Remote patrol weekend

"A House Divided" (7 p.m. Sunday, Showtime) casts light on a lesser-known side of Southern society in the Civil War era. It's based on the true story of Amanda America Dickson (Jennifer Beals), the daughter of David (Sam Waterston) and one of his slaves, Julia Lewis (LisaGay Hamilton). Recent scholarship has discovered many more cases of interracial couplings and mixed-race children than were thought to exist in the antebellum South. Among them were the Dicksons, an intriguing clan who defied convention even as they strived to conform to social mores. Raised by her white grandmother, Amanda enjoyed a life of privilege and learning, even though her neighbors seemed to have known her true lineage. Meanwhile, her father occasionally would escort his slave to social functions, yet this apparently didn't jeopardize his status in the white community. But in 1885, after David died, his will was contested by his white relatives, because he had left nearly everything to Amanda. The case became a cause celebre and was eventually heard by the Georgia Supreme Court. Although all three leads give stirring performances in "A House Divided," Hamilton really crackles. She has a tart tongue (as viewers of "The Practice" already know), and it's well-deployed here. Hamilton seems to understand the fire Julia must have carried within. It must have infuriated the slave to be raped by her master, yet Julia is shown converting her anger into hard work, keeping the plantation afloat during hard times and ensuring a better life for her illegitimate daughter. @ART CAPTION:Waterston @ART:Photo >>>