Damnation

 I finished streaming Damnation, Tony Tost's series set in the 1930s. It is intense and violent, and very good. I learned of the existence of the Black Legion, a right-wing and racist militia with its origins in the KKK. When I watched the show I was wondering why the KKK was dressed in black instead of white, and with a different name, but then I looked it up. I am a little embarrassed by my ignorance. !! Humphrey Bogart was in a movie about them. The 30s are interesting because liberal democracy was so precarious, unsure of itself. Right and Left knew exactly what they stood for, but "the best lacked all conviction." 

The plotting and writing is excellent. The characterization is complex; even though it is a good vs. evil melodrama the main characters all have significant nuances to them. As a consequence, the actors are able to make very good performances: they were given a lot to work with. The female characters, while in the minority, are among the best developed. The preacher's wife Amelia.  

The newspaper reporter, DL, plays the role of the literary figure, the Dreiser or Steinbeck who will chronicle the period.