Editor’s observe: The next article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the creator’s personal. Learn extra opinions on theGrio.
Welcome again to Southside Jamaica, Queens, New York Metropolis.
Once we final left our heroes—villains, really; they’re all villains—Det. Howard (Omar Epps) and Ronnie (Grantham Coleman) had simply met their maker in a warehouse the place Raquel (Patina Miller) thought she and Marvin (London Brown) have been paying $500,000 to Ronnie to get again her son, Kanan (Mekai Curtis), who they believed had been kidnapped for ransom. It seems he hadn’t, and the okey doke was in progress on the a part of Kanan, and as soon as the Thomas household (Raquel, Mavin and Kanan) vacated the premises, we see Distinctive (Joey Bada$$) standing over the physique of his brother.
That is solely vital as a result of a number of episodes earlier, we watched Ronnie beat Distinctive to demise (or so we thought) and dump his physique out within the woods of Someplace, New York. We have been all caught off-guard and had all the questions. I wrote down a number of of them in my season finale recap of season 3 (which you’ll be able to learn right here—I did).
The premiere episode of season 4 makes an attempt to reply a number of the questions that arose as soon as he confirmed up within the warehouse. Questions like: The place was Distinctive all this time? How a lot time has elapsed to ensure that him to be strolling round? Who knew?
So let’s hop proper on it. Distinctive, as we now know, wasn’t lifeless. He ultimately got here to and dragged himself to a working payphone at a rundown gasoline station. Now, I’ve to level this out for plot functions. The place Ronnie dumped Distinctive MUST have been their “drop off your lifeless our bodies” spot as a result of how else would Distinctive know the place he was when he referred to as his homeboy to return get him. The homeboy confirmed as much as the correct spot THAT night time. So it was each not that far and a well-known sufficient spot. Both that or it’s one gaping plot gap of Tyler Perry proportions. I’ll give it the credit score of being the previous however I used to be…befuddled.
Anyway, Distinctive will get taken to a veterinarian to evaluate his situation the place his homie who’s REALLY involved about getting paid again for the service of bringing him to the vet for an evaluation, will get instructed that Distinctive must be in a hospital and that individuals with these kinds of accidents develop persona issues and such. I imagine we name that foreshadowing. The homie (whose title escapes me however is performed by Chris Redd, forgive me Energy Gawds) brings Distinctive again to his spot so he can wait out his therapeutic. Is he doing this as a result of he’s a superb buddy? In no way; he desires to verify he’s going to get his cash. I’m actually actually curious how a lot cash he paid the veterinarian to say “Distinctive is generally lifeless, it might be helpful for all if he received non-animal associated skilled assist.” However what do I do know?
Whereas Distinctive goes by means of his therapeutic and thus attempting to determine who else other than Ronnie may have taken his spot (query answered), we get caught upon the happenings of the Thomas household. At this level within the story, which is about three months (query answered) earlier than Ronnie and Det. Howard catches these bullets within the warehouse, Raquel and Kanan are nonetheless not in a superb area due to Raquel’s management points. Lou-Lou (Raquel and Marvin’s different brother, performed by Malcolm Mays) remains to be drunk and to start with phases of what is going to change into his journey to sobriety. He’s working on the membership and we get a background of a scene we noticed within the final season the place Lou-Lou units up a music showcase for Well-known (Antonio Ortiz) whose tune, “The Streets Want a Physique,” is killing it.
Raquel is just not on the showcase (additionally attended by Kanan’s cousin, Jukebox, performed by Hailey Kilgore) as she has been pulled in by the FBI for questioning associated to her drug operation. The FBI has nothing, however their nosing round. We additionally discover out that Raquel is pregnant with Distinctive’s child. She has an abortion which appears to make her reflective about Kanan, as I suppose anyone can be. Anyway, whereas on the physician’s workplace, when requested the place the daddy is (Distinctive), she informs the physician (and eventual social employee) that the daddy is lifeless. Query answered. All people believes he’s a ghost.
Marvin will get pulled into the world of Stefano (Tony Danza), separate from Raquel—Stefano is now Raquel’s drug provider—to do some off-the-books perspective adjusting for his daughter’s husband. I really feel like this has “finish unhealthy” potential, however for now, Marvin, ever the consummate skilled, handles that enterprise.
Jukebox, who’s a part of the burgeoning R&B group, Butta, remains to be (at this level) attempting to get solutions about probably becoming a member of the navy, which we discover out by final season’s finale, she’s joined.
In what finally ends up being the episode’s most fascinating scenes, Kanan has an project the place he has to do a analysis paper on any person in his household. He chooses his grandfather (who’s deceased) Elijah Thomas. It was fascinating to see the totally different individuals he requested (his grandmother, Marvin and Lou-Lou) about him. All people’s perspective is so totally different, however we discovered a LOT about Marvin. Marvin is the oldest sibling and the one with essentially the most recollections and the one who was harm essentially the most by their grandfather leaving them. Marvin stated it harm him essentially the most as a result of he beloved their father essentially the most as a result of they he received to see essentially the most sides of him. Undoubtedly a scene definitely worth the watch.
Curiously sufficient, Kanan asks Det. Howard (who he came upon in earlier seasons was his precise father) if he can do the analysis paper on his household and is swiftly reminded that whereas they’re father-and-son, all people on the road believes his father is a former drug kingpin and Raquel’s love, DefCon, and that no one wants to seek out out that Kanan’s father was a cop. I believed that was fairly fascinating for Kanan to be keen to go that route. Clearly, Det. Howard dies on the finish of season 3, nevertheless it was good that Kanan was reaching out. So unhappy how THAT one turned out.
Additionally, Raquel killed him in entrance of Kanan, largely as a result of Howard needed Raquel to activate Marvin in favor of Kanan. In case you’re holding rating: Raquel FIRST tried to have Kanan kill Det. Howard. THEN she finally ends up killing Det. Howard as a result of he’s attempting to guard her and Kanan and likewise as a result of he nonetheless desires a relationship with Kanan. Kanan has BEEN THROUGH SOME THINGS, Y’ALL.
The episode ends how final season begins, with Distinctive standing over the physique of Ronnie who he’s been stalking and seeing how Ronnie is transferring weight and the way Raquel took over the drug join. Distinctive is pissed, prepared for revenge and intent to take again his spot. This season has drama and violence written throughout it. I can’t wait.
Southside.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Pricey Tradition” on theGrio Black Podcast Community. He writes very Black issues, drinks very brown liquors, and is fairly fly for a light-weight man. His greatest accomplishment to this point coincides along with his Blackest accomplishment to this point in that he acquired a telephone name from Oprah Winfrey after she learn one in every of his items (greatest) however he didn’t reply the telephone as a result of the caller ID stated “Unknown” (Blackest).
