Episode 5

Synopsis of Episode 5:

Episode Five of Roots is pretty much all about Chicken George.
At the beginning of the episode, we see that he has developed into one of the most skilled chicken handlers in the South. His master, Tom Moore raises and fights chickens in the sport of cockfighting, where roosters are pitted against each other until one dies. Very large bets are made on these fights and Chicken George is one of the best handlers in the business. At one of the cockfights, he learns from another slave that it is possible for a slave to buy his freedom.
On the way home from the cockfight, Chicken George and his master are stopped by white patrollers, who are totally freaked out by the Nat Turner Rebellion. Virtually all the white people in the South are freaked out by the idea of slaves rebelling and things get very ugly for a while. One of the ugliest things to happen during this period for Chicken George is that he finds out that Tom Moore is his biological father and that he will never let George buy his freedom – he is too valuable.
Tom Moore and Chicken George compete in a huge tournament. After drinking too much and getting carried away, Tom Moore promises George his freedom if they win, then bets way, WAY more money than he actually has.
Their bird loses and Tom Moore has to give Chicken George to the winner to cover his debts. George is sent to England – supposedly for three years. In fact, he is gone for fourteen. When he comes back, he is able to get his freedom from Tom Moore and becomes the first of Kunta Kinte’s decendents to win his freedom. He is eventually forced to leave the state, but his family remains very proud of him.
Chicken George’s oldest son, Tom gets in trouble with a pair of local brothers, the Brents, as the Civil War begins. When he catches one of the brothers attacking his wife, Tom kills him.
As the episode ends, the remaining brother tells Tom that he suspects he had something to do with the disappearance of his brother and vows that Tom “hasn’t seen the last” of him.
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