A disturbing military rule inspired a binge-worth Netflix series which is based on a true life story.
Netflix have released a number of popular original shows in recent weeks, with the Ed Gein season of Monster debuting to massive viewing numbers even if it received a controversial response from fans.
Add to this House of Guinness ,which similarly was popular but was met with stark criticism from fans, and you’d think all of Netflix’s major successes lately are being slammed by critics and fans despite somehow still getting major views.
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One Netflix series however has debuted to a near unanimous positive response, with fans calling it the best Netflix original show in years.
Called Boots, the show stars Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope, a closeted gay young man who joins the American Marine Corps in the 1990s.
Joined by his friend Ray McAffey, played by Liam Oh, it addresses the young men being met with the horror of boot camp all while Cope tries to keep his secret.
The reason Cope was forced to keep his secret is due to the fact that up until 1994, with it only becoming legally to be openly lesbian, gay, or bisexual in the military in 2011.
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Prior to this it was a crime to be gay and in the military, meaning that those discovered could end up being court-martialled or even imprisoned.
In 1994 policy was brought in commonly known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, an official agreement in the US Military that as long as gay service members were not open about their sexuality it was not illegal for them to serve.
Whilst the policy was introduced to try and improve things for gay service members it actually had the opposite effect, leading to an increase in discharges on the grounds of sexuality.
Boots takes place just a few years prior to the introduction of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but the real-life story took place in 1979.
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Based on Greg Cope White's 2016 memoir The Pink Marine, the TV show has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response in the portrayal of how difficult it was to be a closeted Marine.
One 9/10 review on IMDb said it was the ‘best Netflix original in probably two years’, adding: “Binge worthy, funny, insightful, incredible. Norman Lear had an idea with this one: entertain and tell a story.
"A true coming of age story.
“Mark my words: This series will mark a significant turning point in Max Parker's career.
“As an English actor, he's not well known in the U. S yet but his performance in this series is definitely award worthy.”
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With a score of 93% at the time of writing on Rotten Tomatoes it has also been a big critical hit, with Kelly Lawler of USA Today giving the show 3.5/4 stars, saying: “A series entirely made of heart and soul, a military dramedy that eschews tired boot-camp tropes and wooden, stereotypical characters for a cast of complex and misunderstood individuals.”
Boots is available to stream on Netflix now.
Topics: Netflix, TV, TV and Film
Michael Slavin