S01.E04: Quaking Grass

[Drogo]

Brandon seeks refuge after Jerrika kicks him out. A physically and mentally ailing Ronnie runs into Rafiq. Meanwhile, Quentin takes a valued item from Trice while Kevin's quest ends with Brandon making a bad deal with Reg.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Promo:

Clip:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Man, you have to love that Jada always has an answer to someone's stupid question.

Emmett: What am I supposed to do [about not having childcare]?
Jada: I don't know. Pull out next time.

Ronnie: What am I supposed to do [for the pain]?
Jada: Don't get shot.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I appreciate that when I thought the show was going to zig, it zagged. At the end of last episode, I thought that Ronnie would attack Brandon. I was not expecting to find out that Ronnie wanted to make peace. When we saw Ronnie staggering away wounded and Brandon running off with Kevin, I just assumed Ronnie's bleeding had been caused by Brandon. I didn't expect it to be Kevin who shot Ronnie, and accidentally at that.

Ronnie's grandmother is awesome but I was still yelling at her not to be so demanding with Jada. You are asking her to do you a HUGE favor and you keep yelling at her! Maybe try to be a little more helpful instead of telling her to get more supplies. The stupidest thing that Jada did was steal supplies from work. I know money is tight, but you can buy gauze and stuff at CVS. Don't risk losing your job by stealing stuff from work!

One thing I like about this show is it depicts that not every bad action comes from a bad place. Brandon offered to walk Kevin home to make sure he was safe and he ended up an accessory to a shooting. Jake was just trying to help his friend Kevin when he borrowed his brother's gun and now due to circumstances beyond his control (Kevin letting Brandon take the gun home and then Brandon's mom's boyfriend getting rid of the gun), Jake is going to be shooting people for his brother.

I kind of laughed when the police let Brandon go because he said he would get one of them a reservation at his restaurant. Those cops are pretty trusting. For all they know, Brandon was calling his mom and pretending to have that entire conversation with her voicemail.

Edited January 29, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[scrb]

That's two accidental shootings which are going to screw up many lives.

Brandon gets drawn into owing Reg because he's trying to protect Kevin?  Come on, I find that really hard to believe.

He loses his gf, gets into trouble with the gang, all to cover for a kid he really doesn't know?

He's an honest guy, probably not thinking ahead but why wouldn't he ditch the gun and shirt?  Why even pick it up in the first place?

Also, I get that this community has zero trust in the police but they risk their lives and get into bigger trouble trying to do favors.

I can't believe the nurse will risk her job, stealing supplies, to keep Ronnie from going to hospital.

When someone is shot and bleeding out, the last thing to worry about was the victim of the shooting eventually ending up in jail.  Was there any indication that Granny knew Ronnie accidentally shot Coogie?

[SuburbanHangSuite]

11 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

Man, you have to love that Jada always has an answer to someone's stupid question.

 

And don't forget: 

Ronnie: "You got something for the pain?"

Jada: "You can use Tylenol" as she pops the pain pill.  Well, damn!

I am loving Kevin's buddy, "the Renaissance Man."  Boyfriend had the chips to get them in AND he got the party started.

Edited January 29, 2018 by SuburbanHangSuite
adding stuff

[Dee]

The female characters on this show are terribly written. None of them exists as characters in their own right. They're all extensions of the men in their lives.

[tennisgurl]

If anything, this whole show is a warning against improper gun usage. 

[rho]

On 1/29/2018 at 11:59 AM, Dee said:

The female characters on this show are terribly written. None of them exists as characters in their own right. They're all extensions of the men in their lives.

This^^^^^

I wanted to like this show and binged the first 4 episodes. Not a single female character can stand on her own and they seem to disappear into the background unless they are serving the character development of one of the male characters. I don't normally get all "bechdel test" on a tv show but it's asinine that all 4 characters are connected and not a single female feels essential to the plot. Half of them can be exchanged for other women in those men's lives.

The only one I was really rooting for was Jada but then she spent half this episode putting her job on the line to fix up a bullet wound. Even the boring giris' night scene had a bunch of unnamed women complaining about their men.

[Inquisitionist]

On 1/29/2018 at 2:58 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I didn't expect it to be Kevin who shot Ronnie, and accidentally at that.

....

One thing I like about this show is it depicts that not every bad action comes from a bad place.

Watched this episode (and No. 3) with my husband last night.  We both figured out Kevin's involvement before the episode was half over.  The accidentally part was a little bit of a surprise.  I agree with your latter assessment.  There are some interesting layers going on.

On 1/29/2018 at 4:55 AM, scrb said:

Also, I get that this community has zero trust in the police but they risk their lives and get into bigger trouble trying to do favors.

That must be some cost/benefit trade-off if they're will to take such risks to avoid involving the police.  Brandon's brief run-in gives a flavor of why.