Alias Grace

Murders are what set this show's events in motion, and we see many flashbacks to it: a woman falling through a trapdoor, gasping for breath as she's choked, an ax splits gory flesh. Grace is kept for a time in an asylum where she says "liberties were taken" (we see men knocking her to the ground and then getting on top of her) and she was kept "in solitary" (we see her in a tiny coffin with a hole for breathing). Grace's father is a violent man who beats her mother and Grace; he also tries to kiss Grace in a sexual way, though she runs. Grace's mother dies; we see the body at length as she is buried at sea. We hear about a maid who tried to commit suicide by hanging.

We see men pinning Grace to the ground while she mentions they took "liberties"; Grace's father kisses her in an unfatherly way before she runs away. There's a brief glimpse of buttocks as someone uses a chamber pot on a ship.

Grace is frequently called names: "whore," "filthy slut," "ugly whore."

Grace's father is an alcoholic who blames drinking for his misdeeds.

Parents need to know that Alias Grace is a dark drama that centers on the story of a real woman who was convicted of two brutal murders as a young girl (the title comes from Margaret Atwood's same-named book about her). The show's violence isn't particularly gory, but it can be disturbing: An abusive, alcoholic father slaps his wife and throws his daughter up against a wall, knocking her unconscious; while she's in bed recovering, he kisses her inappropriately. He also calls her names like "filthy slut" and "ugly whore." Viewers see many flashbacks to the murder that Grace (Sarah Gadon) is jailed for: a woman falling through a trapdoor, gasping for breath as she's choked; a blade cutting through flesh and bone. Grace's mother dies when her daughter is beside her in bed; her dead body is shown then and as it's buried at sea. A woman is held in an asylum and refers to "liberties" taken; viewers see men pushing her and pinning her to the ground. Nude buttocks are briefly seen when someone uses a chamber pot. Viewers may come away from watching curious about many of the historical details and may be inspired to learn about the real Grace Marks and about how women, particularly poor immigrants, were treated in mid-19th-century Canada.