration was the other option).

It is extremely painful to watch the hatchet rise then fall, and Kunta Kinte scream. By now there has been another separation, as Fiddler and Kunta have been handed over to their first owner's brother, William, as payment for debt. And it is this which leads to the exploration of that hounding hyphen in 'African American', as Belle (a beautiful Madge Sinclair), as the two tussle verbally despite Belle's obvious attraction to Kunta. At one point, as he is in the driver's seat of the wagon, a posting she arranged for him, she asks whether he promises not to run off again. He says nothing and she says, in disgust, "Africans!"

And he says with equal emotion, "Americans!" There is a wonderful line when Kunta finally states his case, giving her a corn, grinding- bowl without an essential component. She asks for it and he says, "I thought I would bring the grinding part by your cabin tonight." Did someone say puuul uppppp?!!! And when Kunta speaks of the blacks born in America ("it seems to me like a whole new tribe that is lost") it strikes home.

Despite the death of Fiddler ("Now you know what it mean to be free," Kunta says), Episode 3 is not all separation, as he and Belle 'jump the broom' and get married, their daughter Kizzy being born shortly after. Kunta, who turned down a final opportunity to run away to stay with his family, presents his daughter to the night sky, as his father, Omoro, had done with him and says, "Behold, the only thing greater than yourself."

It ends with his speaking to the baby, who cannot yet understand him, about her grandparents and Africa.

THE REAL LOWDOWN: There is lots of loss, but the seed of the family in America is sewn, literally and figuratively.

- Mel Cooke

DVD courtesy of CariHome DVD.