Editor’s observe: The next article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the writer’s personal. Learn extra opinions on theGrio.
Over the previous three seasons, the one character’s storyline I’ve been essentially the most excited by relating to the Thomas household hasn’t been Kanan, Raquel and even Marvin (who grew to become my favourite character in season 3)—it’s been LaVerne “Jukebox” Thomas. Anyone who’s a fan of the unique “Energy” sequence most likely has an inkling why.
In the course of the third and fourth seasons of “Energy,” we’re launched to Kanan’s cousin, Jukebox, who’s a police officer in Washington, D.C., who can also be principally a criminal offense boss with not a touch of goodness in her coronary heart. To name her evil virtually appears like an understatement. She is out for blood and prepared to do something to anybody to get it. Her storyline with Kanan and the kidnapping of Tariq St. Patrick, which in the end results in her loss of life by the hands of Kanan, was one of many crazier plotlines of that earlier sequence.
To see her and Kanan as so buddy-buddy and Jukebox as this rough-around-the-edges candy soul who’s looking for her manner and luxury in life whereas being very human has been wild. As a lot as I’m having fun with the drug dealing tales of the Thomas household, I’m ready for ANYTHING that hints at this model of Jukebox that loses her humanity and turns into a cold-blooded, heartless killer. Maybe I’m greedy for straws (and maybe we’ll by no means get the complete story of Jukebox’s transformation), however this episode offered a kind of turning factors that’s more likely to have a long-lasting impression.
Jukebox has been making an attempt to get extra comfy with being her full, lesbian self. She’s been going to a homosexual membership in Queens and has befriended some of us and one pal particularly. Whereas strolling out of the membership along with her pal and going to search for meals, the pal sees her husband, who throws Jukebox to the bottom and throws his spouse into his automobile and speeds off. Jukebox enlists her father to go educate the husband a lesson, which needs to be mild work for Marvin, besides she pleads for him to go away his gun within the automobile once they pull up at her homegirl’s condo. That proves to be a significant mistake because the husband is extra tenacious and unrelenting than Marvin expects. Remember the fact that Marvin will get referred to as in to show individuals classes for the mafia at this level, so he’s received palms and abilities.
However Marvin meets his match and is nearly stabbed to loss of life (like actually, actually virtually killed) when Jukebox shoots and kills the husband from the doorway with the gun she informed her father to go away within the automobile. Jukebox has already had a number of traumatic experiences in the course of the course of this present, from reconnecting along with her mom, who tries to make a “Christian woman” out of her, to her mom being killed to the loss of life of her girlfriend who overdosed on medicine that have been in Jukebox’s bookbag to even her combat along with her father, Marvin, over her sexuality. If ever there was a villain with an origin story, it’s Jukebox, however I’m nonetheless ready for her to get to the purpose of no return, and I really feel prefer it’s coming.
In the meantime, in different Thomas household information, Kanan has determined he desires to step out from underneath Raquel’s thumb and turn out to be his personal man within the Queens drug commerce. I can respect and recognize the ambition, however the conflict between him and his mom goes to be epic, particularly as Raquel tries to turn out to be the drug join herself. This turns into particularly necessary as Distinctive continues his quest to destroy every thing that Raquel is connected to, which, I’ve already famous, appears so ridiculous to me. This dude actually thinks that Raquel plotted his downfall and goes scorched earth.
Distinctive storms a warehouse with a cat from a previous season, and I simply must say, these shootouts make ZERO sense. So Distinctive pulls as much as a warehouse the place Raq’s medicine are being transported into vans, manages to kill a number of individuals who work there, and by some means, regardless of being shot at, principally at point-blank vary, even with an automated weapon, doesn’t get hit as soon as however manages to shoot a number of individuals together with his 9mm. Critically, Distinctive SHOULD have been useless at the least thrice, and but he ran out unhurt. Perhaps he’s a superhero and we simply don’t comprehend it. He ought to name himself “NONSENSE.”
This episode offered loads of choices for change and new instructions. Kanan has his new condo and is making an attempt to claim his independence, whereas Raq is making an attempt to face on high of the mountain by herself. And who can neglect Lou-Lou, who’s within the music business now making an attempt to make his mark? I really feel like his storyline will evolve, however it’s good to see Lou-Lou again on his toes. Lou-Lou’s presence within the rap sport results in the second most necessary query within the episode—with the primary being “How is Jukebox going to rebound from killing any person?” on function—simply the place on the planet is Well-known????
Southside.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Expensive Tradition” on theGrio Black Podcast Community. He writes very Black issues, drinks very brown liquors, and is fairly fly for a lightweight man. His greatest accomplishment to this point coincides together with his Blackest accomplishment to this point in that he obtained 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 mentioned “Unknown” (Blackest).
