Review: The Other Black Girl

I just binged the new Hulu series dropped on September 13th, The Other Black Girl.

I had a flat tire and nothing but time as I clicked on the broadly advertised 'thriller.'

And I want you to know first things first - That show was not scary.

In promotional interviews, the actors discussed being able to play into the horror genre, but it wasn't giving fear vibes, just strange vibes. By the end, the tone was a very light version of the emotions I experienced while watching Jordan Peele's 'Get Out'.

Which was a good thing for me since I am known to have nightmares weeks after a good jump scare.

Understanding what was happening in the first 5 episodes was very hard for me. I did not read the books; I saw a successful black woman helping another black woman succeed. I could tell something was off about the new character in the office, but her friendliness didn't come off as alarming to me.

I used to live on the philosophy that you should be nice to whoever, no matter how they make you feel. It is, after all, the golden rule, but it took me some time to realize why that came off as fake to others, which is precisely how the newcomer came off to the main character's best friend.

That concept alone - Fakeness, was very prevalent in the show, but in a complex way that had me supporting the antagonist.

Just because you personally don't care for someone doesn't mean you should be openly hostile to them.

Yet, I understand how playing nice can also mean being dishonest. It's a delicate dance to walk both in corporate America and in real life. What is the balance between supporting each other as colleagues and not having to be buddies in real life? I don't know if that takes maturity or extreme emotional intelligence, but it's a balance I still struggle with.

When someone is nice to me at work, I kind of want to be their friend -and we don't have to be the closest best friends, but I have blind faith in people until they give me a reason not to. If I don't like people for any reason, I view my disengagement with them as a personal preference, not a projected character flaw.

When people openly let me know that they do not like me, it feels hostile. It feels like they are telling me they are against me and then internally become an enemy.

Who wants to work or live or co-exist with enemies? Even if it is the reality we find ourselves in.

I know that you can not like someone and still not be their enemy. Yet, outside of what people 'regard' as fakeness, I have never seen that scenario played out in a way that keeps the peace.

I digress from my thought tangent.

The 'Other Black Girl' highlights the shared reality of black people in corporate spaces feeling forced to choose a side. You can be a humble version of your authentic self and learn how to process the pain of being overlooked and othered. Or you can be what society wants you to be, eurocentric, bold, and win corporally, even if it takes sacrificing being true to yourself and your culture.

You can go on the long, hostile journey of trying to make huge corporal chains diverse by slowly implementing small diverse, focused missions over time. Or you can leave that shit and try to do the work of culturally appropriate initiatives without the reach or resources.

The last thing I want to address is the hair grease.

What is going on with the current cultural black media trend of mind-affecting hair products?

I just watched Netflix's 'They Cloned Tyrone', where they had everything from the chicken to the relaxer, putting people in a hypnotic state.

I understand how crucial black hair is to how we see ourselves in America and how we show love to each other intergenerationally and communally. But now that we know what is in grease, as a viewer, could we change this product to skincare or something good for us?

Or is the fact that these mind control mechanisms come through drug-induced relaxers and petroleum pore-clogging oils a part of the point?

If so, then I guess.

I am still on team 'Don't touch my hair'.

But that may just be because of the way hair care services have been inflated- from braids to blow-outs, I can't find anyone doing hair without a pre-paid downpayment on a $300 appointment in the Chicago land area anymore.

Overall - I think it's a good binge!

If you watch a few episodes and stop, I honestly don't feel like it is worth just being confused as the characters try to understand what kind of successful black puppetry is going on.