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Reviews
Insecure (2016)
Insightful and Hilarious.
This is a solid contemporary sitcom/drama infused with social commentary and insightful reflections on current social issues.
The characters are unique and well developed, with the sole exception of Kelly, who eventually becomes a caricature. Each of the primary characters face separate and revealing challenges that many people face these days, and how they relate to each other changes over time. Even the secondary characters have their own lives and develop. Lots of love, lost love, tested friendships, complex family histories, and so on, but through the lens of contemporary culture.
The social commentary is on point and often pretty daring. Issa puts a wide array of discriminatory microaggressions and practices on full display, calling out professional organizations who promote white men above similarly-situated women of color, gentrification, etc. She also called out racism within the black community itself, which was well done and surprising because it's often used (by us white folk) as a means of distracting from real discrimination faced by black Americans.
Also, and this might be the best reason to watch this show, it's often hilarious and silly.
Love love love me some Issa Rae (and Larry Wilmore!).
I May Destroy You (2020)
It All Makes Sense Now
I really wanted to like this show. I love Michaela Coel, the casting was great (both in terms of talent and POC representation), the topic is real, raw, and its depiction was gritty and unforgiving, but there was just something about the storytelling that made it hard to watch. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the whole season felt like a jumble of ideas forced into a narrative that didn't give them proper room or time to develop. Story-lines and characters take center stage and then just trail-off while the focus shifts to another topic.
Then I watched the Colbert Show and saw Coel explain that she had to search "How to Write a TV Show" before creating the series. It all makes sense now: she's a new writer.
Why do story-lines trail-off? Because she isn't sure how to integrate them all into the overarching narrative.
How does Arabella suffer two sexual assaults, plunge deep into denial, and indulge her immaturity, but then meticulously publicly shame an abuser with little intervening development? Because Coel wants to capture the radical transformation from a vulnerable girl into a wise resistance leader, but she doesn't know how to spend time with the character during the transformation part, so she just jumps from one to the other.
I really don't mean to neg Coel. She's super talented and she put herself out there with this project--both personally and professionally. That takes guts and talent. Still, this project definitely would have benefited from guidance by experienced writers to focus the storytelling, develop the characters, and transition from scene to scene (and episode to episode) with a stronger sense of purpose.