If I’m being honest, I’ve never been a big fan of the series adaptation of She’s Gotta Have It.
When the first season dropped on Netflix, I’d say I was as open as everyone else, anxiously waiting to see what the legend Spike Lee had in store for the 2017 remake of his 1986 classic film. It was a tall order — unfortunately, for me, it fell short. I remember feeling like a lot of the male characters were cheesy and didn’t authentically represent Brooklyn today, with most of my BK colleagues agreeing that it was a seriously corny depiction.
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Like her suitors, though, I found it difficult to say “goodbye” to Nola Darling (played by DeWanda Wise), so I pushed through season 1 and when season 2 dropped this past weekend, I tuned in.
Just one episode into the second installment, however, and I was already cringing. I’m perfectly aware that Mars’ character (played by Anthony Ramos) is supposed to feel… difficult to digest… but man, are fans supposed to be irritated to the point that we don’t want to continue watching at all?
Besides the constant overacting, there was some extremely problematic dialogue that got under viewers’ skin. In one scene, Nola is arguing that Black Brits need to stop taking Black American roles. “[Black British actors] need to fall back and fall away from taking all of our roles, like we have dope, talented, trained, qualified Black actors right here in the States…But at the end of the day, Black Brits just come cheaper,” she said.
Olu (played by Michael Luwoye) responds: “I agree somewhat — but Black British actors are better suited than Black American actors for Stateside roles because they don’t carry the burden of f*cked up Black American history… of lynching, slavery, Jim Crow, all that.”
“Black Brits are free of the psychological burden and therefore they can really delve into black American sh*t,” he argues, at which point Nola calls him “gorgeous” and “talented” but “f*cking ignorant” before accusing him of having Stockholm Sydrome. Watch the scene for yourself below:
https://twitter.com/helloalegria/status/1132730083041529857
English actor John Boyega proceeded to drag the show via social media — and I’d say, rightfully so.
What’s worse is that conversation provided a great opportunity to really dig deep and have an important dialogue about identity on BOTH sides of the argument — but instead, they fan the flames of ignorance then fail to unpack it.
https://twitter.com/helloalegria/status/1132732358350786560
We aren’t the only ones with strong opinions on the series though. Hit the flip to see what other people are saying and chime in to let us know your overall thoughts.
