S01.E04: Call/Response

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Tandy and Tyrone come face-to-face as the two are able to sit down and talk. Having not been able to tell anyone else what they have been experiencing, both take the opportunity to finally confide in the one person who may truly understand what they are going through. Meanwhile, Otis reveals a secret side of himself and Greg seems to be onto something with Melissa’s case against Roxxon.

 

 

[AimingforYoko]

I have to admit, I was kind of ehhhhh with this show. They got me with this episode. It's been a while since I've been this pleasantly surprised.

[UNOSEZ]

That was really good... Was a bit Confused until the end about when the talk between the two of them took place.. But I figged it out... And man that last lil argument between them was strong... Can't wait fir next week... 

[EarlGreyTea]

I am usually averse to absolutely anything Marvel-related, but the reviews on this show made me interested enough to watch.

I liked that Greg, Tandy's mom's bf, seemed to have had good intentions. It was kind of hinted at earlier but I was glad it was confirmed with her seeing his hopes. Having him married added an interesting shade of gray. Also, he reminded me of Dean Winters, which is never a bad thing. So when he got shot I was legitimately surprised and bummed. I liked Tandy having someone in her corner. Also, what kind of assassin shoots someone with the blinds wide open?

The casting director has knocked it of the park with casting of the smaller roles. Greg's death broke my heart and there are no words for how great Billy has been. His role in particular is so vital to understanding Tyrone and his family dynamic, and the actor playing Billy came off as so earnest and youthful, that it was nothing short of devastating seeing him killed in the pilot.

Finally we can see some of the chemistry between Tandy and Tyrone that the critics have raved so much about.  I actually thought they worked better as friends than romantic partners, but when they approached each other to touch again, I saw real sparks. The shot of them laying next to one another was gorgeous. I love that she is the street-wise one and he is the naive one; it's such a common romantic trope, but you rarely see it with the genders reversed. I love how her remark about their powers being a release "like sex, you know?" hung there awkwardly with so much unsaid from Tyrone.

I'm also glad we're finally seeing more of the New Orleans flavor. It's such a unique city and I'm so tired of constantly seeing shows set in New York.

[Sakura12]

That's why I liked getting to know Tyrone and Tandy separately, it made their interactions in this episode more powerful. 

It sucks that Greg got killed after Tandy realized he was actually a good guy. I will have to say Roxan has horrible assassins that kill someone with the lights on and the blinds open. I suppose she's lucky that the assassin sucks and didn't make sure she destroyed the files that I'm sure they were trying to destroy. 

[AnimeMania]

Since the show has set them up as complete opposites of each other, I appreciate that Tandy and Tyrone require so many episodes for them to become friends. I seems like they wouldn't have given each other the time of day if they weren't constantly be shoved together. The characters haven't explored yet their own powers, the other person's powers or what is possible when their powers are combined. There is still a lot of groundwork to be fleshed out since even the villains are not clearly defined.

[UNOSEZ]

What I like about this show so far was kinda what I liked about blk lightning... Not to say they are overly similar... But in the same way that I watched BL...and would almost forget it was a superhero show... That's what's happening with me and this show... These characters are just interesting to me... I care what's going on... Ty's anger and Tandy's jadedness... It could well just be a str8 drama and I'd still probably tune in....

[twoods]

First episode that kept me intrigued the entire time. It helped that Tandy and Tyrone had some scenes together and are figuring out their powers. Poor Greg- I was really starting to like him. I also finally get where Tyrone’s Dad is coming from, and poor Tyrone still blames himself for Billy’s death.

[Oscirus]

It's weird greg's death didn't really have much of an effect on me.

Spoiler

Probably because I knew of his fate in the comics so I was expecting it.

Hopefully those who thought the series was going too slow liked this episode as things started coming together. Dagger can control her powers and Cloak  has his costume.  Especially like the ending with Cloak finally figuring out a way against the system and  Tandy seemingly ready to at least challenge her problems. 

Props for use of the environment and for challenging race issues. Not so much for your approach to challenging the gender line.

Very well acted, could turn out to be my favorite marvel show yet. depending on if they can stick the landing.

Edited June 23, 2018 by saoirse
Referencing the comics needs to be spoiler tagged.

[Jacks-Son]

17 hours ago, EarlGreyTea said:

Finally we can see some of the chemistry between Tandy and Tyrone that the critics have raved so much about.  I actually thought they worked better as friends than romantic partners, but when they approached each other to touch again, I saw real sparks. The shot of them laying next to one another was gorgeous. I love that she is the street-wise one and he is the naive one; it's such a common romantic trope, but you rarely see it with the genders reversed. I love how her remark about their powers being a release "like sex, you know?" hung there awkwardly with so much unsaid from Tyrone.

I agree, I finally got to see the much-vaunted chemistry between the leads. Their relationship seemed so relaxed and comfortable despite the circumstances. Or perhaps it's the circumstances that have brought these two desperate teens together. I just wish they had some mutual person they could talk to; perhaps that's where the Priest comes into the story. You're right about the trope-reversal, leave it to Freeform to explore different perspectives unencumbered and without reservations. I believe Tyrone is still a virgin, again, a trope-reversal, hence the lack of any input from him on the comparisons to sex.

I am surprised that Greg was killed so quickly in the show, but it serves the purpose of driving Tandy to seek retribution, as if she didn't have enough on her plate already.

I see the show likes to tell its story in a non-linear pattern but at least this was a LOT better than last week's; at least for me.  Let's just hope Freeform doesn't cancel it in its nascence. I've been disappointed with the channel as it had cancelled a lot of my favorite shows. (e.g. Shadowshunters, Stitichers, Beyond)

[Raja]

Virgin, I bet that was Ty's first kiss.

[RachelKM]

I really like this show.   I loved this episode, even though for me it was actually a little more difficult to follow than last weeks.  I'm pretty sure I have it right, but I had no difficulty with last weeks perspective shifting. 

I didn't have a problem with the slow pace precisely because I was hoping for a payoff like this episode.  I like that we got to know Tandy and Tyrone as individuals before they interacted extensively.  It makes watching their developing relationship more rewarding for the audience.  And allows little moments like where Tyrone doesn't respond to Tandy's comment about sex to read more clearly.

I also like that they are still living their separate lives at this point.  It grounds their characters more that they are still who they were and learning how to fit this new power and relationship into their lives.  I never read the comic.  I had heard about it, but the white girl is light and the black boy is shadows thing sort of put me off (not sure whether that was fair or not, just a gut response).  But my understanding is that one or both of them is a runaway which, by definition, would mean their superhero lives were apart from their pre-power lives. 

[AKA...CJ86]

Tyrone and Tandy... I was kind of bummed in previous episodes with the stories separate, but it just means you get that emotional wallop when they do interact.

So...  Roxxon hired a terrible hit girl. Lights on, blinds/curtains opened... and apparently didn't even check to see if the crucial paperwork was destroyed.  Outside of this small issue, my favorite episode, so far.

[Jacks-Son]

8 hours ago, Raja said:

Virgin, I bet that was Ty's first kiss.

Probably. Too bad it's with someone who has a hidden agenda. Her willingness to be so forward with him is most likely at the command of the voodoo woman, who was making a 3-D printer voodoo doll of Tyrone prior to even meeting him.

Speaking of non-linear direction, I was pleasantly surprised whenever the cameras  left the church, they actually came back to the church. I hate to say it was refreshing for them to stay on topic. This show is altering my sense of pace.

Edited June 23, 2018 by Jacks-Son

[tennisgurl]

I really loved this episode, the show is really getting into its groove. I love the MCU, and I think that this show is carving out its own little corner of it. 

Greg turns out to be a decent guy, and of course he dies. Tandys mom really has issues, dumping the poor guy even though he sounds like the nicest guy she has been with (at least with the best intentions) because it just hit her that he was married. Poor Tandy just has the worst luck ever. Especially with fathers and potential father figures. 

It was super cool seeing Tyrone's dad and his history with apparently the Mardis Gras Indians, and see them explore more of New Orleans and its unique culture. Its such a fascinating, living city, and I found the first few episodes to be too bland in its unique setting. Glad to see them using it more. 

Tandy and Tyrone's conversation at the end was super great. Very real and visceral. 

[UNOSEZ]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Tandy and Tyrone's conversation at the end was super great. Very real and visceral. 

So real... Ty threw some punches... And tandy threw some back... And everything was true.. Loved it

[JasmineFlower]

I'm still meh on this show. This episode definitely moved better and had more to it, but hardly pulled me in to say I'm in this. A certain problem for me that might really not register for others, is that several times during this episode it felt like a non-black writer who isn't terribly experienced with black people, wrote the scenes dealing with the black characters. This isn't a problem in the general sense, happens all of the time, but at times it can be exposed as more of an issue,  and for me it was in this episode, where both race and cultural experiences were front and center in Ty's storyline. So much of it did not work for me, because so much of it felt like it happened in a way that I can't imagine it actually playing out. Felt very much like it was written by someone who has witnesses the community from afar, but isn't entrenched in it.

I'm still not seeing chemistry worthy of bragging about between Ty and Tandy. Did this come off as if they had chemistry to a certain extent? Yes, absolutely. But honestly, they are in sepia shadows, talking in whispered voices, at one point laying near each other, with no one else around at all providing a feeling of intimacy. Almost anyone is going to come off as seemingly having some level of chemistry in this situation. I don't see how chemistry is the takeaway with their scenes especially given how it ended. I'd call them more volatile than anything else at this point and I doubt that's what people mean in reviews when they keep mentioning their chemistry, and if it is, I'd implore them to expand their vocabulary and use a more apt word to better capture the emotion of their relationship.

[UNOSEZ]

3 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

A certain problem for me that might really not register for others, is that several times during this episode it felt like a non-black writer who isn't terribly experienced with black people, wrote the scenes dealing with the black characters. This isn't a problem in the general sense, happens all of the time, but at times it can be exposed as more of an issue,  and for me it was in this episode, where both race and cultural experiences were front and center in Ty's storyline. So much of it did not work for me, because so much of it felt like it happened in a way that I can't imagine it actually playing out. Felt very much like it was written by someone who has witnesses the community from afar, but isn't entrenched in it.

Care to elaborate?? 

[JasmineFlower]

1 hour ago, UNOSEZ said:

Care to elaborate?? 

No, I elaborated as much as I really planned to above as I'm not attempting to start some debate. Just sharing my thoughts,  especially since they differed from what many others took away from the episode. I think I explained the issue enough in general, but I will also say, it's not the first episode that I thought it, it was just much more prevalent in this one.

[Oscirus]

15 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

Care to elaborate?? 

I assume things like "check your privilege" amongst other things. I can see the argument. Because at times the show does seem to like congratulating itself on how it handles race-related issues that it sometimes foregoes realism.

[Jacks-Son]

It may irritate JasmineFlower (apologies) because the poster already elaborated as much as needed. The point should be obvious. Having spoken out about the current racial discord, the show kind of elaborated albeit if subtly, rather than out loud besides Tyrone's exclamations. One example is that Billy's death while consistent with today's police/Black youth murder. Yes, I call it murder, because while the shooting may have been accidental, the gun should not have been drawn, Billy posed no threat, in fact he was running away, there was no obvious weapon and yes, the officer was startled into shooting,  but  if the gun had not been drawn, there would have been no shooting. The attempt to cover it up and lie to the family means negligent homicide. As an example of the shows inconsistent writing as far as Black characters. Despite Tyrone's admission of being a target of the police 24/7. I find it difficult to believe that despite his attire and Tandy's lesson on how to lure the police into helping him, he was able to walk into a police station without a heightened awareness by the police and to be asked, "How can I help you?" is NOT normal day-to-day life for a Black teen. Normally, Black inner-city teens are viewed skeptically and with perhaps an outright threat. I've lived in NYC almost my entire life, and I have been threatened for just asking a question of a police officer. I now live in a rural area in CA and the street to my home was blocked and under repair, Being new to the area, I stopped and asked a local resident who was standing outside his home to ask for directions for a detour to my home. A police car immediately pulled up and the deputy asked the resident if everything was all right. The resident just told the officer that I was just asking for directions (why did the resident feel the need to explain the situation instead of asking the officer Why he felt the need to ask? is a subtle example). The officer felt the need to yell at me not to stop on a corner. Both the resident and I looked at each other skeptically as if to say, "Was THAT necessary?"

There are other shows that can best present a more realistic depiction of African-American life in the inner cities, although some shows have a tendency to go overboard, take for example the CW show, "Black Lightning", that show can show the struggles that families face in the inner cities, but kind of go overboard by showing everyone hiding a gun in their pants. I think in an effort to depict real-life, writers that stress this ugliness do a disservice to racial unity by making it seem that there is a need for everyone to be armed to protect oneself from others who may be armed. Writers need to be aware of how they depict POC. Instead of helping to show positive behavior, they stress negative behavior and this colors the viewpoint of those non-POC, They are not part of the solution.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Jacks-Son

[Miss Dee]

Mardi Gras Indians. Thank you! Now I have a frame of reference to Google.