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'The Good Lord Bird' Episode 2 continues to draw praise for Ethan Hawke as fans thank Showtime for epic

Investigating the historic structures of racism through a fictionalized take on abolitionist John Brown, it rests heavily on Ethan Hawke's performance and is currently broadcast on Showtime that often brings such prestige TV offerings

The praise continued to pour in for Episode 2 of 'Good Lord Bird' that had a more Onion-driven plot this time around. Some fans appreciated the fact that Episode 2 seemed to bring a new kind of storytelling to what is considered a well-explored issue -- slavery in America. One fan tweeted: "I know slave narratives are a tired genre but The Good Lord Bird on Showtime is just good television. I might have to read the book." Others commented on how good the show was in presenting history creatively. One fan tweeted: "Anybody watched The Good Lord Bird???? This joint is wild lol", while another said: "#goodlordbird superb, excellent, fascinating, amazing, historical and darkly funny. Thank you @Showtime."

Investigating the historic structures of racism through a fictionalized take on abolitionist John Brown, it rests heavily on Ethan Hawke's performance of a lifetime and is currently being broadcasted on Showtime that often brings such prestige TV offerings as part of its line up. Quite a few fans thanked Showtime for taking interest in the project and airing it, despite pushing back on its launch date.

One fan said that the show was the only reason they were hanging on to Showtime's subscription, tweeting: "everytime i say im gonna cancel showtime another show pops up i want to watch. currently it’s good lord bird." Another fan said the historical epic had got Showtime a shout out in their church for releasing it in a tweet, saying: "@Showtime just got a shout out from my church, Abyssinian Baptist Church for its amazing new series, 'The Good Lord Bird!'@EthanHawke is amazing as John Brown and Jordan, the young actor portraying Onion is incredible. #goodlordbird, #Showtime, #History." 

One fan in particular commented on the trial of Sibonia, betrayed by Pie, a Black woman like her, and condemned by her White masters for her "wicked plot". But Sibonia turns that 'Divine' judgment around and judges each of them in turn, detailing how she would have liked to kill them all for justice. She shows no repentance before she hangs, jumping rather than getting pushed, to exercise her agency.

And just like the albatross whose death doomed the sailors, Sibonia's death seems to call in Hawke's Brown and his men to purge the town as they kill everyone in their path -- fulfilling Sibonia's original plan. In the tweet, the user writes:  "Sibonia’s Trial and Judgement from James McBride #GoodLordBird went full Americana spirituality - the complexity of it, in a moment. It’s portrayed as the town judging her and her people - she has judged them. A swallow has to fly wild before it can feel free."

Sunday nights have been packed with shows about race of late, namely 'Lovecraft Country', 'The Good Lord Bird' and before that, 'P-Valley'. One fan tweeted: "Have been very happy about shows like Lovecraft and The Good lord bird...have we reached the inflection point?", while another said: "#lovecraftcountry and #goodlordbird thats all u need to know".

'The Good Lord Bird' airs on Sundays on Showtime, at 9 pm ET/PT.