A new Netflix docu-drama has been criticized for “wokewashing” as viewers criticize the show.
The six-part documentary Alexander: The Making Of A God has an average Google review score of just 2.5 stars, with several viewers complaining about its focus on the historical ruler’s sexuality.
Alexander the Great is known as one of the most successful military men of all time, having amassed an empire in the 4th century BC. C. from his native Macedonia to India and also to Egypt, before dying at only 32 years old.
But, with the help of experts, Alexander: The Making Of A God aims to tell his conquest through a new lens that includes the exploration of his relationships.
An X account called ‘End Wokeness’ gave a review the week after the January 31 release: ‘Netflix made a new documentary about Alexander the Great. In the first 8 minutes, they turned him gay.
Netflix’s Alexander: The Making Of A God has been criticized for being ‘woke’ as it placed emphasis on the former ruler’s same-sex relationships
However, a post on X by an account called ‘End Wokeness’ received criticism, as many scholars have suggested that the account in the new docudrama is largely correct.
Despite the uproar, same-sex relationships were a feature of ancient Greek life, particularly for powerful men.
Several negative reviews for the six-part series cited “wokeness” while criticizing it, but many also gave more general criticism of the acting, casting, and storytelling.
However, that publication soon received a community note explaining that scholars commonly believe that the Macedonian king, born in 356 BC, had sexual relations with other men.
One commenter on the post said: “I don’t think it was Netflix that made him gay.”
In fact, men having sex with each other was common in ancient Greece.
In the first episode, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, a professor at Cardiff University, explained that “same-sex relationships were the norm throughout the Greek world.”
He added: ‘The Greeks didn’t have a word for homosexuality or being gay. It just wasn’t in his vocabulary at all. It was just about being sexual.
Alexandra Birch, a history graduate from the University of Manchester in England, previously wrote about the era for The Manchester Historian: “Sexual orientation was not the defining factor of sex, but rather the role played by each participant: the dominant partner, The older, upper-class partner took an active role, and the younger, lower-class partner took a passive role.
‘However, gay men of the same class experienced social stigma as the passive role was more effeminate. As Macedonian king, Alexander could have sexual relations with anyone as long as he maintained the dominant role.
Despite the initial explanation, other viewers were also dissatisfied.
One posted a one-star review on Google: ‘The show starts off completely homoerotic, because according to Netflix everyone is gay. 30 minutes of skippable scenes later, the show continues with Woke Wash.
‘What’s that? Each piece of the story was made as “safe and harmless (sic)” as possible. Even the so-called “experts” were choked by his antiseptic descriptions.
‘The dialogue and lines seem like they were written by a kid who grew up on memes. The “Total War” video game series had better “pre-war” motivational speeches than this display of charged positivity.
WHO WAS ALEXANDER THE GREAT?
Alexander III of Macedonia was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia, in July 356 BC.
He died of fever in Babylon at the age of 32.
As king of Macedonia, he led an army through the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt, claiming the land in his path.
Their greatest victory was at the Battle of Gaugamela, now northern Iraq, in 331 BC. C., and during his journey through these Persian territories, it is said that he never suffered a defeat, which is said to have earned him the nickname of him.
His eventual empire spanned three continents, from Greece in the west, to Egypt in the south, the Danube in the north, and India in the east.
Alexander was buried in Egypt, but it is believed that his body was moved to avoid looting.
A bust of the ruler from the 4th century BC
‘Both kings, Alexander and Darius (Alexander’s Persian adversary), were described as weak and humiliated. Not words or behaviors one would expect from warlord rulers. The show seemed to lean more toward a Darius pity show than an Alexander documentary.
‘It was terrible. “Netflix needs to stop making shows and go back to being a streaming service.”
Although Alexander the Great had at least two children and three marriages, literature about him also notes that his most notable companion was his general and bodyguard Hephaestion.
Furthermore, upon conquering Persia from King Darius, Alexander is said to have taken the former king’s eunuch, Bagoas, as a lover.
But her apparent love for Hephaestion endured until the bodyguard’s death, when Alexander was said to have “wept over his comrade for a day and a night before he was taken away.”
Elaborate funeral games were held in Babylon in honor of Hephaestion, and Alexander died at just 32 a year later.
One unconvinced self-proclaimed “history buff” insisted that “I can say with certainty that there is no evidence that Alexander was gay,” while leaving a two-star review.
One of the main reasons people believe that Alexander the Great’s sexuality is not completely clear is because previous scholars erased LGBTQ references in earlier eras, including the Byzantine and Victorian periods.
Athena Richardson, a professor at George Washington University, wrote: ‘Even in a culture that accepted bisexuality, Alexander and Hephaestion’s relationship was atypical and therefore treated differently.
‘My research shows how this same-sex relationship was erased, censored and altered to fit the norms of later cultures.
“Ancient biographers may have practiced censorship to hide any implications of femininity or submission in Alexander that this relationship dynamic might suggest. As a result, later cultures would have also hidden the relationship.’
But, with a star being the most popular rating among docudrama critics, there were many who criticized the series regardless of its presentation of sexuality.
One said: ‘Terrible.’ Historically inaccurate, it misses all the most interesting parts of Alexander’s political and military life, and barely shows him as gay.
“There are reviews that say this show is somehow ‘woke’ (as if that’s a bad thing?), but it’s not, it’s much worse.”
One of the main reasons people believe that Alexander the Great’s sexuality is not completely clear is because previous scholars erased LGBTQ references in earlier eras, including the Byzantine and Victorian periods.
However, there was some positivity surrounding the series and some viewers called for a continuation of the series.
Many reviews criticized the acting, casting, and storytelling as reasons for leaving a negative review rather than any political or social agenda.
But not everything was bad for the streaming giant.
One of the five-star reviews of the series says, “I enjoyed watching the documentary/movie.” It is interesting to hear experts explain the events based on the small traces left from Alexander’s time.
‘I’ve read the reviews here and I don’t understand why people are overly critical of the acts or the production. I guess some people need to see blood crashing on their screens to enjoy the viewing. I hope Netflix continues the series.”