The Chi - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Just a reminder that the S3 premiere is on Sunday, June 21!

Some promos:

S3 trailer

S3 teaser

We're All in This Together

The Kids Are All Grown Up

Roundtable Discussion: Sneak Peek of What's to Come

 

[SuburbanHangSuite]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Just a reminder that the S3 premiere is on Sunday, June 21!

Can't wait!  Watched some of the Season 1 marathon yesterday and couldn't believe how young and small the kids were.  I think Jake just looks about the same, just taller but Kevin and Poppa are blowing my mind with how much they've grown.  That Kevin is destined to be a heart-breaker.  

[scrb]

I guess it's kind of a reboot, since two key actors left the show.  Well one was fired.

The tough thing is, Brandon and Jerrika were featured in a lot of scenes.

So are they going to make the other characters, including the kids, carry more of the show?

Or are they going to introduce new characters with big story lines?

I see that Lena Waithe is credited in two episodes for this season.  There are also 4 or 5 actors who are credited in at least 5 or more episodes as well, so new characters, not sure if they will be central ones yet.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I don't consider it a reboot since 90% of the main characters are still around. That's the good thing about having a large ensemble cast - a show can survive multiple characters leaving. I'm fine with giving the other characters more to do, especially now that the kids are older. That "the kids are all grown up" teaser had me awwwing at how little they were in the first season!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FYI - the season premiere is now available on demand!

S3.E1: Foe 'Nem

Quote

A wedding alters Kevin and Kiesha's lives. Emmett juggles his business and his growing family. Ronnie struggles to find his way. Jake's estranged brother Trig lands back in town on a mission.

Promo:

Clip: Don't be afraid to leave

Original air date: 6/21/20

Edited June 22, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[scrb]

Kind of meh, the wedding and the funeral.  So unless I missed it, no explanation of Brandon's death and no mention of Jerrika at all.

Didn't need to see the wedding night scene.

Seems like they introduce new gangsters every season, this time someone just out of prison already killing someone.

Obviously the high level of crime in Chicago touches the lives of many bystanders.  But they seem to want to have kind of a mastermind element, like the OG gangsters in season one, Otis introduced in season 2 and now this brother out of prison to replace Reg.

IRL, it seems at least from the outside that its random gang violence.  In The Chi, it seems gangsters like Otis/Douda want to have control over the community and in this case, is running to be mayor of Chicago.

I don't recall if Stringer in The Wired tried to carry a high profile in the community, as kind of a benefactor.  He tried to give a legitimate cover for the gang business but did he try to be political?

Ronnie is still a drunk but from previews, seem headed for a redemption arc.  Did he make Keisha disappear?  What is she doing alone at night at a bus stop when she has plans to go to Pepperdine?  Emmet with the good advice to get out of the hood.

Still a strong community because they had a big group dance at the wedding, like they did with the block party last season.

[SuprSuprElevated]

Maybe it's just me, but I sort of found parts hard to follow.  I gather that Reg and his little brother's (why can't I remember some names?) Mom sold the little bro to Douda for $5K, and the newly released brother we didn't know about wants to give the mother $10K to get him back, but...Douda...??  Yeah, the producer's clearly didn't want to expend any energy whatever on the Brandon/Jerrika storylines.  Weird.  Agree that the wedding night was gratuitous and a bit self serving maybe.  I don't need to see marriages consumated.  No mention of Kev and where he's going to school...because it's summer break?  Kandi Burress?  Wha?

I'm just mostly confused.  

[Enigma X]

This episode made me remember how I felt by the end of last season and that is I want to like this show because I am from Chicago, but lots of things are not consistent or just plain dumb.

I did not get the sense last season that Keisha did not like her stepmother. I did get the sense that Douda (stupid name) was someone to be feared. Yet, "new brother" is released from jail and basically threatens him and there was no immediate come back. I mean I get they want to drag the story line out. I would expect some verbal parlaying of physical threats. I guess "new brother" (did not bother to learn his name) did have a gun. Still...

How many times is Ronnie going to have a redemption arc?

Edited June 22, 2020 by Enigma X

[SuprSuprElevated]

28 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

How many times is Ronnie going to have a redemption arc?

Yeah they're kind of wearing me out with Ronnie.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was really looking forward to watching Kiesha yell, "BYE!" at people all season.

All of the characters have suffered losses, which was what made the wedding scenes so nice. We got to see them relaxed and happy and celebrating, even if just for a little while.

I'm fine with no explanation of how Brandon died. He was an important character on the show, but the actor needed to go after everything that happened so whatever they needed to come up with to justify his permanent absence was fine with me.

I liked that Brandon's absence has made Emmett feel some responsibility (both to continuing Brandon's business and looking out for Kevin). It's definitely a step up from the kid who was actively dodging all his baby mommas in S1. My concern is that he might stick with catering/food for too long before he realizes that he's not great at it (notice all the comments about the unseasoned chicken and bad mac & cheese). He can find other ways to honor Brandon without doing exactly what Brandon was doing. Or, hey, maybe he'll finally learn how to season his food properly. Either way, he can't keep doing what he's doing.

On 6/21/2020 at 9:42 AM, scrb said:

What is she doing alone at night at a bus stop when she has plans to go to Pepperdine?

She was going to see someone and she doesn't have a car. How else is she supposed to get around? Just because she has plans to go to college doesn't mean that she has to be home by the time it gets dark. Let's stop blaming girls when bad things happen to them.

On 6/21/2020 at 7:06 PM, SuprSuprElevated said:

Agree that the wedding night was gratuitous and a bit self serving maybe. 

Diversity and representation matter, so having a lesbian couple's wedding night is a good thing (especially considering how many hetero sex scenes we get on tv).

Edited June 28, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo
Misspelled a character's name

[scrb]

8 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

She was going to see someone and she doesn't have a car. How else is she supposed to get around? Just because she has plans to go to college doesn't mean that she has to be home by the time it gets dark. Let's stop blaming girls when bad things happen to them.

A long time ago, I was warned not to go to certain areas of Chicago, particularly the south of around 65th and Cottage Grove at night.

The guy warning me said even he wouldn't go.  He was a black UPS driver.

I'm assuming things are no better now, so if men are dissuaded from going into certain areas -- not exactly sure which neighborhood or part of Chicago this show takes place -- I have to wonder if it wouldn't be at least as risky for a young black woman.

 

[Enigma X]

Eh... I am not from the south side but the west and spent most of my time there and on the north. Some people consider parts of the west side worse than the south. (Whatever.) I took the bus everywhere and at all times. Basically, that scene with Keisha waiting for the bus did not seem out of place to me, but I am drawing that from my own not too long ago Chicago experiences from different areas than what is portrayed in the show. I am guessing this is actually set in an area that Waithe is more familiar with. Since I did not have a license though, and needed or wanted to be somewhere, especially in my late teens and 20s, I was hopping on public trans.

I had no problem with the sex scene. It is HBO and sex scenes are expected at this point when I watch any HBO show. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 6/21/2020 at 10:58 PM, Enigma X said:

Since I did not have a license though, and needed or wanted to be somewhere, especially in my late teens and 20s, I was hopping on public trans.

Exactly. Kids who don't have a driver's license or a car still need to get around. When you live in a large city with public transportation, it's perfectly normal to take the bus or the train to get around (not just when the sun is out). People aren't going to stay home after dark just because they live in a less affluent part of town. That doesn't make them irresponsible or reckless. They're just living their lives. Blaming Kiesha for being abducted because she was out at night is like blaming a rape victim for having a drink or wearing a skirt. The only person who bears responsibility is the perpetrator.

Edited June 28, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo
typo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Showtime has posted the S3 premiere on their youtube channel:

 

[SuprSuprElevated]

8 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Diversity and representation matter, so having a lesbian couple's wedding night is a good thing (especially considering how many hetero sex scenes we get on tv).

Notice I said that I didn't need to see marriages consumated.  For me, that covers all types of marriages, with all types of folks.  It's true enough that it will be seen on a premium channel more often, so it's my choice to watch or not watch.  This is a site built on commenting, and that's what I did.  No offense or harm is intended.

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by SuprSuprElevated

[taanja]

15 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I was really looking forward to watching Keisha yell, "BYE!" at people all season.

All of the characters have suffered losses, which was what made the wedding scenes so nice. We got to see them relaxed and happy and celebrating, even if just for a little while.

I'm fine with no explanation of how Brandon died. He was an important character on the show, but the actor needed to go after everything that happened so whatever they needed to come up with to justify his permanent absence was fine with me.

I liked that Brandon's absence has made Emmett feel some responsibility (both to continuing Brandon's business and looking out for Kevin). It's definitely a step up from the kid who was actively dodging all his baby mommas in S1. My concern is that he might stick with catering/food for too long before he realizes that he's not great at it (notice all the comments about the unseasoned chicken and bad mac & cheese). He can find other ways to honor Brandon without doing exactly what Brandon was doing. Or, hey, maybe he'll finally learn how to season his food properly. Either way, he can't keep doing what he's doing.

She was going to see someone and she doesn't have a car. How else is she supposed to get around? Just because she has plans to go to college doesn't mean that she has to be home by the time it gets dark. Let's stop blaming girls when bad things happen to them.

Diversity and representation matter, so having a lesbian couple's wedding night is a good thing (especially considering how many hetero sex scenes we get on tv).

Wait! What happened to the actor who plays Brandon? I re watched season 2 to get ready for the premier-- and at the end Brandon is sitting in a van watching that bad dude (can't remember his name) and the detectives are telling him about the mob etc and then wham! season 3 starts and Brandon is dead-- no explanation! No nuthin'!

Brandon was like my favorite character! I was thinking -- oh the show is "faking his death" and he will come back with evidence against that bad dude (once again I can't remember his name but I think they said he is running for mayor?)

anyway-- did Keisha get kidnapped at the end? is that what I saw? 

[SoCal Mema]

7 hours ago, taanja said:

Wait! What happened to the actor who plays Brandon? I re watched season 2 to get ready for the premier-- and at the end Brandon is sitting in a van watching that bad dude (can't remember his name) and the detectives are telling him about the mob etc and then wham! season 3 starts and Brandon is dead-- no explanation! No nuthin'!

Brandon was like my favorite character! I was thinking -- oh the show is "faking his death" and he will come back with evidence against that bad dude (once again I can't remember his name but I think they said he is running for mayor?)

anyway-- did Keisha get kidnapped at the end? is that what I saw? 

The Brandon actor was fired for misconduct with Jerrika his costar and a show runner.  Allegedly, he had multiple HR cases.  

[SuprSuprElevated]

14 hours ago, taanja said:

Wait! What happened to the actor who plays Brandon? I re watched season 2 to get ready for the premier-- and at the end Brandon is sitting in a van watching that bad dude (can't remember his name) and the detectives are telling him about the mob etc and then wham! season 3 starts and Brandon is dead-- no explanation! No nuthin'!

Brandon was like my favorite character! I was thinking -- oh the show is "faking his death" and he will come back with evidence against that bad dude (once again I can't remember his name but I think they said he is running for mayor?)

anyway-- did Keisha get kidnapped at the end? is that what I saw? 

If you scroll up in this thread, it was discussed back when it all happened.

[taanja]

3 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

If you scroll up in this thread, it was discussed back when it all happened.

I only just discovered this thread yesterday. I didn't know.

So... no way the show is "faking" Brandon's death to get that Ottis Perry guy (that's his name - right?) in some kind of sting operation?

Thanks!

I'll have to take the time to read all about it.

Otherwise I re-watched the ep last night and I'm really worried about Keisha. I hope they don't kill her.

Edited: Ok I just read about several incidences. Yeah. I liked the character-- didn't know a thing about the actor. Not cool dude. Not cool.

Edited June 23, 2020 by taanja
Reading is your friend

[molly]

On 6/21/2020 at 7:21 PM, Enigma X said:

This episode made me remember how I felt by the end of last season and that is I want to like this show because I am from Chicago, but lots of things are not consistent or just plain dumb.

I did not get the sense last season that Keisha did not like her stepmother. I did get the sense that Douda (stupid name) was someone to be feared. Yet, "new brother" is released from jail and basically threatens him and there was no immediate come back. I mean I get they want to drag the story line out. I would expect some verbal parlaying of physical threats. I guess "new brother" (did not bother to learn his name) did have a gun. Still...

How many times is Ronnie going to have a redemption arc?

The new stepmother, Dre, is not the same girlfriend, Karen, that we’ve seen Keisha and Kevin’s mom have for the last two seasons. They didn’t mention that, though. 

[Empress1]

On 6/23/2020 at 10:56 AM, taanja said:

So... no way the show is "faking" Brandon's death to get that Ottis Perry guy (that's his name - right?) in some kind of sting operation?

Nah, he dead. He was very publicly fired - it would be a TERRIBLE look for the show to bring him back. Really, I thought the only way the show could address it was to kill him off.

On 6/22/2020 at 1:13 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

My concern is that he might stick with catering/food for too long before he realizes that he's not great at it (notice all the comments about the unseasoned chicken and bad mac & cheese). He can find other ways to honor Brandon without doing exactly what Brandon was doing. Or, hey, maybe he'll finally learn how to season his food properly. Either way, he can't keep doing what he's doing.

I feel like he and Brandon both recognized last season that Brandon had the gift of food, but Emmett had the promotional gift/gift of gab. When Emmett told Brandon's mother that he was going to keep Brandon's business going, I was surprised that he literally meant he would be out here cooking.

I will miss Brandon's relationships with Emmett and Kevin.

On 6/21/2020 at 12:42 PM, scrb said:

I don't recall if Stringer in The Wired tried to carry a high profile in the community, as kind of a benefactor.  He tried to give a legitimate cover for the gang business but did he try to be political?

He was working with politicians but wasn't in politics himself. That's what got him messed up with Clay Davis. Clay was a corrupt state senator that Stringer was paying to influence the political climate in favor of Stringer/the Barksdale org's legit business front, but Clay was just taking the money and wasn't doing anything with it.

[Marley]

I missed everything about what the actor who played Brandon did so I was surprised when he was dead. Makes sense why they killed him off tho. It was just weird to go from him in the van with the police to him being dead. I wonder if they are gonna say how he died. Unless I missed it or just leave it vague. 

I didn’t know Kevin’s mom has a new gf that she married in this episode. Totally missed that.

Is Emmett gf not pregnant anymore? I feel so much time has passed since I last watched this show I’m forgetting so much stuff.

Not getting what Jakes estranged brother and his lady are doing yet. I thought Otis was this insanely dangerous guy but the brother sure threatened him and kept going about his life normally.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

THE CHI WITH LOVE concert experience features an appearance by Lena Waithe (creator and executive producer of THE CHI) and a headlining performance by Oscar® and Grammy® Award winner Common (executive producer of THE CHI), along with THE CHI star Jacob Latimore and Chicago favorites Twista, Ravyn Lenae, Jamila Woods, BJ The Chicago Kid, and MFnMelo. The concert is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the Equal Justice Initiative. A $500,000 donation was made by SHOWTIME and ViacomCBS on behalf of the drama series THE CHI. The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) is committed to changing the narrative about race in America, and works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment. The organization is also dedicated to reforming policing in America, improving public safety by building trust with communities and changing police culture.

Setlist:

0:10 - Common @thinkcommon: The People
4:35 - Ravyn Lenae @Ravyn Lenae: Sticky, Closer
11:09 - Twista @TWISTA: Overnight Celebrity, Hope
15:56 - Jamila Woods @Jamila Woods: Giovanni, Holy BLK GRL, Soldier
29:15 - Jacob Latimore @Jacob Latimore: Details, Come Over Here, Can't Win For Losing
38:27 - MFnMelo @MFnMelo Pivot: Quari's Interlude, Big Bet, What A Life
44:22 - BJ The Chicago Kid @BJ THE CHICAGO KID : Close/Love Inside (medley), Reach
52:18 - Lena Waithe

 

[taanja]

On 6/24/2020 at 11:02 AM, molly said:

The new stepmother, Dre, is not the same girlfriend, Karen, that we’ve seen Keisha and Kevin’s mom have for the last two seasons. They didn’t mention that, though. 

THANK YOU!  I thought I was seeing things! I was like -- wait! what? who?

[taanja]

On 6/24/2020 at 1:59 PM, Empress1 said:

Nah, he dead. He was very publicly fired - it would be a TERRIBLE look for the show to bring him back. Really, I thought the only way the show could address it was to kill him off.

They oughta do the ole soap 101 thing-- character is presumed dead and comes back with an altered face (you know -- plastic surgery = new actor!) I would have no problem with that! I promise will suspend my belief!

But according to the show runner -- they are not going to replace actor with a new one. Too bad. The character was cool.

[Enigma X]

So, is this one of those things where Nina's other girlfriend went upstairs and never came back down? I honestly did not put it together that this was a new character, but, since the women look nothing alike, I should have known.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Enigma X

[SuprSuprElevated]

Honestly, if these shows didn't go six friggin years between seasons, we might actually remember the characters, lol.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FYI - Showtime is keeping up its tradition of making episodes available on Saturday. If you enter this thread before the Sunday airing, you may encounter spoilers!

S3.E2: Brewfurd

Quote

Kevin rallies Papa and Jake for help; Emmett finds a short-term solution to his food shortage problem; Jada samples the dating scene and a local trap kitchen run by Dom; Trig devises a plan to get custody of his brother, Jake, from Douda.

Promo:

Clip: we just need to find her

Clip: risk it all

Original air date: 6/28/20

Edited July 3, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kiesha: I don't care what nobody say. Drake can dance. I know, I saw the Hotline Bling video, Malaysia, but that's how they dance in Canada - slightly off beat cause it's cold up there. Normally I don't like light skinned dudes but Drake got lips for days. And them waves in his hair is natural. I read somewhere he don't even wear a do rag to bed.

Kevin: Mom, you're not eating all my fries, are you?
Nina: No, Kevin, I'm only eating mine.

Kevin: Ugh, what type of mint is this? It's got no flavor!
Kiesha: Give it to me now.
Kevin: Fuck, is this some new form of crack rock? I ate one. Am I on crack now, Kiesha?

Imani: I'm going to go get dressed. You're taking me out.
Trig: What's the occasion?
Imani: I'm the occasion.

Jaida: I'm just looking for somebody that doesn't have a record and knows better than to wear gym socks with dress shoes. Is that too much to ask?
Speed dating guy: It sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Jaida: So what part of Asia are you from?
Speed dating guy: I'm from Lincoln Park.
Jaida: Oh my - I'm sorry.
SDG: It's all good.
Jaida: What about your parents? Where are they from?
SDG: They're from Lincoln Park too.
Jaida: Wow, why am I so bad at this?

Pizza employee: Jake, you got a visitor.
Jake: Who is it?
Pizza employee: I'm not your secretary.

Jake: All right, Kev. If you're going to Nuck's house, we coming with you.
Papa: I'm not going nowhere.
Jake: Yes, you is, Papa. Stop being a punk.
Papa: Y'all know I can't fight.
Kevin: Come on. Do this for Kiesha.
Papa: All right. But if they got a pit, I'm out.

Edited June 28, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Imani may be my new favorite character. I love that she doesn't like any of Trig's shit slide, whether it's pretending to take out the garbage to end a conversation, telling him she has all the time in the world when he claims "it's a long story," or calling him out for being uncomfortable at gay bars when she goes to straight bars with him all the time. The singer at the club they went to had a gorgeous voice!

I liked that Trig suggested he and Jake get to know one another, which was a good first step, but then he had to follow that up with "I've got a house in Kankakee and I want you to live with me." I was already like whoa, slow down there! Thankfully Jake said the same thing. Trig is right to want to get Jake away from Douda but you can't just show up and tell your brother he's moving in with you (especially since Jake is a teenager - he is not going to want to live an hour away from his friends).

The flashback of Kevin taking one of Kiesha's birth control pills reminded me of Sixteen Candles ("You gave me a birth control pill? Do you have any idea what that will do to a guy my age?"). I loved that while Nina was yelling at Kiesha, Kevin was stuffing his face with as many french fries as possible. I feel bad that Kevin feels so responsible for finding his sister. That is a substantial burden for a kid to bear.

Notice that Kevin, Jake, and Papa rode their bikes to a trap house at night. Should we blame them for being out after dark in a neighborhood with a trap house the way Kiesha got blamed for being at a bus stop at night? I guess we should blame Coogie and Jason for getting themselves killed too since they should have known better than to be outside their houses after sunset. All sarcasm aside, this is one of the very realistic aspects of the show. Lots of people who live in big cities like Chicago don't have cars and life goes on after dark, which means taking the bus, taking the el, riding their bikes, etc. to get around.

The police officer's abrupt attitude change once she found out that Kiesha went to a party was not cool. So what if she went to a party and is maybe seeing some boy? She's still underage and hasn't been by anyone for more than 72 hours.

I was trying to figure out what time of year it's supposed to be. The kids are still in school and Kiesha was talking about college, so it's spring?

Poor Jaida. Speed dating looks like it suuuuuucks. On the plus side, she hasn't discovered the exponentially worse world of Tinder. You know she will not react well to unsolicited dick pics.

[scrb]

Did they wait at least 2 days before asking around if anyone knows where Keisha is?

Doesn't seem she would willingly go anywhere while leaving her phone behind.

So they show the softer side of Trig, not the gangster-wannabe he seemed to project in the first episode, looking to make money.

Is Imani trans?  Is that why she/they referred to the gay bar as where her/their people are?  She seemed to be conscientious about the preferred pronouns people wanted used to refer to them.

There happened to be a report about how black trans people are poorly treated, especially among their community -- discrimination, sexual assault, poverty, etc.

Trig's reaction in the gay bar is not atypical of young black men.  Not clear that the hood would be more tolerant than the society at large.  In fact, it seems the opposite would be the case.

 

Seems unlikely that Keisha would return unscathed.  Separated from her phone, no contact with the family for over 2 days.

We know nothing is going to happen to Jake, Papa and Kevin, so it's a little unreal that they'd pedal to some dangerous neighborhood at night and have a gun pulled up and Kevin would barely flinch.

Because IRL, people are shot wantonly in Chicago.  I wouldn't think it would be common for people to defiantly challenge people who are known to be armed.

I know they want to show how Kevin has character and how willing he is to risk his life for his sister but this is Hollywood stuff, even if the creator/writer of the show is from this place.

 

 

[SuburbanHangSuite]

I was not really feeling this episode AT ALL.

Douda being Douda to Jake over some hardwood floors? 

 A random baby shower with a twins reveal and the mother's cringey reaction, "I already have 4 kids!"  WTF, was that supposed to be funny?

Jada on that speed date was ridiculous.  Why are they writing her so "dumb?"  Who automatically assumes someone Asian is an immigrant?!  Lazy, sloppy writing.

I swear, if this show goes the way of Empire with the over-the-top gay agenda, I'm out.  I could've done without that whole gay bar weirdness.  And the long-winded story from Jake's brother about their childhood was just boring, not enlightening.   

I don't know how LaLa lands so many acting gigs.  She is no actress.  (And really, writers---we're supposed to believe she cooked Emmitt a plate of oxtail that fast?!  Even in a pressure cooker, those things take a good 45 minutes.)

Color me unimpressed this week.

 

[Marley]

Yea I was pretty bored this episode. I  was looking at my phone a few times.

It just seems like there’s no point to anything anymore. Jakes brother is out of nowhere and I don’t get what they are going for with that SL. He came in all shooty and now is making boring speeches.

Emmet and the new chef lady was weird. Like she’s instantly ready to work for him right away? Like why? She has her own thing going but she just must work with some guy she just met. The whole cooking scene seemed weird and she sure made his food fast lol. Also whoever is playing her seems like a bad actress.

Kiesha being kidnapped or whatever is kind of boring too. Kevin just doesn’t care about a gun in his face either? I don’t think so. How old is Kevin supposed to be? 15? He doesn’t know what birth control pills are? Pretty dumb.

Ill keep watching tho cause there’s nothing else on and maybe it’ll get good again.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Marley

[LibertarianSlut]

I despise this season so far.  The last two seasons, especially season one, were so artful and they pulled the audience along on a mystery about Coogie’s death and Ronnie and who did what and it was really good.  Last season, it wasn’t as good, but at least there was the mystery about the old people being beaten for the homes and the realtors that were allegedly in on it.  This season just feels like a bunch of virtue signaling, and I’ll be out if it doesn’t get better.  There is the Keisha mystery, ok, but are we really supposed to believe her step-mom is going to go under a bridge armed with pepper spray and people are going to scramble all over, trying to appease her???  As if no one down there has a machete, at the very least.  

My biggest problem with the episode, though, was that Emmett had to expose himself to get into the cooking lady’s home restaurant.  That was just a gimmick.  So she had heard of Emmett, but didn’t know his face—only knew his giant member—and he needed to show it to her to gain access to her home?  Was that supposed to be for safety or something?  How about asking for two forms of ID?  Because he could have been any random motherfucker with a big penis.  

Isn’t Emmett’s thing that he has a large social media presence?  Wasn’t that how he helped Brandon’s truck get big last season?  The woman would probably know his face from his social media; she knew all about him having all the baby mamas when they were conversing in her kitchen, but she didn’t know his face, only his genitalia?  Now I think I’ve seen it all.  Were we supposed to be titillated by that?  Some type of reverse sexism bullshit?  

I wouldn’t normally let one thing bother me so much, but the rest of the season, especially this episode, has been so poor that I think about the “little” things over and over and when I come to the conclusion that they were gratuitous, I get really disappointed.

This show is just so unrealistic.  I don’t think the policewoman would have just walked out like that upon hearing that Keisha went to a party and had a boyfriend.  There’s protocol.  I don’t think Jake’s older brother would have come to the back alley of Perry’s to plea for his brother to come with him.  That’s how people get shot.  Also, there is no way those three kids would be able to slack off at work like that.  The nicest small business owners in the world have cameras in the shop that they watch on TV at home and they call the store when more talking than working is going on.  I doubt Douda is more congenial than average.  

This season this show tells a very depressing story about inner city life, but it tells it in a lighthearted, yet heavy-handed, yet not comedic way that feels tone-deaf to me.  It feels like the show is telling me how I should feel, rather than just telling a story and letting me make my mind up for myself.  Am I supposed to be laughing about Suede running with the massage table and Emmett trying to chase him with a baby in his arms?  I don’t find that even a little funny.  Why is Emmett allowed all the sexual agency in the world, but his mom is allowed none?  This protective son trope doesn’t work for me with these two.  Very little, if any of this, is working for me.  I think Lena Waithe does a much better job when she just tells a story, and if there is a humorous moment, so be it, but it’s not a comedy, and I feel like we need more of a story and fewer “feel good” moments and fewer “teachable” moments, because right now it feels like a gimmicky show with a meandering plot.  

[Empress1]

20 hours ago, scrb said:

Is Imani trans?  Is that why she/they referred to the gay bar as where her/their people are?  She seemed to be conscientious about the preferred pronouns people wanted used to refer to them.

Yes. I don't think we knew that until this episode, but when Trig said "Look, you're a woman, that's what I see when I look at you" and she talked about not complaining when he took her to straight bars, that's what that meant. And she's right - he can't love her as a trans woman and hate other trans and gay people.

20 hours ago, scrb said:

There happened to be a report about how black trans people are poorly treated, especially among their community -- discrimination, sexual assault, poverty, etc.

Black trans women are very at-risk - there have been several murders I can think of just recently, and those are the ones that were publicized. Most are not. I hope the show doesn't go that way with Imani.

8 hours ago, Marley said:

Kevin just doesn’t care about a gun in his face either? I don’t think so.

Kevin has been through a LOT and seen some shit - remember, the show started with him witnessing a murder, so I can see this. I can also see him putting on bravado while being rattled inside.

8 hours ago, Marley said:

Also whoever is playing her seems like a bad actress.

Lala Anthony, former MTV VJ. She had a recurring role on Power and she was bad there too. She just can't act.

10 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Who automatically assumes someone Asian is an immigrant?!  Lazy, sloppy writing.

Oh, I believe this. I've gotten it as a Black person. "Where are you from?" "Philly." "No, but where are you REALLY from?" Speed dating looks like it SUCKS. I sympathize with Jada - it's hard to meet people. And there's nothing wrong with dating younger, but younger men (in her case, men in their 30s and younger - I'm guessing she's in her mid-40s?) aren't going to be into a woman with three? Four? grandchildren. The trailer shows her kissing someone so I assume she meets someone at some point.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

10 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Who automatically assumes someone Asian is an immigrant?! 

Unfortunately, if you don't like 100% white, this happens all the time. Because I look "exotic" (other people's word, not mine), I've had this conversation hundreds of times and it always goes like this:

Where are you from?
I'm from California.
No, where are you REALLY from?
I was born in Chicago.
...well, where are your parents from?

And yes, it's always total strangers who ask me these nosy ass questions, which makes me wonder what they're going to do with that information. Are they going to go home and tell their mom/roommate/spouse, "OMG I saw this total stranger in public today - guess where she was from?!"

So yeah, I was not surprised that Jaida asked the speed dating guy where he was from and then where his parents were from.

Apparently white people aren't great at figuring out where non-white people are from. My friend, who is Mexican, once had a stranger yell at her, "GO BACK TO CHINA!" She said she'd never before simultaneously felt both confused and insulted. All that mattered to the person who yelled it at her was that she didn't look white enough to be American. Another common microaggression that American born Asians hear a lot is "Wow, you speak English really well!"

[Enigma X]

Yeah. This episode had me scratching my head (for some of the same reasons some of you mentioned and for others not so much). 

The whole Emmit scene was wrong. Would someone be okay with asking a woman to expose her breasts? I get if we are not supposed to like this woman, maybe the scene has a larger role. I don't think that is the case.

I also scratched my head on how they made homelessness look so cozy. I have actually seen people living under viaducts in Chicago, and it never seemed that much fun or lively. I mean if a fight broke out yeah. 

I like what they were trying to do with the gay bar scene but that fell flat too.

Do both Kevin and Jake go to the northside school now?

I could go on but am supposed to be working.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Enigma X

[DiabLOL]

Wow things are kind of a mess with this season. I'll still watch but I'm already annoyed. 

First of all the speed dating seen was so sad! Also, I have a foreign sounding name and oh wow the questions and comments I have endured! 

I'm really annoyed that I'm finding Emmett less and less likable and I really want to like him at least as much as I did last season. This episode alone? Let's see. Running after Suede while holding a baby, making fat shaming comments about the woman he has the older son with, having the nerve to think he gets any say in him mom's sex life (Emmett of all people! ) and the fact that he seems to think it's totally ok for him to be impregnating every woman he meets. Wear a rubber! How many kids can you raise? Also is he living with Tiffany? I can't figure it out. He seems to be there a lot.

I'm really irked to have to suffer Ronnie again. I'm so tired of him. I guess he's going to be getting some sort of heroic arc with the Kiesha story? It looked to me like we were supposed to think he abducted her last ep. He's walking by the bus stop looks at her she looks at him, scared. Then she's gone in the two seconds the bus passes. 

I miss Reg, both the actor and the character. The brother Trig is all over the place. He starts out murdering some guy in cold blood just to make a splashy entrance then we get his angst about being in love with a trans woman and now he's trying to get his teen brother to move into his house? Who are you? Why am I watching you when there are so many weird changes. What happened to Ronnie's grandma? Jake and Kevin somehow go to the same private school?  What about Papa? Why is Douda driving them both to school? Why is Jake so valuable to Douda and yeah wtf was up with wearing sneakers on the floor scene? Suddenly Kevin and Kiesha have a new mom but it's not the same woman as before? How is she intimidating the homeless utopia with the same pepper spray my postman carries? 

I had no clue what was up with the LaLa scenes. Why does she have a secret restaurant in her apartment? 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by DiabLOL
correcting name spellings

[Meedis]

On 6/25/2020 at 3:25 PM, taanja said:

They oughta do the ole soap 101 thing-- character is presumed dead and comes back with an altered face (you know -- plastic surgery = new actor!) I would have no problem with that! I promise will suspend my belief!

But according to the show runner -- they are not going to replace actor with a new one. Too bad. The character was cool.

Hulu still has an image of him that shows up at the beginning just before the previews to the new episode.   They apparently didn't get the memo.  LOL

[SuzieQ]

I just binge watched up to the start of Season 3.  Did they change the actors playing a few parts?  Tiff looks like a different actress as of season 2.  Kevin's mom's girlfriend/wife looks like a different actress too from season 1.

Edited July 2, 2020 by SuzieQ

[SuzieQ]

On 5/20/2019 at 10:13 PM, DiabLOL said:

Yikes!

https://www.thedailybeast.com/jason-mitchell-dropped-by-uta-management-the-chi-over-misconduct-allegations-report

Sorry folks, just catching up here!!  What an awful person, but I loved Brandon!!  dude ruined a good thing!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Roundtable Discussion: Glow Up w/ the Cast of The Chi

The Chi Is A Showcase of Black Love & Joy

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 6/29/2020 at 2:29 PM, DiabLOL said:

I had no clue what was up with the LaLa scenes. Why does she have a secret restaurant in her apartment? 

Underground/secret restaurants like that are pretty common and have been around for ages. There are lots of reasons why people go that route instead of having a regular restaurant: they can't afford to rent a space, they can't afford to outfit a commercial kitchen, they can't afford the insurance, they don't want to have a full time restaurant, etc.

In this day and age, anything secret has cache so people love feeling like they are in on one by knowing about a secret restaurant which just adds to the mystique. There are lots of secret places like that in most cities.

[Marley]

Then she just gives it up because she must work with Emmett for some reason. I found that so stupid. They are also probably going to bang I’m sure.

[scrb]

4 minutes ago, Marley said:

Then she just gives it up because she must work with Emmett for some reason. I found that so stupid. They are also probably going to bang I’m sure.

She did ask to see his penis, which she said was like a third leg according to legend.

A large penis leads to a woman making a major decision regarding her life/career.

Good message.

 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Description for Season 3, episode 3 Buss Down, which air 2020.07.05.

Quote

The Williams family goes into a tailspin; Emmett and Tiff devise a plan to move in with Jada while he gets his new business off the ground; Ronnie gets a not-so-friendly reminder that his neighborhood has a long memory of his past deeds

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S3.E3 promo:

Clips:

Have you seen this girl?

Kev needs your help

Everybody's child matters

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Imani is officially my new favorite character on the show.

I understood why Nina and Dre reacted so negatively at the ROCK meeting because a few of those women were being judgmental as fuck and worrying about the group's reputation instead of trying to find a lost girl. But it made no sense to me in the previous scene when Nina was so reluctant to accept the offer of help. If the police haven't found your daughter and walking around the neighborhood handing out flyers to people who don't want to take two seconds to listen to you hasn't helped, why would you turn down free help?

Papa and Maisha might end up being the greatest love story on this show. All I know is that any man who shows up with a hot breakfast sandwich (with a dab of grape jelly) gets an A+ in my book.

La La, on the other hand, can go at any time. I can't believe she's only been around for two episodes and I'm already this annoyed with her. First of all, you don't just go to someone's restaurant and tell them how to make their food better. Secondly, her attitude with Emmett sucked. He wasn't trying to control her. He was telling her not to be a shithead to the person whose restaurant they are using RENT-FREE for their pop up.

It's also ridiculous that between her running a secret restaurant in her house and him working at Brandon's food truck for so long, neither of them could figure out the basics of having a late night pop up. If you know there is only one person cooking and one person taking orders, then you need to be really specific about ordering so that you can be as efficient as possible and not get backed up. You can tell people this is the meal we offer, no substitutions, flat rate, limit of 2 orders per person (for example, you get three ribs, one side of greens, and one side of mac and cheese for $10). You can limit sales to preorders with specific pick up times (like every 15 minutes).

But once you are so backed up that people are waiting AN HOUR to get their orders, you need to stop, take a breath, and change your strategy. You can cut off orders and give everyone who's still in line a coupon for a free side/soda/dessert or a discount on the following night (or take their orders and tell them they can pick up their orders as soon as you open the next night). And you definitely need to figure out what you can make ahead of time and keep warm instead of cooking to order. She definitely should have premade the mac and cheese in big casserole trays (which are shallow and will therefore reheat quickly). I couldn't believe she was dumping pasta into a pot and making more while he was still taking orders.

I loved that Jaida knew every trick that Emmett and Tiff tried to pull with her and that she set some ground rules. But there need to be consequences for breaking the rules. If I tell you to be quiet in the morning, then you need to STFU in the morning, not yell at each other at the top of your lungs while I'm trying to sleep. I had no sympathy for Emmett. If he told Tiff he was going to take their kid to daycare in the morning, KNOWING FULL WELL that he was going to be working at the pop up the night before, then he should have gotten his ass out of bed and taken him. There's nothing that said he couldn't get back into bed after doing that. But instead he just whined about how he was working sooooooo hard the night before.

If you say you're going to take on a responsibility with your child, then you need to do it unless you're bleeding profusely and about to pass out. Being tired is no excuse to flake on your parental responsibilities. How many mothers do you think are tired when they drag their asses out of bed and take care of their kids every morning? The problem is that Emmett thinks he's being super responsible just because he's doing more than absolutely nothing, and that's just not true.

I get that Jaida was just trying to be a problem solver when she offered to take the baby to daycare, but Tiff was right - Emmett needs to be responsible and do what he said he was going to do instead of having Jaida swoop in to fix things for him.

[scrb]

Not too much new ground, though that trap house was horrific.

Are they going to be looking for Keisha all season?  It's been 7 days.  With each passing week from here on out, the chances diminish of finding her.  I think the revelation that Keisha was posting a lot of risqué pictures is kind of a revision of the character to fit the current story.  She was a track athlete who was looking at an athletic scholarship but her peers knew she was taking some risks?

I guess Emmet is trying to offer a 180-degree alternative to the old school soul food offered during the day.  Are trendy food popups a thing in the hood?  Don't they tend to be overpriced and try to target upscale clientele?  Is he marketing only through social media and all those people showed up?

It's a good thing the other kids and then Trig talked sense into Kevin about getting in the face of some armed gangster.

BTW, wasn't it Kevin who was cultivating the relationship with Maisha?  Now they paired her with Papa and Kevin is probably going to get paired with the new much slimmer girl?

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

16 minutes ago, scrb said:

Are trendy food popups a thing in the hood?  Don't they tend to be overpriced and try to target upscale clientele?  Is he marketing only through social media and all those people showed up?

There are food pop ups in Oakland all the time. People usually do them because they can't afford to afford the monthly rent for a restaurant space so often they do what Emmett did which is find a free or low cost space. You can definitely get a lot of people to show up if you only advertise on social media. There is a quesabirria pop up that only announces their locations/times on Instagram and they sell out every time. It's been like that since their first pop up.