Season 8 Discussion

[Joimiaroxeu]

Dre calls his boss "Stevens." I wonder if his boss' last name was Black would Dre call him "Black"? Ehh, I'm betting he would not.

Wow, wonder how much they paid to use that song by The Weeknd? The one which was the theme song for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie? 😒

Charley is still gonna half-ass it. 🤭

Was Olivia not going to visit her family too? Seems like a long way to fly just to spend the whole time with Junior.

IMO Griffin is the definition of obnoxious. He can't even humble brag right.

I'm curious about when this episode was filmed. They mentioned the Super Bowl and Tom Brady but not either of the teams who actually played in the game. The game which was in LA and won by the LA Rams. Odd.

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Devante is played by twins (August and Berlin Gross), so I guess you would have to say that they both suck. 

I mean ... not all child actors are good. The twins that played the youngest Modern Family kid weren't very good either (although apparently they hated being on set, so that probably had something to do with it).

[Aileen]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Dre calls his boss "Stevens." I wonder if his boss' last name was Black would Dre call him "Black"? Ehh, I'm betting he would not.

Wow, wonder how much they paid to use that song by The Weeknd? The one which was the theme song for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie? 😒

Charley is still gonna half-ass it. 🤭

Was Olivia not going to visit her family too? Seems like a long way to fly just to spend the whole time with Junior.

IMO Griffin is the definition of obnoxious. He can't even humble brag right.

I'm curious about when this episode was filmed. They mentioned the Super Bowl and Tom Brady but not either of the teams who actually played in the game. The game which was in LA and won by the LA Rams. Odd.

They wrapped up filming in November.

I wish the powers that be had held off on the Junior going to Cal U/Grown-ish news by a couple of weeks. It made it more obvious that he and Olivia were breaking up.

I was sure there was going to be fallout from Dre not mentioning Stephens or his colleagues in his speech.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Aileen

[AnimeMania]

Black-ish      S08.E10: Young, Gifted and Black

When Dre and Bow get a note that Devante may be falling behind at his private school, they expect he is being discriminated against because he is the only Black student in class. But during their visit to his classroom, they realize there may be more to it, and gravely overstep in one of his school projects. At home, Junior is still coping with heartbreak, and Jack and Diane enlist Charlie to cheer him up.

Original Airdate: TUESDAY, Mar. 29, 2022 (9:30-10:00 p.m. EST), on ABC.
Kyla Schoer as Teacher
Liz Jenkins as Principal Biggs

[Marley]

More focus on Devante? No thanks.

[docmatt]

Bow and Dre would rather masturbate their egos than get Devante educational help. That checks out.

[magicdog]

5 hours ago, docmatt said:

Bow and Dre would rather masturbate their egos than get Devante educational help. That checks out.

I happened to catch this episode by accident.  I was appalled at the whining and the arrogance on the parts of Bow & Dre!

The youngest child is in a nice private school, is apparently falling behind for unspecified reasons (learning disability?  Lack of focus?) and they have the nerve to feel like they have to get on the defensive and blame the white teacher!  I'm sorry but where I come from that's what we call "an attitude" and a "deep state of denial" and "blame shifting".   Then Dre decides his kid's portrait of the family isn't good enough and redraws it, then gets an attitude when the principal calls him out for it!  They both get on their high horse and decide they'll take their son out of this school (never once getting to the bottom of WHY the kid is having issues) only to decide to continue sending him after things cool off!!

I really wanted these people to get their comeuppance!!  At the very least they could have had them going to the local public school (LAUSD) and see what a nightmare it is and realize they have better options at the current school.

[Madding crowd]

This episode is why a lot of teachers are quitting their jobs. Parents refuse to listen to anything the teachers have to say, refuse to address any problems or falling behind and insist on only A’s regardless of quality of work. I’m sure in this case the teacher would simply suggest working with him on his letters and motor skills but they would rather have their son continue to fall behind. Charlie was the only funny thing this episode although I’m over Diane being threatening and scary, why can’t she be a normal girl?

[MissLucas]

12 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

I’m over Diane being threatening and scary, why can’t she be a normal girl?

Have you seen her parents?

[Joimiaroxeu]

Bow and Dre redefine "extra" but Bow dressed like the Bride in Kill Bill was funny to me.

Scotch bonnet pepper. Learn something new...

The Charlie Telphey Heartbreak Recovery, Live Your Best Life and Go On King, Ten-Step System to Finding More Fish in the Sea. Yep, definitely sounds legit.

Clanky-mouth heifer. No-grammar-having hussy! What did Junior ever see in Olivia? 🥳

Leave it to Dre to break within two minutes of being interrogated and possibly ruin Devante's future. Meanwhile, perhaps Devante has dyslexia?

[woodstock]

2 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Leave it to Dre to break within two minutes of being interrogated and possibly ruin Devante's future. Meanwhile, perhaps Devante has dyslexia?

This was my first thought. My younger brother has dyslexia and the main indicator was his writing some of the letters backwards when he was learning how to write the alphabet.

 

3 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

This episode is why a lot of teachers are quitting their jobs. Parents refuse to listen to anything the teachers have to say, refuse to address any problems or falling behind and insist on only A’s regardless of quality of work. I’m sure in this case the teacher would simply suggest working with him on his letters and motor skills but they would rather have their son continue to fall behind.

OMG THIS! Dre and Bow were obnoxious. They totally overreacted in this situation.

[KittyQ]

I really liked this show more when it was more about what the title is: "Black-ish", and was more realistic. Now it feels more "Cartoon-ish".

[chediavolo]

On 3/30/2022 at 1:51 PM, magicdog said:

I happened to catch this episode by accident.  I was appalled at the whining and the arrogance on the parts of Bow & Dre!

The youngest child is in a nice private school, is apparently falling behind for unspecified reasons (learning disability?  Lack of focus?) and they have the nerve to feel like they have to get on the defensive and blame the white teacher!  I'm sorry but where I come from that's what we call "an attitude" and a "deep state of denial" and "blame shifting".   Then Dre decides his kid's portrait of the family isn't good enough and redraws it, then gets an attitude when the principal calls him out for it!  They both get on their high horse and decide they'll take their son out of this school (never once getting to the bottom of WHY the kid is having issues) only to decide to continue sending him after things cool off!!

I really wanted these people to get their comeuppance!!  At the very least they could have had them going to the local public school (LAUSD) and see what a nightmare it is and realize they have better options at the current school.

It’s ok now for white people to be treated or spoken of  in a shitty matter now, because 2 wrongs make a right and all white people suck . Sarcasm  😡

[tennisgurl]

Have I mentioned lately that Dre and Bow are absolutely insufferable? As much as they complain about how everyone judges them for being one of the only black families in the school, all we saw in this episode are entitled asshole parents who refuse to accept that their perfect child or themselves could be to blame for the kids academic struggles, it must be the fault of the teacher and they will berate them and play victim until they get what they want. The teacher was probably just going to suggest working on his motor skills, or, as others have said, test him for Dyslexia, considering his letters were backwards, but now Devonte is going to be more behind then ever because his parents wont give him the help he actually needs to catch up. There were a few funny moments, most involving Charlie, but this was very much a "Bow and Dre are entitled rich people" episode that diminishes the struggles that real people of color go through when it comes to educational inequality.

Didn't Junior end up going to public school and loving it? 

[MissLucas]

I mean I get hyperbole in writing but this was almost painful to watch. Especially when it came to the principal. Bow and Drew suggested that white people would mistake her for the cleaning lady but the only people we saw in this episode not giving her the respect she deserves were Bow and Drew . With more subtle writing this could have been a commentary on their entitlement but I have my doubts that that was the intention.

[AnimeMania]

Black-ish      S08.E11: The (Almost) Last Dance

Pops and Ruby announce they are moving out of the house to travel the United States in their RV, garnering mixed reactions from the Johnson family. When Bow realizes she is beginning perimenopause, Dre enlists her mother’s help.

Original Airdate: TUESDAY, Apr. 5, 2022  (9:30-10:00 p.m. EST), on ABC.


 

[txhorns79]

Okay, I'll admit I laughed when Bow woke up soaked and Dre asked her if she peed the bed.  I was just like: "Dre, how much do you think this woman would have had to urinate in order to be covered in liquid?"

[LadyintheLoop]

Quote

Bow and Drew suggested that white people would mistake her for the cleaning lady but the only people we saw in this episode not giving her the respect she deserves were Bow and Drew .

That principal was a lady who commanded respect -- emphasis on "commanded."

Considering that the child was a preemie, you'd think Bow and Dre would have been on the lookout for signs of learning disabilities. Still, the real problem might have been that his primary caretaker was off living with his girlfriend for months.

Now it looks like we're being set up for Dre to leave Stevens & Lido at the end of the series. Is it just now occurring to him that having another child reset the empty-nest countdown? He had ample time between Bow's pregnancy scare and her actual pregnancy to figure that one out.

[possibilities]

Devonte wasn't in the episode tonight. He wasn't at the family dinner. Ruby didn't mention him when she was saying good-bye to all the other kids. Dre was worrying about Jack's needs and didn't even mention Devonte. He's really not a baby anymore, so you'd think he'd be seen now and then, and referenced when thinking about the empty nest. Why did they even write him into the show if they didn't plan to use his character at all?

I like seeing Jack and Diane actually getting along and being in synch with each other. It makes both of them more enjoyable than when they're promoting the idea that she's evil and he's stupid.

[Marley]

They made Bow’s mom too wacky this episode. She wasn’t like that on Mixed-ish.

I don’t remember Pops being this great dad like Dre was saying. I thought he was kind of shitty and Ruby picked up the slack.

The Ruby scenes were nice since it basically was the actress saying goodbye to everyone it seemed like.

[txhorns79]

7 hours ago, Marley said:

They made Bow’s mom too wacky this episode. She wasn’t like that on Mixed-ish.

She's always been much more hippie-dippie on this show than the character was on Mixed-ish.  Perhaps she re-embraced the new age-y stuff at some point later in life.     

[Liquid6]

I’ve said this before, but they really dropped the ball with the Prequel. It should have centered around Young Dre, Pops, & Ruby. Hood’ish 

[tennisgurl]

After a whole episode about Devonte falling behind, he completely disappears in the next episode, not even getting a goodbye from Pops and Ruby. No wonder the poor kid is falling behind. 

I hope that Pops and Ruby pop up via zoom sometimes, a lot of the times they're the funniest part of an episode. 

I know that this show has always made Bow's mom pretty wacky, but she was even wackier here than usual. I really miss Mixed-ish.

[Aileen]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

After a whole episode about Devonte falling behind, he completely disappears in the next episode, not even getting a goodbye from Pops and Ruby. No wonder the poor kid is falling behind. 

I hope that Pops and Ruby pop up via zoom sometimes, a lot of the times they're the funniest part of an episode. 

I know that this show has always made Bow's mom pretty wacky, but she was even wackier here than usual. I really miss Mixed-ish.

Considering there’s only 2 episodes left, I’m thinking this was their goodbye.

 

mixed-ish was wonderful…the second season was so much better than the first.

[txhorns79]

2 hours ago, Aileen said:

 

mixed-ish was wonderful…the second season was so much better than the first.

It did get better, but it really did feel like a lot of episodes were just re-hashing plotlines from Black-ish.

 

23 hours ago, LadyintheLoop said:

Now it looks like we're being set up for Dre to leave Stevens & Lido at the end of the series. Is it just now occurring to him that having another child reset the empty-nest countdown? He had ample time between Bow's pregnancy scare and her actual pregnancy to figure that one out.

I remain so confused about Dre and Bow's finances.  She's a doctor in a high level position at her hospital and he's apparently a very successful advertising executive.  I realize they seem to spend like crazy, but it feels like Dre shouldn't be panicking as much as he is over money.   

[AnimeMania]

8 hours ago, Aileen said:

13 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

After a whole episode about Devonte falling behind, he completely disappears in the next episode, not even getting a goodbye from Pops and Ruby. No wonder the poor kid is falling behind. 

I hope that Pops and Ruby pop up via zoom sometimes, a lot of the times they're the funniest part of an episode. 

I know that this show has always made Bow's mom pretty wacky, but she was even wackier here than usual. I really miss Mixed-ish.

Expand  

Considering there’s only 2 episodes left, I’m thinking this was their goodbye.

 

mixed-ish was wonderful…the second season was so much better than the first.

Naw, Pops and Ruby aren't going anywhere yet.

[Empress1]

On 4/6/2022 at 12:26 AM, LadyintheLoop said:

Now it looks like we're being set up for Dre to leave Stevens & Lido at the end of the series. Is it just now occurring to him that having another child reset the empty-nest countdown?

I have a high school classmate whose parents divorced and his dad remarried a woman 20 years his junior (first marriage for her, second for him). She was in her late 30s when she married and 40 when their kid was born. My classmate's dad was 60. My classmate and his sister were like 25 and 28 (they see their little brother as more of a nephew) And my classmate told me that his dad told him, basically, "Holy shit, I'm gonna die raising this kid," and my classmate was like "You ... didn't do the math on this?"

I like that more shows are talking about menopause (it was a plot line on The Neighborhood too) because few shows do, and as Bow said, half the population goes through it eventually.

[bybrandy]

On 3/26/2022 at 6:04 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Dre calls his boss "Stevens." I wonder if his boss' last name was Black would Dre call him "Black"? Ehh, I'm betting he would not.

People called my white father Black, including black people.   It always felt weird to me and nobody has ever called me that.  

[bybrandy]

I mean Devante is about 5 and Dre's about 50.  If he works another 20 years he'll be like 70 and Devante will have a chance at being in or even done with gradschool.   I think the retirement age social security wise is 67 now and is likely to get older and he and Bow will have not just pretty high social security pay outs they'll also have 401ks and likely some actual money in the bank.   I was honestly pretty offended by Dre's panic given the situation most americans are in.   

[Joimiaroxeu]

Vegan buttermilk chicken. Bleh.

Can you put an RV on a riverboat? Without it sinking to the bottom of the river? 🤔

Jack asked Ruby why she shaved her legs by the pool if she didn't want the family all up in her and Earl's business. Guess poor Jack has seen some stuff he should not have. 😲

It would seem that the Mixed-ish version of Alicia never happened. (Nothing against Tika but her being cast as young Alicia was flabbergasting IMO.)

Seems to me the Johnsons could live on Bow's salary for the next ten years or so, and put most of Dre's paycheck in savings or in relatively non-risky investments. Dre might have to cut back on his shoe collecting but oh well.

Quote

I was honestly pretty offended by Dre's panic given the situation most americans are in

I think Black-ish is making the same mistake The Cosby Show made, that is, forgetting who their primary audience is. I doubt most of the people who watch this show can afford Rolls Royce vehicles or spend $15k on a pair of sneakers. (In 1986, Claire Huxtable paid over $10k for a painting at an auction. For many people in 2022 that's a lot of money for a discretionary purchase but in the mid-80s it could seem unthinkable for the average middle class or poor person. I remember finding it offensive at the time.) But perhaps the luxury item product placement is what the Black-ish producers had to do to pay the stars' Season 8 salaries.

[AnimeMania]

Black-ish          S08.E12:  If a Black Man Cries in the Woods...

Pops, Dre and Junior go on a “man trip” to heal old wounds. Meanwhile, Diane and Jack contemplate their futures as they look at their college wish lists.

Original Airdate: TUESDAY, Apr. 12, 2022  (9:30-10:00 p.m. EST), on ABC.

[joanne3482]

The man part was boring. I liked the twins thinking about and looking at colleges. I especially liked Diane being the one upset that Jack was thinking about going somewhere that she's not going. 

[charmed1]

I rarely have complaints about Black-ish, but I feel like the addition of Devante was such a misstep. The twins are adorable, but they’re just not actors. I know they’re only five-years-old, but so was Keshia Knight-Pulliam when the Cosby Show debuted. KKP couldn’t even read yet and Rudy was such an integral part of the show who interacted with the entire cast, not just stare off into space with a rictus smile in every scene.

Nonetheless, I thought the Charlie wedding episode was freaking hilarious. I loved the cameos and the random plugs by Vivica and BabyFace. And of course I was hitting that Beat It sequence right along with them lol. I’m going to miss this show. RIP Black-ish.

Edited April 13, 2022 by charmed1

[Empress1]

On 4/9/2022 at 7:11 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

I think Black-ish is making the same mistake The Cosby Show made, that is, forgetting who their primary audience is. I doubt most of the people who watch this show can afford Rolls Royce vehicles or spend $15k on a pair of sneakers. (In 1986, Claire Huxtable paid over $10k for a painting at an auction. For many people in 2022 that's a lot of money for a discretionary purchase but in the mid-80s it could seem unthinkable for the average middle class or poor person. I remember finding it offensive at the time.) 

Both shows also make it seem like the families had unlimited wealth. A doctor and an ad exec would make good money but they also put Zoey through college, have twins to put through college, had all their kids in private school, have bought new cars for 4 teenage drivers (which IMO is ridiculous) and Dre’s sneaker collection is insane. Plus they take luxury vacations. I’d believe it if we found out they had no savings. We won’t - it’s too late in the game for that - but they live like they’re independently wealthy, not like two working professionals. Plus we know there’s no inherited wealth bolstering them.

[possibilities]

I was really glad they made an attempt to fix the abusive way Dre treats Junior. It doesn't explain why he doesn't do the same stuff with Jack, but it was at least some acknowledgment.

[SoMuchTV]

The Twins-through-the-years montage was cute but it almost seemed like a farewell.  That wouldn't make sense though.  Maybe the episode was just a little short and someone thought that would be good filler.

[possibilities]

The season is a farewell, though. The other week they had Ruby saying good-bye to the kids, even though it's apparent that she and Earl haven't left town yet. 

I think this is a long-running show's farewell season nostalgia.

I figure they'll keep doing this for the rest of the season.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

The season is a farewell, though. The other week they had Ruby saying good-bye to the kids, even though it's apparent that she and Earl haven't left town yet. 

I think this is a long-running show's farewell season nostalgia.

I figure they'll keep doing this for the rest of the season.

How many more episodes are there?

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

How many more episodes are there?

One

[Empress1]

8 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

One

Oh wow! For some reason I thought there were more.

[tennisgurl]

I cant believe the show is almost over! Even with the show clearly doing its goodbye season, it feels like its just another season. And not one of the good early ones. 

[Marley]

Adding Devante was the worst. I think it was the show runner just trying to cram his real life into the show. I know they are just kids but the Devante actors are horrible. Maybe that’s mean but I don’t want to watch a kid stare into space or stumble badly thru lines. They ignore him all the time too so there was no point in adding Devante.

[Marley]

I just finished the latest episode and thought the ending with Jack and Diane was really cute.

[AnimeMania]

Black-ish      S08.E13: Homegoing 

(Series Finale)    (New Time)

As Pops and Ruby prepare to move away, Dre and Bow consider if they should make a big life change as well. Grappling with this idea at work, Dre receives some unexpected advice from Simone Biles, who tells him to follow his heart. The Johnsons prepare for their goodbyes in the series finale of the beloved comedy series “black-ish”.

Original Airdate: TUESDAY, Apr. 19, 2022  (9:00-9:30 p.m. EST), on ABC.

 

black-ish: A Celebration

An ABC News Special that profiles the making of Black-ish and explores the impact it has had on society. Kenya Barris and Eva Longoria provide insight on the issues the show raised. The Special includes interviews with the show's cast, including Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marsai Martin, Yara Shahidi, Miles Brown, Marcus Scribner, Laurence Fishburne, Jenifer Lewis and Deon Cole - as well as a snippet of the cast's final table read, as well as some of the cast's original audition tapes for the show.

Original Airdate: TUESDAY, Apr. 19, 2022  (9:30-10:00 p.m. EST), on ABC.

[anna0852]

I'm guessing the Winebrary didn't survive the pandemic so Poppy got her real-estate license 😁

That was a great goodbye! And those pictures at the end. The kids were just babies!

[Aileen]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

I'm guessing the Winebrary didn't survive the pandemic so Poppy got her real-estate license 😁

That was a great goodbye! And those pictures at the end. The kids were just babies!

Poppy is the show runner for Kenan’s morning show now, too ;) She’s a busy lady.

[DanaK]

Nice, sweet ending after 8 years. And the crew was part of those who were dancing at the end

Edited April 20, 2022 by DanaK

[txhorns79]

8 minutes ago, DanaK said:

Nice, sweet ending after 8 years. And the crew was part of those who were dancing at the end

I liked the dancing at the end.  The episode itself was kind of meh.  They tried to cram too much change into 20 or so minutes of actual story. 

[coconspirator]

I kind of wish they had started some of tonight’s events last week so it didn’t feel so rushed BUT I loved the dancing  the end and how all the cast and crew were part of it. Great final 3 minutes!! 

[DanaK]

6 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I liked the dancing at the end.  The episode itself was kind of meh.  They tried to cram too much change into 20 or so minutes of actual story. 

The executive producer said they could have asked for more time, but decided not to, though ABC did give them the extra time to show the crew credits