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Texas Rising

         I'm trying to learn a little U.S. history that I didn't know or have forgotten. I've watched 4 of the 5 installments of Texas Rising on the History Channel.

         To tell the truth it's a little hard to follow the line of history in it. There are some sweet little love stories scattered among the rangers and volunteers. The first 3 episodes spent a little too much time with the men relieving themselves or sitting on toilets. TMI. It does reveal the bloodshed and ruthlessness on all sides.So far there haven't been any great heroic moments. There have been some speeches and selfless acts at all levels of the army. They have also shown personal greed, prejudice, and dishonesty,

         Of the cast, a few are giving outstanding performances. Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Emily D. West, the "Yellow Rose of Texas" according to legend, has done a stellar job. She's made a fan of me. Miss West was an indentured servant who had met Sam Houston in New Orleans and ends up spying on Santa Anna to avenge her brother's execution at the Alamo.

         Also standing out to my naive eye were Brendan Fraser as a half-Indian member of the Texas Rangers; Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a man with TB, married to a Mexican woman, but dedicated to Texas independence; and Olivier Martinez as Santa Anna.

         I guess you can say it's a successful endeavor in that I want to research it for myself and figure it out. It's repeated all through the week at various times of day on the History Channel, so you can play catch up. The final episode will presented as a new show next Monday.