I thought this was going to be TOTALLY different. And not in a good way, since plot twists and curveballs and new directions in movies and books and series is usually a good thing.
I gave this 1 star at first. In episode 8, I gave it 10. I am giving it 10 stars for the things that I wrote in this review, which this series caused me to want to write, and I think I am discussing important things, even if people have a problemo with it. So I guess...that means this is a great series. It's intellectually stimulating, at least for me, a critical thinker. However, it is a 1 star viewing experience which I'll discuss soon. Perhaps the book is much better. I don't think people realize that this is based on a book, by a black woman, so all the reviews who are bitter about how the series turned out (I'm not bitter, at ALL, just confused and a little bored), and who are blaming hollywood for this, need to get their facts straight (even though hollywood is culpable and lacking in many ways). Don't deflect and blame others for this, because it just might be true, even if hyperbolic and satirical or just a bit silly or even as I think, boring. However, in two separate episodes, the main villains Diana and Hazel wore pink and green, colors of a big black sorority, probably the biggest sorority since so many black celebs and politicians are from it. And there are firsthand accounts of that organization's initiations and the general nature of their "sisterhood" being spiritually dark, so...maybe this series is by someone or someone(s) who denounced their membership, or who got rejected while trying to join, or who refused to join in the first place whether invited or not, or just a rival org, or...taking out the cultist mumbo jumbo which may or may not be true, just focus on something more concrete or valid, which is that black women DO and HAVE put all their worth in their hair, and have made other black women do it too in society, hollywood, and allegedly in that sorority, by alienation or bullying.
Don't lie.
So it's no surprise that straight hair through a strange product is Hazel's part of group initiation. It's not hollywood at all. It's everyday life! Nella was "too real" for the big company she works for and Kendra was just a smart insecure chick from the hood so she didn't make it, but Hazel...Hazel made it because she was a "sellout" and the right hand to a cult leader. A cult in reality doesn't have to be a syndicated organization with a labeling name. It could just be a common mindset. I mean, this isn't too far off from reality, peeps! So those are the tolerable things about the series. It seems the biggest critics of "black" series and movies, are black people, mostly due to this twisted insecurity about what they wrongfully presume white people negatively think, when in reality, white people are thinking the opposite way. Let's start with the fact that the large publishing company where Nella works, hired her, with her afro and all, and her white boyfriend is, well, her boyfriend. But who came in and revealed how they initiate black women into bigger success?
Other black women.
That's what happens when you care too much about what people think, you get it twisted. Trust me, white people are simply not disliking things for the reasons you may think. "Why can black women only be successful if they're doing witchcraft in movies?" someone wrote. Wah wah wah. Maybe because, in real life, they probably ARE doing spiritually twisted things such as changing who they are to fit in, whether it be with white people...or other black people. Scorning this series for revealing that albeit poorly and accusing it of being racist for revealing this deep dark truth when it could actually be genuine tough love or simply just not that deep, is just twisted. That being said.
Firstly, the white boyfriend surprised me when he turned out to be a boyfriend. The way he sat down, I thought he was the gay bestie, even after he pecked the main character Nella on the lips. No chemistry, at all. Were they puking or even fighting between takes? Seems like it. And why did the show have him act like the Ken Doll from the Barbie movie, a ditzy blond simp? Minus a star for his acting/character sketch.
Next, I thought based on the Kendra-Diana back story, that Hazel was Kendra reincarnated coming for revenge. It would've been stupid, but it would've been simple and entertaining in a basic way, and funny in a headshaking sort of way. And that would've been fine. But it turns out that it's a cult run by the only other black women in Nella's workplace, with the first step being to change their natural hair into a relaxer. It was unexpected but disappointing that it had a pseudo deep message presented in a boring and dull package. When the slapstick Kendra-possessed-Hazel-to-vindicate-herself-at-the-company-then-take-it-down thing would've been fine, in my opinion. That being said, that wig the girl who was following Nella to reveal this TO Nella, (who ended up getting a perm forced by Hazel and thus subsequently converted to a sellout), it needed to go. Sad to say, it was ridiculous, which is upsetting since they could've made the natural hair wig look better even if it was going to get permed, but anyway. Minus a couple stars for being boring with a weird plot twist that it struggled to get to.
Next issue was the ANNOYING 80s-esque vibe. It's just so bad, I don't UNDERSTAND why so many movies and series are copying off of the 70s and 80s. It's literally as if a Gen X'er or an older millennial had this idea rolling around since before I was born, and finally was able to bring it to life and all they know are blazers and dresses with shoulder pads and NYC yuppies and anachronistic funk music and trippy, echoey synths and the NYC subway train with orange seats (when many NYC trains, don't have orange seats; those are old trains!). Just make it stop. This literally looked like if Coming To America were a horror movie. It's just annoying. So minus a couple stars for the Starz network 80s drug kingpin memoir series color quality, cinematic style and wardrobe, and at times, soundtrack. One other thing that's very 80s: the whole...hair thing. Like that series Bad Hair, a recent one. Also 80s vibe, side note. The only reason I'm not watching it. Didn't know this series would be the same, just duller, but anyway. The hair thing is, no longer. Black women wear their natural hair now. They don't wear wigs and weaves like they used to, nor for the same reason. At first, those things were to literally convince people that it's real hair. Now, no one asks if the wig or weave is real. Wigs and weaves are no longer big open secrets. Even light skinned mixed women openly wear wigs! They call it "glam." Not only are they wigs now, they're blue and orange and green. Black women are having fun with hair today. I haven't had anyone ask me if my hair is real in SO long (maybe 5 years but I don't wear wigs or weaves but I do wear crochet or clip in extensions sometimes, using Kanekalon hair a lot for styles which is believable by sight). Also, the "big chop" is very popular, you'll go viral for it and get paid loads to talk about it through hair product sponsorships or just loads of views and adsense pay. Black women are more "pressed" (get it, pressed?) about the length, not texture. The texture thing and perm thing is soooo 80s, goodbye! (Or for people born in the 80s who still were struggling with their hair texture in the 2000s). Soooo the obvious 40+ year old mind or minds behind this, need to relax, excuse the pun. This series said it's the year 2023 but I think everyone knows it but them! If you're black and still caring about hair, you must live under a rock, or you're insecure about something else, rather than your hair. You might not like your face, or something, and you think it's your hair. No, it's your face boo. Because if you loved your FACE etc, your hair would be a non topic when it comes to leaving the house. So anyway. Minus a couple stars for the antiquated style and theme about hair.
The next issue I have is that, connected to what I thought the plot twist was, I thought Hazel was Kendra, and had supernaturally convinced the CEO of the company to act on her behalf, and that his speech and his behavior was him under a spell. But no, it was him in true form just plain old weird as a character, and bad acting.
Another wee pet peeve I had was that earlier in the season, I literally said out loud "If Nella says 'diversity' ONE more time...!"
The final issue I have is that Hazel and other black women apparently, think life will be easier if they just perm their hair and "play the game." Welp. Many black women did that, black guys too, in their own way. But look at celebs. Just look at em. Dead tragically, found alone and disgraced. Oh please and just stop it lol.
You can have a happy life with natural hair and brown skin! And not working in a big city workplace, or going to a "top" college, or joining some "sisterhood."
Well anywho. While I see the value in the story's message, I hated sitting through every episode. Just so boring, horrible soundtrack, darkly colored, badly styled, bad wardrobe, bad hairstylist, bad acting, bad plot twist (for a viewer but good for a conspiracy theorist), bad pace (10 episodes is quite long for a single season or miniseries, particularly one that isn't episodic but that had cliffhangers because it just means they dragged it out). Actually, the lighting was bad too I mean, if it were brightly lit it and sunny then it would've been better; it would've compensated for a dull cast and a dull vibe but also it would've been ironic and therefore quirky and eccentric, rather than cloudy days and a lot of silhouette and lowered saturation to convince us that this is a deep thriller. Generally speaking, I think I deserve an award for watching the entire thing.
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