In this episode, when Bash and Gilbert dock in Trinidad, as a born and raised Trinidadian I could appreciate the accuracy of the dishes, what ingredients they consist of and how the dishes are made like crab and callalloo. I could even appreciate the descriptive language that are used like "skylarkin", "magga", "bush medicine", "dregs", "dou dou", and many more. However, what really troubled me about this episode and quite possibly maybe the episodes to follow is.....Bash's 'Trini accent'.
Given that a Trinidadian's accent is so distinctive and it is usually commented on just as much as the food and lifestyle as well as it can be heard via so many mediums, I held a high expectation for this character to feel like I was really watching a Trinidadian bredren.
While clear research was done to represent the food and life in Trinidad as accurately as possible in this episode, the actor playing Bash was no way near accurately portraying a Trini accent at all. In fact, he sounded more Jamaican than anything else. Maybe he was trying to get a handle on the 'sing songy' way that foreigners often describe Trinis' speech but to me, his portrayal was no where close. Really and truly it bothered me so much when he spoke I felt like I was hearing intermittent screeches of chalk on a black board.
What upset me as well is that the writer iiiissss a Trinidadian (hence all the Trinidadian symbolisms throughout) thereby the person could have been consulted for pointers on how to speak Trini. Had the Trini accent been accurately done, tied together with the phrases and the almost perfect atmosphere, I could have enjoyed the character much more. Right now he feels kinda fakeish.
Given that a Trinidadian's accent is so distinctive and it is usually commented on just as much as the food and lifestyle as well as it can be heard via so many mediums, I held a high expectation for this character to feel like I was really watching a Trinidadian bredren.
While clear research was done to represent the food and life in Trinidad as accurately as possible in this episode, the actor playing Bash was no way near accurately portraying a Trini accent at all. In fact, he sounded more Jamaican than anything else. Maybe he was trying to get a handle on the 'sing songy' way that foreigners often describe Trinis' speech but to me, his portrayal was no where close. Really and truly it bothered me so much when he spoke I felt like I was hearing intermittent screeches of chalk on a black board.
What upset me as well is that the writer iiiissss a Trinidadian (hence all the Trinidadian symbolisms throughout) thereby the person could have been consulted for pointers on how to speak Trini. Had the Trini accent been accurately done, tied together with the phrases and the almost perfect atmosphere, I could have enjoyed the character much more. Right now he feels kinda fakeish.
