If this has been kind of
a Black History year for reading, it has been for watching too.
I have already posted
things about Hidden Figures and A United Kingdom for movies. My sisters and I also went to see
Girls Trip. I have posted a lot about Queen Sugar, but I have also been watching Underground and Black-ish.
Much like my reading, my
watching wasn't carefully planned either. Mostly it came from hearing positive
feedback on everything, but that isn't generally enough. I can't tell you how
strongly people have recommended The Good Wife and Madame Secretary and so many shows (let alone movies) that I
have never watched. It's not that I don't believe them when they say the shows
are good, but getting me to watch something new is relatively difficult.
The tipping point for
both Queen Sugar and Underground was the
pilot I have been working on for so long. Yes, the focus on Black characters -
especially with the focus on women - was helpful, but also I had been at a
point where I was mainly watching sitcoms, and some things about dramas are
different, so it seemed like a good refresher. I have learned things from their
setups and how they carry story lines through. Underground specifically
has taken some amazing creative risks in its second season. I don't know that I
would ever try and pull off similar things, but it's good to be reminded what
can be done.
We started watching Black-ish on the "Lemonade" episode. Perhaps
it was mainly the image of tiny Wanda Sykes being held back from destroying a
Trump voter (I don't care how short she is, her feet were going strong!), but
we felt like it might resonate, and it did. I believed that it would be smart
and funny from what I had heard, but yeah, it is a clever show, and it
educates, and it does a pretty good job of not letting the explanations drag
things down.
I had some luck on my
side. About the time that I was ready to watch Queen Sugar, they
repeated every episode from the first season in preparation for the second
season. I was able to watch an episode a day for a little over two weeks, which
for me is binge-watching. (When I finally caught up and had to wait a whole
week to see what happened next, that was rough.)
I have seen a good amount
of Black-ish. Reruns allowed us to see all of Season 3
except for episode 15, "I'm a Survivor". (I'm not sure why we never
got that one), and we are keeping up with Season 4. The library had Season 1 on
DVD. I wish they had Season 2.
The library also had both
seasons of Underground, though I hate that it is over now, and the
reasons why it is over. (Sinclair Broadcast Group is going to get its own post.
Trust me.)
I have strong thoughts
about various episodes and arcs, and the following posts will try and cover
those. Beyond that, maybe the right thing to mention is a special chat that the
cast of Queen Sugar had with Oprah and an audience after the
season finale. Audience members talked about the things that were important to
them.
The one I remember most
was a man whose son was attacked, and then the police arrested him, and he was
handcuffed to the hospital bed, and it was an ordeal for the family. Micah's
arrest and trauma, and sharing it with his father, helped that family. It gave
a vent to the feelings and the experience. Maybe it helped them feel heard.
There are shows that
don't go there at all, or shows that have treated police brutality and come
down on the sides of the cops (CSI Cyber and Blue Bloods come to mind), but this
show that has been so focused on women and supportive of women was also really
helpful for two men.
When we worry about the loss of predatory men who
have been associated with hits ending the golden age of television, or that a
show with a specific focus can be too niche, we should remember all of the
different ways that different people can react to shows.
And we should remember that representation really
matters.
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