User Reviews

"The People" is the first episode of the wonderful PBS series "The West". Not surprisingly, the initial portion of the show was a broad overview--mostly about how diverse the natives were in the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans. I really appreciated how the natives were NOT described like they were tree-hugging peacenicks....but instead very different. Some were very peaceful and agrarian, some others were anything but. Later the show discusses the arrival of the Spanish explorers--and some who respected their ways and culture (Cabeza de Vaca*) and others who simply exploited them. Finally, the show jumps 200 years ahead--discussing the Lewis & Clark expedition.

For me, I loved the content of the show. But I did find it a bit confusing how the show jumped so far ahead without even a mention of the English and French in the New World. Yes, I know the show is about the West and the Spanish mostly settled the west, but their choice to never mention them seemed odd and confusing. Still, a perfectly nice first episode...and hopefully they'll only get better.

*Cabeza de Vaca, in Spanish, means 'Cow Head'. I do not understand this odd name. I assume his family came from a town called Vaca...but why name him Cabeza? Was that a thing folks did back in the day??

If you watch this series for one reason do so if only for the excellent music. The songs are from the periods covered and are beautifully rendered by some very talented artists.

I've never written a review prior to this, most of my reviews I leave in the comments sections, but seeing as this show had none I felt compelled.

The first episode begins with some of the early Spanish exploration and explains how different parts of the early United States was owned by the Spanish, the French, the British & New Spain (Mexico). This first episode seems to roughly cover the end of the 16th century through the beginning of the 19th century.

The history of the southwest is explored and history & legends from different Native American tribes are also included. The episode explains how Europeans tried to espouse their beliefs unto Native Americans and how they reacted in turn. Also shown are very well done depictions of Native American life and culture prior to and during the European arrival. This show also helps to explain how Native American tribes came to acquire horses which helped shrink their worlds and expand their influence. There are stunning shots of beautiful natural scenery and various voice talents add to flesh out the different characters portrayed. Mountain men seeking fortunes in the fur trade are explored as well, and the early history of Texas and the battle of the Alamo are also shown later.

There are small interviews with various authors of historical works that add to the authenticity of the show. What this show does the best is it really does immerse the viewer into the subject matter and make one feel so close to the history of the old west so much so that you can almost taste it.