When they do end up overhearing some of the older family members’ impassioned statements-especially one where Dre says, with anguish, that “kids are dying on the streets”-the twins snap over to the adult conversation with alacrity”. This morning, those fears prove more than irrational as the episode has gotten the digital equivalent of a standing ovation for the way in which it perfectly captured the sentiments many African Americans feel in these tiresome days of trying to convince society our lives matter when we thought we’d finally gotten through eight years ago when President Barack Obama was elected. “I have never been as afraid about an episode of television that I’ve written in my life”, show creator Kenya Barris confessed to The Washington Post.
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Zoey (Yara Shahidi) who seems checked out from the issues for most of the episode eventually makes a statement I think many can relate to, and not just the teenage generation. Black-ish’s continued presence on the small screen, and ABC’s willingness to let it talk about more charged issues in depth, is a strong reminder of why network television needs more families that look like the Johnsons on screen.
Which is why last night’s episode, titled “Hope” (stream it on Hulu) felt particularly daring, because it was most certainly message first.
While Barris’ admitted that he would be honoured to share the praise that Cosby Show and the Bernie Mac Show received, he was instead handed the challenge of outdoing the social impact Cliff and Claire had on the black community – an nearly impossible task.
This back and forth debate structure-used so effectively in almost every episode of NBC’s The Carmichael Show-ensures that both sides get some weight and the police force isn’t completely villainized.
The episode, which airs at 9:30 p.m. EST, “had less to do with police brutality and more to do with talking to your kids about the world they’re living in and they can’t avoid anymore” because of the Internet, their friends and myriad other sources, he said.
“If you’re asking us to lie to Jack and Diane…” The show memorably confronted the n-word (and who is at liberty to say it) in its season premiere a year ago, and has dealt deftly with the subject of racial identity and parenting quandaries, including the ethics of spanking. But no matter how much hope he instilled in people, when he got out of his vehicle during the motorcade on the day of his inauguration, didn’t Bow worry for his safety? Several facets of the cultural conversation about police brutality play out while the Johnson family discusses the night’s news and tries to decide what to order for take-out.
What did you think of “Hope”?
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“Black-ish” is a show on ABC, part of the ABC family, which includes ABC News. Dre and Bow’s differing opinions are at the heart of the episode, but the discussion is wide-ranging. “And laugh. I hope there’s enough humor in there to make people laugh“. Dre is just as insistent on giving them the whole story, so that they can be better prepared for an unfair world.
