The Other Black Girl - General Discussion

[BetterButter]

 

[AnimeMania]

The Other Black Girl is a 10 Episode Drama/Comedy TV Series streaming on September 13, 2023 on Hulu, an adaptation of the 2021 novel, The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris.
"The Other Black Girl" follows Nella, an African-American editorial assistant, who is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books, a starkly white NYC publishing firm, so she's excited when Hazel is hired. But as Hazel's star begins to rise, Nella spirals out as she begins to receive nasty notes at her desk and discovers something sinister is going on at the company. Is Hazel an ally or an enemy? The TV Series is a darkly comedic take on workplace politics and the importance of female friendship.

Eric McCormack as Richard Wagner, the founder and editor-in-chief of Wagner Books. 

Bellamy Young as Vera Parini, a Hampton’s WASP who is one of the most exalted editors at Wagner Books. She is Nella’s boss, demanding excellence from her team for her authors who she takes meticulous care of all the time.

Brian Baumgartner as Colin

Sinclair Daniel as Nella, an editorial assistant at Wagner Books, a bookish horror fan who is inclined to be a people-pleaser.

Hunter Parrish as Owen, Nella’s family-oriented boyfriend of three years who works as a middle school principal.

Brittany Adebumola as Malaika, an old lady at heart, who is queer and constantly comparing notes on life goals.

Ashleigh Murray as Hazel-May McCall, an unapologetically Black and Harlem-cool assistant. 

Garcelle Beauvais as Diana Gordon, a world renowned author who has been best friends with Kendra Rae Phillips, the former Black editor at Wagner. They lived in the same neighborhood and remained besties all throughout college, and Kendra Rae even edited the book that launched her into stardom. Since the book came out, the pair have grown apart.

Cassi Maddox as Kendra Rae Phillips, a former Black editor at Wagner

[Harvey]

Looks promising. I'll check this out once it drops.

[hula-la]

Loved the book. Hopefully, it will be picked up in Canada. 

[AnimeMania]

The Other Black Girl      September 13, 2023     Hulu

Episodes 1-10        Titles and Descriptions 

Spoiler

S01.E01: They Say I'm Different

Nella meets Hazel, a new coworker at Wagner Books, who may not be exactly what she seems.

S01.E02: After the Storm

After the blow up with Colin, Nella has to decide whether or not to apologize, and whether or not she can trust Hazel.

S01.E03: I Know a Place

Nella and Hazel try to start over, while Nella digs deeper into the mystery of Kendra Rae Phillips.

S01.E04: What About Your Friends

Nella meets Diana Gordon, a famous author and her hero, and Nella invites Hazel over to meet her friends.

S01.E05: Don't You Want Me

A leak of Colin’s book causes pandemonium at Wagner, and tensions boil over between Nella and Vera.

S01.E06: Fake Smile

As Hazel maneuvers her way deeper into Nella’s life, Nella begins to feel overwhelmed by mounting responsibility at work and growing suspicion of Hazel.

S01.E07: Caught in the Rapture

Hazel invites Nella and Malaika to her house for a girls’ night, but the more of Hazel’s life they see, the more uneasy they feel.

S01.E08: The End of Love

Nella’s worst fears begin to come true as she tries to put all the pieces together before the launch of Diana’s new imprint.

S01.E09: To Be Young Gifted & Broke

We learn more about Hazel and exactly what happened in Boston.

S01.E10: Down with Disease
(Season Finale)

Nella faces the ultimate decision and must choose between everything she’s worked for and the safety of everyone she loves.

[chaifan]

I've only watched the first episode, and I'm really liking it.  I did not expect it to have a scary subplot to it, and I'm interested to see how that plays out. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

This is not my cup of tea. I have stopped watching after episode 2.

The only likeable character is Malaika. Nella is annoyingly frustrating.

The music - sucks.

[North of Eden]

Only watched two episodes but the protagonist is too stupid beyond belief...up for promotion and you insult the biggest client against your boss's explicit warnings? It's inconceivable she could have risen to her posistion with the lack of judgment.

Episode 2-don't believe The Other Black Girl would embarrass a senior member of the team by basically calling out that she stole her assistant's idea.

The show is not operating on any sense of reality which reminds me it seems like it doesn't need the supernatural element but there it is. 

All said I will watch the whole thing.

[Sesquipedalia]

I loved the book. The ending of the show was a lot less dark, which is ironic given that one of Wagner's main crimes was replacing a dark ending with a happy one. I'm fine with it though because it leaves the door open for another season. I hope participation in this forum is not representative of interest in this show! 

[bilgistic]

I watched the series over the past few days and enjoyed it for the most part. I hate the cliffhanger ending, though. Just give me a season with a resolution, especially because so often streaming services don't renew a show for a second season.

An explanation about the properties of the magic hair grease would've been nice. So just...Diana invented hair grease that helps Black women achieve their ambitions but at a cost that was also not fully explained? The random flickering lights didn't help. That usually means ghosts in a show or movie.

[txhorns79]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

An explanation about the properties of the magic hair grease would've been nice. So just...Diana invented hair grease that helps Black women achieve their ambitions but at a cost that was also not fully explained? The random flickering lights didn't help. That usually means ghosts in a show or movie.

This.  I would have appreciated some explanation as to what made the hair grease so special.  It seemed to kind of hypnotize people, but the rest of the plan seemed to essentially be about giving the women makeovers and lifestyle upgrades, tamping down on behavior that might seem threatening to white people and using pre-existing connections to advance the women.  I didn't understand the lights flickering or what that was about.   

[Meedis]

I wound up burning through the episodes after a few seatings.  Overall I liked it a lot.   My fave character was the best friend Maliaka of course with her various one-liners.   But really Mailaka, as smart as you were, standing in the middle of the street to warn your bff to "Get Out" wasn't the best move.

I'm guessing that grease must be slowly eating up their brains as evidenced by the moment when Hazel was bleeding from the scalp.   But I do agree it would've been nice to learn more about the formula and how Kendra (I think that was the editor's name) managed to escape from its grips and later reappeared to battle her former bff Diana.

I do hope this comes back for a Season 2 but with the writer's strike happening, I'm not sure on the odds.   

Edited September 22, 2023 by Meedis
typos

[SoMuchTV]

On 9/19/2023 at 1:07 AM, Sesquipedalia said:

I hope participation in this forum is not representative of interest in this show! 

Just speaking for myself, but given the nature of the show and the fact that all the episodes dropped at once, I’m going to avoid the forum until I’m done, since we don’t have separate episode threads. I only just finished it, and at the moment I probably have more spare time than a lot of people. 

That said, I did enjoy watching but have the same issues as some other posters regarding the things that weren’t fleshed out or explained very well. I did like the ending and I didn’t really consider it a cliffhanger. I haven’t read the book but now I might seek it out. 

Oh, and, maybe I zoned out, but did we ever find out who wrote the note?

Edited September 22, 2023 by SoMuchTV
adding a question

[MicheleinPhilly]

On 9/21/2023 at 10:17 AM, SoMuchTV said:

Oh, and, maybe I zoned out, but did we ever find out who wrote the note?

Spoiler

I don't know that it was confirmed definitely, but I assumed Shani. 

 

[chaifan]

On 9/21/2023 at 10:17 AM, SoMuchTV said:

Just speaking for myself, but given the nature of the show and the fact that all the episodes dropped at once, I’m going to avoid the forum until I’m done, since we don’t have separate episode threads.

I think single thread shows are in a chicken/egg position.  They don't get a lot of comments because people avoid the forum until they're done, and then post once or twice for the whole show vs. once or twice per episode.  But shows don't get multiple threads unless they're "popular", meaning they get lots of comments. 

I wish there was some standard, accepted and used commenting format for single thread shows so more people would visit them before they're done with the show.  I try to use a header of sorts, something like "Comments on Episode 2", so people know whether or not to read it.  I think this would make it easier to avoid spoilers and would make these threads more popular.

Sorry for going off track...

I have a few more episodes to go, but am really enjoying it. 

[tennisgurl]

I really liked this show but the cliffhanger definitely left me frustrated. As much as I would like a season two, there is always a chance that it wont get renewed and we will never get to see an actual ending. Give me a resolution with a tease for a possible season two! 

I did really like the show, it was creepy but with a lot of humor and satire, but I had a lot of the same issues that other people here did. I was really hoping to get more of an explanation as to what the hair grease actually did and how Diana created it, as well as why a lot of the other weird things were happening, like the flickering lights and flashes of other weird things happening at Wagner. I guess some of that might get explained in season two? How exactly was Diana able to create a brainwashing hair grease? 

I thought that it was going to be revealed that Hazel was Diane and Richard's daughter after we found out that they were having an affair. I also thought it would turn out that ghosts were involved somehow, so i was off all over the place.

[chaifan]

Comments through Episode 7:

I am really liking this show.  I'm still not sure what to make of the sorta kinda supernatural elements, like Nella seeing Kendra Rae's reflection instead of her own, the lights flickering, etc.  Is this all just in her head?  And I have no idea what to make of Hazel/Eva at this point!  I can accept her being some crazy cult-leader wannabe, but the kidnapping scene with Shani would imply she's got some money and connections behind her.  I really do hope they get to that this season and don't leave it unresolved for a potential season2.  Does anyone know if this is in the book?

Going back an episode or two, what the hell kind of karaoke bar is in some secretive warehouse?  I thought it was going to be some weird sex club, not 70's karaoke. 

Hazel/Eva's girl's night was all sorts of trippy.  Was Ruby a weird coincidence, or is this some really long con/play going on?  That is some nice house and a lot of space for one person on an assistant's income, even for Harlem.  Is her family really from Harlem, what's up with Boston?

I don't know what to think of Richard - good guy or bad guy.  I haven't a clue.  But I like the character.  I like his scenes with Diana. 

I loved the coffee shop scene with Nella and the other author.  I wish she had a little more backbone with him, though, ending it with something along the lines of "I feel I have a job to complete at Wagner (launching Diana's new line and making sure it's successful), but when I'm done with that I'll consider your offer."

I think the casting has been really good, with just a few exceptions.  For some reason, I'm not crazy about Diana.  I don't know if it's the actress, or the way she's playing her.  The character just seems so muted, she has one expression, one tone of voice.  On the opposite end, I wish they had toned down the annoying co-worker, made her less of a caricature. 

I think I'll end up binging the last 3 episodes today or tomorrow...

[chaifan]

Comments through the end:

The end was a bit of a disappointment for me.  I feel the magical mind control hair cream was just too much of a stretch, a lazy way to solve the problem of how to get all these women to go along with Diana and Eva's plans.  And it just brings up more questions...  does one "dose" last forever?  Do they have these hair parties every week to keep the doses going?  What if one woman is like, nah, I just had my hair done for an event tomorrow, I'll pass? 

And if there's seriously a hair cream that does all this, why aren't they getting embedded at the nearest barbershop to Congress?  Geez, if you can get men and women to do what you want with a simple rubbing of hair cream, why are you wasting your time with book editors and chemists?  I'd start with the Senate Judiciary Committee and Congress and stack the courts with Black judges.  I could go on, but I'll stop here before I get too political for this site...

I did like Nella going all in on the transformation, and then the reveal that it's all a ruse. 

I really liked the Eva backstory episode, and seeing how she got caught up in all of this.  I liked the flashbacks to Diana and Kendra, but felt they really shorted us on Kendra.  It would have been good to see how she's been living all these years.

I'd love to know how the show compares to the book.  Did the book have the magic hair cream?  Are we at the end of the book? 

If they get a 2nd season, I'll probably watch it.  But if they don't, I'm not going to be upset over it. 

[MadyGirl1987]

I really enjoyed this series. As someone who works with books (library worker) and follows the bookish world/publishing, I found a lot of the commentatry on the publishing world rang true and added an extra level of enjoyment to me.

As for the ending, I wish it would have been less of a cliffhanger, but I suppose if this is a one-and-done it's enough to know they are taking action? I'm just glad they didn't make it that she chose the grease, as I could have seen them going for a tragic ending... 

[BetyBee]

I've enjoyed the series too, right up until the very end. I feel like they could have put a bit more info into the finale. Every episode left me kind of freaked out and wondering, as a horror show should. But the final scene left me thinking, "That's it?" I'll still be back for Season 2 if there is one. 

[Bluesky]

I didn’t know there would be supernatural crap so I was disappointed.    And nobody was staring at a Black student at Harvard in Cambridge. That was dumb. It was probably a wealth gap that made her feel awkward because she came from a non-diverse neighborhood and Harvard is full of every kind of person.  

[ursula]

On 9/18/2023 at 11:07 PM, Sesquipedalia said:

I loved the book. The ending of the show was a lot less dark, which is ironic given that one of Wagner's main crimes was replacing a dark ending with a happy one.

Yes, I noticed that!

I didn't understand how that's a specific Black or even a racist thing. I'm sure many White authors have also been asked to rewrite their endings or plots to be marketable. I did not sympathize with Kendra's Rebellion because it felt childish and unprofessional. She got angry at Diane and Richard for "ruining" her when she destroyed her own career over what really felt to me like a trifling problem.

 

On 9/29/2023 at 7:36 AM, chaifan said:

Geez, if you can get men and women to do what you want with a simple rubbing of hair cream, why are you wasting your time with book editors and chemists?

It doesn't mind control people.It just takes the Angry gene out of the Angry Black Women, which according to this show, is what all Black Women must have. Without the Anger, they miraculously become uber-competent and accomplished in all life endeavours. 🙄

[ribboninthesky1]

I watched all ten episodes, so my thoughts are a summary.  A few of them surprisingly dragged for me despite the 30 min length. 

Blue magic hair grease (IYKYK) being the twist?  Chile....I guess. 

My theory was way off.  I fully expected Hazel to be Kendra Rae's daughter back to avenge her mother's death and bring down Wagner. Or later, even Diana's daughter. 

I've not read the book, so my thoughts are about the show itself.  There were some interesting themes, and the bones of a good satire/thriller.  But the hair grease nonsense (especially when wigs were in full abundance) deflated what could have been a great series. In this context, black women of different backgrounds trying to succeed in a mostly white, Corporate world and the psychological toll resonates with me.  I was also fascinated by the ambition to install talented black women in different types of roles as a way to "work the system."  But it never really came together; perhaps there just wasn't enough time.  

Also, I found myself more interested in young Diana and Kendra's story than the modern saga of Hazel/Chantal and Nella.  Probably because I found Malaika and Nella's boyfriend kind of annoying. 

The cast was mostly good - Ashleigh Murray was the only one I knew of before watching.  Hope to see them in other things.  I have my doubts about another season. 

I loved the music, but the entire show aesthetic seemed like a throwback to the 80s/90s (and not just the scenes depicting the past).  I can't imagine it is common for black women in their mid-20s being THAT into TLC, for example. And to be nitpicky, I thought older Diana and Kendra were miscast - both actresses looked too young for what should have been their 60s at minimum. 

[AnimeMania]

The Other Black Girl Cancelled at Hulu