i’ve had to take breaks within tv binge sessions,
but never because i was mentally drained.
i took a break after episode 5 on amazon”s “them” but the remaining episodes were…
(light spoilers)…
…a complete energy drainer.
they showed no mercy in how they showed abuse and torture with black folks.
it made me wonder why we abuse each other when white folks have done a good job.
there is no reason why WE should be doing it,
but it’s what we been taught and passed down as a people.
i get it.
i won’t lie to you foxhole:
It took me a while to figure out WTF was going on.
i knew it was about racism,
but there was a lot more under the surface that leaves you kinda confused.
i picked up that it showed individual trauma within the family,
although they could have dived more into the oldest daughter’s trauma.
i felt the threw in the youngest daughter’s trauma because they had nothing.
one thing that kinda made me scratch my head was the priest demon.
so we find out that he was cursed and ended up selling his soul.
the house the black family moved into was on haunted grounds,
but he decided to haunt random black families on entirely different blocks?
huh?
were they trying to imply white people are demons with their racism?
i could have done without the blinding of the black settlers too.
that whole scene was a lot to take in even though that happened to us during those days.
i get it.
i felt they could have taken out the supernatural aspect because it was weird.
i’m sure there is a shit ton of symbolism…
like,
the head karen was running for her own freedom,
but she was hunted and killed as she did to the black family.
retribution can be truly karmic.
she trusted one of her “kind” and he turned out to be the biggest villain of them all.
her own hubby didn’t even gaf that she was missing.
it was a roller coaster that i’d probably never watch again.
even if i met a wolf and he wanted to watch it from the beginning,
ya know,
i think jamari is goooooooooood.
although triggering,
it was a decent watch.
that experience is truly a one and done tho.
if you feel up to it,
check out “them” on amazon video.
lowkey: i loved when luck slapped the head karen back to reality.
she actually started the process on her death.
highkey: i thought the black family was so beautiful.
all the actors and actresses within the family were a joy to watch.
good to see paula jai parker and my fav,
anika noni rose,
working out here.
i didn’t even realize the other crazy lady was in “being mary jane” too!
I read that it was Lena Waithe went all in on the violence against the Black folks, basically retraumatizing Black viewers, so I haven’t watched it, but I guess my question, Jamari, is does the show have some larger meaning? You do make great points that it does, but is it just about racism and Yt supremacy?
If so, how is it different from Lovecraft Country, say, or some other shows, which also mix history and supernatural storylines? I do love Black Lightning, which predicted Covid-19 by a year or so, and which regularly affirms Black and gay people. One of the superheros is a Black lesbian married to an Asian American lesbian shapeshifter.
All the violence on Black Lightning, and most of it on Lovecraft Country, had a purpose in the plot. Same with Get Out, Us, etc.. I lost my interest in the last season of Waithe’s The Chi because it got so random and the violence really just seemed excessive, like the abduction and repeated rapes of the track star character. It turned to pure trash.
Too many storylines seemed kinda dropped, maybe Covid? Betty’s husband was bi but you could easily miss it because only two lines referenced it. The stuff with Betty’s dad and the milk man seemed random. As usual Anika acts her as off and I’ll watch anything she’s in.
I only watched it because the dad was kinda cute, but it was an okay show overall
lol, jamari why did you decide to watch this?
I can’t wait to see this.
I love superheroes and the majority of superhero fans don’t watch Black Lightning, citing the same thing. Saying it’s too realistic and they want an escape from reality.
The reason I love Black Lightning is reality is depressing. So seeing Black people with powers who can change their situation is a dope fantasy. They also touched on many things we’re seeing now such as quarantine and gaslighting Black communities.
I get that it’s not for everyone, but many of the genres I enjoy Black people aren’t allowed in or are there to prop up other characters. With a predominately Black cast, I know the majority of them will live to the end. And in superhero/supernatural/horror stuff, there’s always a chemical process or magical way to bring somebody white back. RARELY for anybody Black. They do it for a white hero and then the process is “too dangerous to be used again”.
I want to see worlds where I know they can’t kill off everybody Black and there are ways for us even if killed, to come back or even be unkillable. That’s why Luke Cage was so important for me. Everybody is entitled to not enjoy certain things. I just wonder when we get to live to the end of a horror film and be the one who matters and are heroes. So many times a Black character is killed off and never mentioned again. Someone white who showed up in 1 episode though influences story arcs for seasons to come.
I never watched American Horror Story but have read about it and Gabourey Sidibe plays a “voodoo doll” who by harming herself, can hurt others. Is that not torture porn? A Black man in slavery being turned into a minotaur?
The same way people reacted to Montero, they’re reacting to Black people in anything that isn’t thugs and drugs. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina she is literally the daughter of Satan. Haven’t seen anybody say that would poison society. Lil Nas X mocking that we’re going to hell for being gay? THINK OF THE CHILDREN.
Black people are hella dramatic and projects like this will get better in time. I will never be harsh on a Black director/content creator who is starting out because I know what a fight it was for them to get picked up/distributed in the first place.
There are several upcoming properties where Black people have powers and are the only ones and what are people saying? It’s racist. Black supremacy. But it wasn’t racist to have White people saving the day for centuries. It wasn’t racist to demonize African spiritual systems and make anybody Black EVIL and from DEMONIC VOODOO. It wasn’t racist to have Black people sacrifice themselves for people with powers. There will ALWAYS be a problem when Black is involved and that comes with the territory.
Thanks for giving your honest opinion. With the current climate and being unable to escape Black horror in real life I can see how this would be overwhelming. However, many of the people who harassed Black students who integrated into schools and burned down Black cities during Civil Rights are now politicians and CEOs and middle-aged white people who show up in Karen incidents. Civil Rights was not that long ago and we still have an unofficial Jim Crow.