Queenie - General Discussion

[CM-BlueButterfly]

Queenie is a Drama TV Series with all 8 episodes released on June 7, 2024 on Hulu. Queenie follows the life and loves of Queenie Jenkins, a vibrant, troubled 25-year-old British-Jamaican woman living in south London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. After a messy breakup with her long-term boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places and begins to realize she has to face the past head-on before she can rebuild. She is not having a very good year. Queenie based a 2019 novel of the same name by Candice Carty-Williams. Queenie aired on Channel 4 in the U.K.

[AnimeMania]

Dionne Brown as Queenie Jenkins The 25-year-old, curvy, pretty south Londoner speaks her mind, especially when she shouldn't. Queenie is from a Jamaican family, striving to achieve in a predominantly white workplace. She is constantly playing catch up with her emotions and the situations she finds herself in due to a hard-wired habit of self-sabotaging, which she is mostly unaware of. As soon as she stops to reflect, everything she's been running from hits her, and it is the worst emotional pileup imaginable. Our protagonist is thus hellbent on outrunning her demons and disassociating - a strategy destined to implode.

Elisha Applebaum as Cassandra, a member of Queenie's posse, "The Corgis" 

Tilly Keeper as Darcy, a member of Queenie's posse, "The Corgis" 

Bellah (R&B singer) as Kyazike, a member of Queenie's posse, "The Corgis", Queenie's longest-serving best friend from school, Kyazike is of Ugandan heritage, was raised in south London and is also 25 years old. She works in a bank where she can cross-reference eligible men with their bank balances. She always has the longest hair, the best nails, the highest designer heels, and the funniest stories. Kyazike is firmly on her quest for Mr. Right, who must have financial clout. While Queenie doesn't find her friend's quest aspirational, she definitely finds it inspirational.

Samuel Adewunmi as Frank, Twenty-eight-years-old, Frank is Kyazike's older cousin, a man with his own van and grand plans in life. He is from Ends, is invested in his community and has known Queenie since her high school days. He has seen her on occasion with Kyazike over the years, although not since she hooked up with Tom. Frank is emotionally intelligent, well-read, and articulate - an intellectual match for Queenie. He thinks and speaks from the heart and challenges Queenie. He's her Truth Teller, straightforward and unapologetic but with a good heart.

Jon Pointing as Tom, Queenie’s white ex-boyfriend

Sally Phillips plays Gina, the hard-bitten newspaper editor at Queenie’s work, The Daily Read. 

Tilly Keeper plays Queenie’s colleague Darcy

Elisha Applebaum plays Cassandra, Queenie’s best friend from university 

Mim Shaikh plays Adi, a resident wideboy (well dressed petty criminal, hustler)

Joseph Ollman as Guy

Melissa Johns 

Laura Whitmore as Dr. Ellison

Joseph Marcell as Grandad Wilfred, Queenie's Grandad

Llewella Gideon is Grandma Veronica

Michelle Greenidge plays Aunty Maggie

Cristale De’Abreu as Diana, Queenie’s little cousin 

[AnimeMania]

[AnimeMania]

[babyrambo]

Haven’t read the book but I’ve just finished episodes 1-4 and so far, I think this show is very uneven. 

I get that Queenie is meant to be at times disconnected with her actual wants and needs; she’s stressed, unhappy and emotionally drained. But the narrative is patchy and the story is coming across as extremely hollow. It’s like the show doesn’t know how to portray all her issues and layers with depth or complexity, so instead it gives superficial glimpses into various plots rather than sincerely exploring anything with seriousness or nuance. Yes, watching Queenie make horrible decisions and eventually grow form that is the entire point but the execution is so disconnected and hollow it all feels a bit useless and pointless. I like the lead and how realistically she’s portraying Queenie but the season is halfway through and  the show still hasn’t quite settled on what it wants to say. 

Edited June 6 by babyrambo