I quite liked the book. It covered a very heavy subject matter but somehow still manages to read like an adventure novel while still respecting the people whose story it was drawing from. The TV show aims for something much heavier with a lot more depth. I think, to an extent it achieves that depth, but the pace of the story suffers for it. The characters and their relationships are not fleshed out enough to remain compelling. ​I​t is possible to have a slow paced story and remain compelling​, but you need something to support it. Usually interesting characters. The production in Underground Railroad is honestly so immaculate that it is almost able to carry the whole show, but not quite. There is just not enough character chemistry. The themes and ambiance and story ​are given plenty of time but the side characters are not. So much of the narrative and Cora's personality rides on the deep emotional bond she forms with the people on the way, and Caesar aside, I didn't really feel a substantial bond between her and the other characters. Book Cora is numb from the horrific experiences she's lived through, but there's a strong, charismatic girl buried deep under the numbness, trying to get out. TV Cora is mostly just numb, obviously understandable to be in that situation, but it doesn't make for compelling viewing. Another issue I had was the decision to make the antagonists, who were extremely vile, disgusting people in the book, even more villainous, to the point where they were deranged and almost cartoonish. This, to me, had the opposite effect of what the show creators intended. The story is much more powerful if you can detect some humanity in the antagonists, it forces you to come to terms with how ubiquitous slavery is in human culture, instead of just being able to wave it off as 'some crazy shit some fucked up people did ages ago'. This is most apparent with Ridgeway, in the show he's a full on lunatic from birth, in the book he's evil, but he has qualities you would respect if you were to see them in another person. I loved all the technical aspects of this show. The cinematography and sound design especially, but holy hell it was so boring. A slog to get through.