The Chi - General Discussion

[SuzieQ]

Wasn't Tiff pregnant?

[Enigma X]

6 minutes ago, SuzieQ said:

Wasn't Tiff pregnant?

Yes. I thought that was the major reason why Emmett and Tiff were going to try to make their relationship work again.

And here we are at Ronnie’s 50th redemption arc. They could not have made the suspect at the vigil, well, more suspect. White guy in red. I am hoping it is just a red herring. (No cheesy pun intended.) I mean it can be a white guy (or whomever) but not so obvious. 

I agree with the above poster about feeling some kind of way about the Kevin/Maisha/Poppa thing. 

It seems to me that the cook Emmett found was doing better with her house restaurant. 

And again Trig threatens some baddies with no repercussions??? I would have preferred if Trig came on the scene as a young black man who has his shit together, despite the obstacles. Chicago does have successful non-gang affiliated black men. Even ones from the south side. Or a young guy who is trying to change and move over to something legit. Other than getting custody of Jake, has he stated what his future plans are?

Jada is probably my favorite character at the moment but Tiff was right about her allowing Emmett to slide on his responsibilities.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

I'm so confused about the Ms. Ethel storyline.  So she gets beat viciously and the next time we see her, she's lost her house and her mind?  Where did this dementia riddled, Alzheimers having Ms. Ethel come from?  

The LaLa story is stupid beyond all description.  Yeah, how long was home-boy going to have to wait for his 3 racks of ribs?  

I don't like Jake's brother or his boo.  Jake needs to ask Douda for help with Keisha---he'll get answers.

Those women in that ROC group were something else.  Who knew that losing a child makes you that hateful?

Kevin's crush is really cute and I LOVE how intelligently they're writing her.  More Kevin and Poppa, please.  Poppa needs to be at that Northside school too.

[SuzieQ]

10 hours ago, Enigma X said:

Yes. I thought that was the major reason why Emmett and Tiff were going to try to make their relationship work again.

Exactly!  I even paused it a few times to see if I could see any kind of a bump on her and nope!

This show started out so good and now seems to be falling apart a little.  And I know he's a douche in real life, but I really miss Brandon and Jerrika!  That was one of the better story lines.

[Marley]

How long is the Keisha storyline gonna go on. I feel like I don’t really care what happens.

Meh to Ronnie.

I wanna see more what’s happening with Jake. He was always an interesting character to me. I don’t really care about his brother so far. There’s not much point to him. I miss Reg kind of.

I am confused about Tiff too. Was she always a weed dealer? I thought she had a job before. And did they just forget she was pregnant and drop the storyline or did she lose the baby?

Lala is so annoying I wish they got a better actress. The whole storyline is failing to me.

This show has gone downhill so much. 

Edited July 6, 2020 by Marley

[PrincessPurrsALot]

The pop-up made no sense at all.  If she's such a good cook, she would know things have to be prepared in advance.  Mac & Cheese, greens and ribs can be cooked well in advance.  She could finish them to order.  It would be one thing is she was making poached eggs.  I sense the writers have never been in a restaurant kitchen.  Also, why would she insult the owner of the space?  Did she want them to get shut down before they start? 

I am in no mood for Ronnie redemption 6000.  The whole thing with the woman at the recycling center asking him to ask her out was creepy.  He is homeless and scraping for money.  She is only rubbing it in by playing that mess. Ugh. 

I do care about them finding Keisha.  There are important things that can be said about the lack of concern for a missing black girl.  However, it seems so clunky and the conversations don't ring true.  I don't doubt that there would be jerks at the meeting.  But the way they expressed themselves was terrible.  Even worse are the conversations between her moms or the thought that the entire community supports their relationship.  Um, yeah, no.  The big speech at the vigil for Keisha had no purpose other than to pull on our heartstrings.  

Ronnie spotting the presumed evil-doer and chasing after him. No. Just no. 

Normally I'm an ugh, kids, kind of person.  For this show I really enjoy the kids.  The adults are not working for me.  

[scrb]

Regardless of Keisha's fate -- maybe she will turn out to be completely unharmed -- obviously was a risky thing to be out at night alone, especially if it turns out she was abducted from that bus stop.

It may or may not turn out that she suffered the same fate as those girls in the trap house.

How did they end up there, maybe abducted from the streets at night like Keisha apparently was?

Keisha's family is desperately looking for her but what happened to the families of those other girls?  After enough time, they just gave up looking?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S3.E4: Gangway

Quote

Ronnie finds a new calling in his bid for redemption; Emmett lets his dad, Darnell, and his insecurities get the best of him; Kevin is weighed down by a lie; the mayoral race heats up when candidates Douda and Camille Halloway face off.

Promo:

Mom, can we go?

I just want this to be over

I want to walk alongside you

Original air date: 7/12/20

Edited July 18, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[scrb]

They don't say how long Keisha has been missing but it has to be at least a couple of weeks.  The private investigator is asking for more money so maybe the police looked at it for a couple of weeks and then they hired a PI?

And it's almost half way through the season so now the plot about her missing seems to be a tool to tell other stories, like another chance for Ronnie to make himself better about himself but it didn't pan out.

Seems like they're going to gradually push this story into the background, maybe as some object lesson about how dangerous it can be in this community.

Douda aspires to be more than a gangster and wants to be a proud father.  OK but did he have Reg killed partly because he wanted to take care of Jake?

OK, Emmet has to romance his baby momma, maybe he can build something real, like he's trying to build his business.

This season it's kind of becoming the anti-Seinfeld, much hugging and learning being attempted.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Poor Kevin. The look on his face when he realized that he had been invited to his fancy school's fundraiser so that they could trot him out as the poor boy whose tuition the donors pay for - just UGH.

I'm beginning to like Jemma more. I like that she isn't willing to lower her expectations to meet Kevin's behavior. I also like that she sees through his silly teenage boy stuff and calls him on it (like when he said he just happened to have two tickets to that exhibit).

When Papa said he liked Jemma based on what Kevin said about her, it reminded me that he's at their old school by himself now, which really sucks. His two oldest friends are gone and it's hard to break into established friend groups at that age. At least he has Maisha to hang out with. The ironic thing is that of the three boys, Papa would probably appreciate being at that fancy school the most.

Nina having to go look at that dead girl's body was heartbreaking. But as Dre pointed out, that was someone else's child.

For about 30 seconds, I thought Darnell was actually going to be useful and give Emmett some good advice and then he pivoted to "she's totally cheating on you." Thank goodness for Sonny and their therapist. Just because you're in a relationship doesn't mean the other person owes you sex.

Emmett is so focused on HIS needs and what HE wants that he is overlooking hers. Case in point: last week he was whining about how he'd been up all night working at the pop up so he was too tired to take HIS OWN CHILD to daycare, which he had already committed to doing. He never stops to think about if Tiff is tired from her job or from taking care of their kid. It's all Emmett all the time, and he expects to be rewarded for upgrading his behavior to Not Totally the Worst. Like great, you aren't actively avoiding paying the child support that you owe, but, as Chris Rock famously said, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO. You don't get a pat on the back for not being a total shit bag.

Ha, I'm not advocating lying to your kids but Papa's father could have easily told him that the money Lena gave him was a donation to the church.

Speaking of shady, Douda continues to suck. I just hope Jake doesn't get too hurt by whatever he's up to. His eagerness to help secure Jemma's dad as a donor showed just how invested he really is in being seen as an asset to Douda, which just means that he is going to be easy for Douda to manipulate into whatever shady ass stuff he has planned.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

12 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Poor Kevin. The look on his face when he realized that he had been invited to his fancy school's fundraiser so that they could trot him out as the poor boy whose tuition the donors pay for - just UGH.

 But I did get a good, "HA!" at the, "Maybe you'll be the next Ben Carson."  "Let's hope not." exchange.   Not Obama.  Ben Carson.  FOH.

Kevin just got alllll the bass in his voice this season, huh?  From his, "Call her a bitch again!" to knocking out the disrespectful customer talking shit about his sister, Kevin is bringing the heat.  Now his crush?  She's walking a fine line between inspiring and exhausting---I'm leaning toward exhausting.

But so many other, "Huh?" moments for me this season:

Kandi.  Sigh.  No one asked for this addition to the cast--she brings nothing.  Same for Lena.  Go away.

I was not ready to see Ronnie eating from the garbage can.  What happened to Common?  Last season Ronnie was hanging at the community center, earning respect and this season, nothing of Common or that storyline.  Poppa's dad offering him guidance this year.  Another season and they'll be a rabbi scraping him up off the sidewalk and helping him?

What random judge ordered Couples Counseling for Emmitt and Tiff?  And she's a Door Dash weed mogul?  Who can't afford her own place?  And how are Tiff and Emmitt screwing all over his MAMA's APARTMENT?!  Where was Jada?

Such a disjointed, weird season. 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

12 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

But I did get a good, "HA!" at the, "Maybe you'll be the next Ben Carson."  "Let's hope not." exchange.   Not Obama.  Ben Carson.  FOH.

Ha, that made me laugh too!

Quote

And how are Tiff and Emmitt screwing all over his MAMA's APARTMENT?!  Where was Jada?

Hopefully she and the baby were both somewhere else because I can tell you that I would not be pleased if I came home to my own house and found anyone having sex all over the place!

12 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

And she's a Door Dash weed mogul?  Who can't afford her own place? 

I couldn't tell if she was selling it on her own or if she's working for a dispensary, but there are tons of websites that offer free same day delivery in states where marijuana is legal. You just pick what you want and someone shows up at your house in a few hours. Since she was offering that guy some different options, I'm guessing she's working independently. She could be buying stuff at a dispensary and then repackaging for resale.

Her customer was so gross. What kind of guy tells a girl who knows she has a boyfriend, "If you want some good dick, you know where to find me"? GROSS.

Edited July 13, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[SuprSuprElevated]

15 minutes ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Kandi.  Sigh.  No one asked for this addition to the cast--she brings nothing.  Same for Lena.  Go away.

The Kandi thing is an insult, or should be.  I'm not as bothered by Lena.  This episode was just lacking for me.  The shining standout was Tyla Abercrumbie's performance.  She sold that performance as the tortured mother of a missing/found dead/not found dead child.  Stunning.

 

Edited July 13, 2020 by SuprSuprElevated

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Illinois is not one of them.

I don't live there but according to this, it's been legal since January 1st of this year.

[SuprSuprElevated]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I don't live there but according to this, it's been legal since January 1st of this year.

Yeah, why I deleted.

[Marley]

I liked this episode a bit more then the ones before but still not great.

I didn’t like the fake out with the dead body. I want a conclusion to the Keisha story. If she’s not dead where is she. I hate waiting this long lol.

I know it probably won’t end well but I wish everything would work out for Jake. I’m rooting for him and like his character.

Meh to Kandi. She’s not really needed on this show. She’s not a horrible actor but I wouldn’t say she’s good.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Roundtable Discussion: Black & Missing

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S3.E5: Terror Town

Quote

Ronnie's memories threaten to drown his progress; an unexpected visit threatens Trig's battle to get custody of Jake; Kevin and his friend's adventure tests the limits of their fight-or-flight instincts; Emmett capitalizes on a predicament.

Promo:

Did you know her?

I want you to be my lady

Original air date: 7/18/20

Edited July 25, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Enigma X]

I am confused as to why Trig and Imani are in Chicago trying to get Jake. Kankakee is a very affluent Chicago suburb. Also, if they can afford to have a home in Kankakee, they can afford to have a better home than they do in Chicago.

[DiabLOL]

1 hour ago, Enigma X said:

I am confused as to why Trig and Imani are in Chicago trying to get Jake. Kankakee is a very affluent Chicago suburb. Also, if they can afford to have a home in Kankakee, they can afford to have a better home than they do in Chicago.

I was wondering about the same thing. Only theory I could come up with is they rented the apartment to stay within Jake's school district? I don't know. Weird.

[Marley]

The whole Trig wanting custody of Jake thing is really weird like why now? What was he doing before?

[LibertarianSlut]

6 hours ago, DiabLOL said:

I was wondering about the same thing. Only theory I could come up with is they rented the apartment to stay within Jake's school district? I don't know. Weird.

But isn’t Jake in that private school, which would negate the need to focus on the school district?  It could mean they just want to keep him with his friends or in his neighborhood, but I think their whole aim is to take Jake out of his environment, so none of it makes any sense to me, and if they show doesn’t care enough to put in one line of throwaway dialogue, I consider it just a plot contrivance.

I am officially hate-watching now.  This show is so bad.  I have no idea what message they’re trying to get across.  Showtime, overall as a network, is just totally slipping.  Their only decent show, City On A Hill, doesn’t appear to be coming back anytime soon.  

Douda’s sex scene with Kandi (I think it’s so funny that everyone on this board calls her Kandi, when her name per IMDB is apparently Roselyn.  All I see is Kandi Burruss on my screen though) was terrible.  We have Douda going down on Kandi who is sitting on a counter while she is strategizing for his campaign and in one simple move he has her turned over and her is taking her from behind.  Totally unrealistic, especially on a hard, uneven surface.  When people have sex in real life, there is usually some talk of changing positions, some awkward shifting, and, not to get too graphic, but the man usually has to put a hand on his penis to steady it to get it into the woman’s vagina.  None of that happened here.  Is everyone on this set a virgin, or do they just think completely unrealistic sex is somehow sexy?

Where did Jada’s date come from, and why would the show think we’re invested enough to care whether his family accepts her?  We don’t know him.  We don’t know why he didn’t tell her he had a wife.  Why is it such a big deal that he’s a widower?  It’s ok that Jada has a kid from an ex-boyfriend or an ex-husband, but this date is supposed to be some kind of virgin or Jada takes it personally?  That’s not even Jada’s MO.  That was the reaction of some other woman who temporarily borrowed Jada’s body.  

Every single one of Ronnie’s scenes depresses the hell out of me and I think they are pointless.  He’s going to save Keisha next week, great.  Did we need to see him bumming around and homeless for five episodes in order for this to be redemption?

How did Ronnie’s grandmother get out of the nursing home and find her way back to her former home?  Because there was a blackout and the nursing home was understaffed?  Apparently they had enough staff for a woman to approach Ronnie and explain all of this to him in detail instead of, I dunno, caring for the residents?

I don’t think Emmett’s new business partner is a good actress.  I think their scenes together have no charisma.  How did this woman go from refusing to serve the food blogger to allowing Emmett to just grab random food (how would he know what she ordered?) and hand it to the blogger and suddenly everyone has the feels and they’re lovey dovey and happy as clams?  

How exactly did Jake’s brother manage to get a social worker to assess his home in the first place?  That shit doesn’t just happen.  If he wanted custody of Jake, he would have to petition the court, and there would be hearings and Douda would be right in the middle of it.  Jake’s brother’s dialogue and reasoning was so off.  Imani asks him how they are going to deal with their criminal records and he says he’ll just explain that it was years ago.  Oh, yeah, the powers that be will get that.  They’ll understand.  Then Imani makes a good point and an unselfish move by saying she is basically a liability and the brother won’t be able to get Jake while she’s around, so she’s going to take off, and Jake’s brother protests that Jake will need Imani, so that takes care of that and she’s staying.  Say what?  If the court won’t award Jake’s brother custody of Jake with Imani in the home, then Jake will never have access to Imani in the first place.  This was just some nonsensical feel-good bullshit to show us just how deeply Jake’s brother loves Imani, but it had no internal logic.  

The blackout advanced the plot not at all.  I felt like it was just a way to pass time.  Why couldn’t Keisha just have escaped from her prison at night and have Ronnie walking by and hear her screams with no time-consuming, boring blackout?

I can tell Lena loves these kids, and I can tell she wants us to love them, but they’re just too precious.  Jake and Kev seem to have some redeeming qualities that I can appreciate, but I don’t think Papa’s vocabulary is written realistically, and I don’t find it amusing when he says, he wants to play more tennis and his lady responds that she can get him a tennis racket because her cousin just stole one.  Are we, as an audience, all supposed to collectively sign and go “aw”?  That’s not happening for me.  The girl that Kevin likes is also unrealistic.  I’m in my thirties and I’ve rubbed shoulders with some educated people and I may have met one or two people that well-spoken in my life, and they were politicians and judges.  They need to dial her back several notches.  Get us to like the kids because they’re inherently likable, like Kevin going to look for his sister.  The precocious dialogue and the contrived situations in which they find themselves make them less endearing to me, not more, and I have felt that since season one.  

Did anything else happen?  It was all so boring; I kept looking at the clock to see when it would be over.  I just remember each and every scene being terrible and everything except for the Keisha stuff very extraneous to the plot.  (Note:  I don’t like what happened to Keisha and I don’t find it particularly interesting, but at least it moved us forward in the story, unlike pretty much anything else that happened this episode).  

[scrb]

So someone mentions that black girls have been getting abducted but I don't know if this scenario rings true, the abductor has a spare apt. that's all wired up with webcams and he's watching her pee and gives her enough time to bust out of the place.

I guess this story is based on some real life cases, about girls who were like 10 and then kept as slaves through puberty.  But Keisha is about to go to college, so it's different than those cases.

Young women around college age when they're abducted, often the outcome isn't good, often you hear about recovered bodies not too long after they've gone missing.

We don't know how long Keisha has been missing but seems like people have moved on.  Emmet looked at the donation can with her picture on it and then Kev, when he was walking back home with his girlfriend, saw a little memorial on the sidewalk for the other girl whose body was found in the previous episode.  That made him think of Keisha for a moment, because they thought that the body which was found might have been Keisha.  Then he goes on and meets up with his friends again and they're dancing and having fun.

They haven't forgotten Keisha but they are living their life.

Yeah the odds of Ronnie hearing Keisha's screams seem really unlikely, unless it turns out the abductor is someone known in the neighborhood and maybe he was planning for awhile to abduct her.  That's a more likely scenario, that the perpetrator isn't a complete stranger.

 

Jake talks tough but it seems weird that he's shaken so much seeing Otis beat that guy, probably to death, so he won't be able to go public with it.  Guess he's been more sheltered than he thought.

Blackout allows Keisha to bust through the door eventually.  Actually, if the abductor lives somewhere else -- took him awhile to get there -- how is he going to lock her up again?  Is he going to reinstall a new lock in the middle of the night, while making sure she can't escape and the neighbors don't notice?  Is he going to make a run to the hardware store to get new locks?

For everyone else, the blackout is a chance to have parties out on the streets.  Kind of a clash in tones, the terrifying plot for Keisha, with things getting suspenseful as she tries to break out and elsewhere, people are dancing, eating barbecue, etc.

 

 

[Empress1]

19 hours ago, LibertarianSlut said:

Where did Jada’s date come from, and why would the show think we’re invested enough to care whether his family accepts her?

I feel like there are a lot of missing scenes here. They met at work, he asked her out, she said she didn't date men she worked with, he said it wasn't a date, and now they go together and she's meeting his family? 

19 hours ago, LibertarianSlut said:

All I see is Kandi Burruss on my screen though

Me too. Her being on the show was an issue on Real Housewives of Atlanta (she's a workaholic; it's the classic work vs. family debate), so it kind of cracks me up to see her here.

Sonny's dressing down of Emmett was pretty brutal, but deserved.

Keisha girl, when you break out YOU RUN. She was going to college on a TRACK SCHOLARSHIP. 

[Queena]

On 7/19/2020 at 9:58 AM, Enigma X said:

I am confused as to why Trig and Imani are in Chicago trying to get Jake. Kankakee is a very affluent Chicago suburb. Also, if they can afford to have a home in Kankakee, they can afford to have a better home than they do in Chicago.

I don't know about Kankakee being affluent. They could have stayed in Kankakee and fought for custody from there. Kankakee is a hour, hour and a half tops from the Southside. 

 

Kiesha:a abductor was in the restaurant after her brother punched dude for talking about her picture. He's either the track coach that she dated or another track coach. 

 

I like the season so far. 

[Enigma X]

15 minutes ago, Queena said:

I don't know about Kankakee being affluent. They could have stayed in Kankakee and fought for custody from there. Kankakee is a hour, hour and a half tops from the Southside. 

 

Kiesha:a abductor was in the restaurant after her brother punched dude for talking about her picture. He's either the track coach that she dated or another track coach. 

 

I like the season so far. 

You are right. I was confusing Kankakee with Kenilworth. Still, Kankakee is middle class (looked it up) and they would have a better chance of getting custody of Jake in Kankakee. 

[Marley]

Wait did I miss something? When did Jada start dating this guy and getting all serious? Last I saw he asked her on a date. Sometimes I FF if annoyed or bored but Jada wasn’t even in the last episode I’m pretty sure.

I wish they got a better actress for the Emmett stuff because the actress he’s with now is dragging their whole storyline down. Also I’m glad Sonny bitched him out. Emmett is just running a fucking business out of someone else’s business like how would Sonny not find out.

Why would Jake be so scared about Otis beating someone? Reg ran a gang out of their house lol. I’m sure he wasn’t that sheltered. It was sad tho cause he was happy before that.

Trig and his lady are annoying me. Their whole storyline is so meh.

I don’t know where I thought they would go with the Kiesha storyline but I did not think this. I do need it to be over tho. Who kidnapped her? 

Kandi can go away now lol.

[Meedis]

I'm enjoying the kids interacting with one other and how cool that Papa & Maisha are now an item considering they hated each other's guts the last couple seasons.    Young love...AWW!

Why do I have a feeling that Reggie for all his hate of Latreece may wind up making a move on her and causing a further rift between Kev and him? 

Poor Keshia.   I was wondering if they were doing a kidnapping as 'sex slave' storyline.    It was great seeing her bust out of her prison during the blackout but I kept screaming the whole time when she was laying on the ground that she needed to RUN.    And what was dude doing when she was busting the doors and making all that noise, taking a dump?    Of course he shows up just when Keshia lets her guard down.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I have watched enough scary movies to know that you don't get to collapse with relief until you are far enough away that your captor can't, you know, recapture you. I was like KIESHA, RUN YOUR ASS AS FAR AS YOU CAN!

Ronnie is so obsessed with being the hero (because his grandma told him to save Kiesha and I guess that's all the motivation he needs) that he is assuming any scream during a blackout must be Kiesha? Okay then. I mean, I want her to get the fuck away from the creepy rapist who is handcuffing her to a bed in his murder basement but Ronnie's immediate assumption that any scream during a blackout MUST be Kiesha just made me roll my eyes.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S3.E6: Woo Woo Woo

Quote

Kevin's birthday finds him in far from a celebrating mood; Ronnie takes his grandmother Ms. Ethel on a whirl back in time; Emmett goes on a cannabis run with Tiff; Douda's campaign hits another speed bump when a past wound draws fresh blood.

Promo:

Happy birthday, Kevin

Why'd you leave us?

Miss Ethel's in the house

Original air date: 7/26/20

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[DiabLOL]

This show's a mess. But I'm enjoying it. I don't know.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was allowed to celebrate my birthday with my friends, but I also never told my mom that I was going to do that INSTEAD of having dinner and cake with my family. Going out with my friends was in addition to that.

I understand that Kevin doesn't want people to know about Kiesha because he doesn't want them to feel sorry for him, but it's also not a secret that she's missing since his mom is putting up fliers with her picture and holding vigils.

Man, Emmitt really needs to learn to hold his tongue. He almost got his ass thrown out of the dispensary because he wouldn't shut up. It really only worked out because Brandon's cousin is AWESOME (I'm so glad he's back), but sheesh, learn how to control your mouth! That's essentially Tiff's place of work so it was really inappropriate for him to go in there and start running his mouth. You know if the shoe was on the other foot and Tiff was talking shit to someone he worked for (like Sonny), he would lose it.

Awww, Papa is the best. I love that he helped Dre plan a surprise party for Kevin's birthday.

Edited July 26, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[SuzieQ]

14 hours ago, DiabLOL said:

This show's a mess. But I'm enjoying it. I don't know.

I hear ya!!  But I still keep watching!  I love the Jake and Kevin story lines.  Jake tries to be a tough guy but he would just love a real family.  Kevin is such a cutie!  Getting tired of Ronnie and Emmett.

Edited July 26, 2020 by SuzieQ

[scrb]

If the creep has an apt. above the room Keisha's locked up in, why did it take so long for him to show up after the blackout?

Keisha is remembering Kevin's last birthday, just when they were talking about her leaving for college.  Now it's Kevin's birthday again.  So she's been captive for almost a year or at least a few months?

Are they trying to be discrete, showing him only brushing her hair and smelling it?  We're suppose to infer that he's doing other things to her?

Ronnie had a hunch but despite hearing Keisha over the heating vents, he leaves and drops it -- couldn't have been much worse for him.

At this point, six episodes into the season, they need to end this plot one way or another, either she escapes or gets rescued or it's a tragic end.  From the scenes of her captivity, now showing the creep who abducted her, she's going to be freed.

IF they're showing these scenes now as a prelude to a bad ending for her, it recasts the series in a very dark tone.  It had been kind of a slice of life show about characters striving to better themselves and their lot in life, with lots of moments of joy. 

So it seems unlikely that they would have this plot end up in a grisly, tragic way.  Especially since this abduction plot seemed to come out of nowhere, since the show had had a lot of moments of affirmation, despite the economic and racial hardships these characters go through.

The headlines you hear about Chicago are often about the random violence, especially where bystanders, including children, are the victims.  Show creator didn't want to depict her city as just the shootings.  Sure there are criminal figures among the cast but it's about people who avoid and don't live in fear of the gang violence.  

This stalker/kidnapper character, who abducts Keisha because she looks like the girl who rejected him in high school, is wildly out of place for this show.

[DiabLOL]

21 minutes ago, scrb said:

If the creep has an apt. above the room Keisha's locked up in, why did it take so long for him to show up after the blackout?

I was under the impression that he stepped out and then the blackout happened and he ran home? Or maybe once again I have to pick up the slack for the writers.

21 minutes ago, scrb said:

Are they trying to be discrete, showing him only brushing her hair and smelling it?  We're suppose to infer that he's doing other things to her?

I keep wondering about that myself and I'm not sure what to make of it that I don't know.

21 minutes ago, scrb said:

Ronnie had a hunch but despite hearing Keisha over the heating vents, he leaves and drops it -- couldn't have been much worse for him.

I don't know even know how he knew the screaming was coming from that house. Then he's taking Miss Ethel out on the town like nothing happened. 

21 minutes ago, scrb said:

At this point, six episodes into the season, they need to end this plot one way or another, either she escapes or gets rescued or it's a tragic end.  From the scenes of her captivity, now showing the creep who abducted her, she's going to be freed.

IF they're showing these scenes now as a prelude to a bad ending for her, it recasts the series in a very dark tone.  It had been kind of a slice of life show about characters striving to better themselves and their lot in life, with lots of moments of joy. 

So it seems unlikely that they would have this plot end up in a grisly, tragic way.  Especially since this abduction plot seemed to come out of nowhere, since the show had had a lot of moments of affirmation, despite the economic and racial hardships these characters go through.

Right, this isn't "Silence of the Lambs" yet I find these scenes too disturbing for the kind of show I thought I was watching. Yes it's upsetting when other bad stuff happens to the characters but they're not this drawn out and horrifying.

21 minutes ago, scrb said:

This stalker/kidnapper character, who abducts Keisha because she looks like the girl who rejected him in high school, is wildly out of place for this show.

I have to say that I can't think of any plots in this show that make sense to me at this point. They range from boring to ridiculous. I guess I enjoy watching it because I like the performers and the characters but I wish it was better! It deserves to be better!

[SuburbanHangSuite]

9 hours ago, DiabLOL said:

I have to say that I can't think of any plots in this show that make sense to me at this point. They range from boring to ridiculous.

I mean, what abductor is going to allow someone to come in the house where he has an awake, alert captive in the cellar?!  And how does Ronnie not hear her yelling clearly through the heating vents? 

And what bakery is going to have a line out the door when the employees can't be bothered to spell "Kevin" correctly?  And the  nasty attitude to go with the mistakes?  Lena/The Writers think this is cute or funny?  I can't with this writing.

[Enigma X]

I keep watching because I am from Chicago and want the show (mainly writing but acting in some cases too) to be better. 

[SuburbanHangSuite]

Agreed.  The acting has fallen way off and I think that's an indication of how much this show centered around Jason Mitchell.  He may be a predatory asshole but he was the heart of this show---I loved his relationships with Kev, Emmitt & his cousin.   Killing him off left a major void in key storylines and it seems like they've done a lot of scrambling to hire celebrity (LaLa, Kandi, Luke James) over substance.  Brandon and Reg both being gone left some big shoes to fill.  

[DiabLOL]

4 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

I mean, what abductor is going to allow someone to come in the house where he has an awake, alert captive in the cellar?!  And how does Ronnie not hear her yelling clearly through the heating vents? 

That was ridiculous! I wouldn't have let him use my bathroom and I'm not a sadistic kidnapper yet this guy was all oh yes ok sure.

4 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

And what bakery is going to have a line out the door when the employees can't be bothered to spell "Kevin" correctly?  And the  nasty attitude to go with the mistakes?  Lena/The Writers think this is cute or funny?  I can't with this writing.

Right the clerk was texting and so angry to be interrupted by customers with a line going to the street. They misspelled Kevin?! That's supposed to be hilarious? Also they took the cake in the back to fix it and it came out half a second later.

I agree that Jason brought a special quality to the show that not only tied things together but made for some very compelling relationships and scenes. That's gone now.

[Empress1]

17 hours ago, scrb said:

Keisha is remembering Kevin's last birthday, just when they were talking about her leaving for college.  Now it's Kevin's birthday again.  So she's been captive for almost a year or at least a few months?

I thought maybe she was imagining what could have been on that day as she was drawing the pancakes? In the preview for the next episode Keisha's stepmother says "it's been two months, it's time to grieve."

I wouldn’t let a stranger use my bathroom and I haven’t abducted anyone. That was ridiculous.

Kandi is ... not great. She’s wooden. I know she has other acting experience but she’s wooden here.

Seeing Miss Ethel holding court in the club was so lovely. She looked beautiful. It was like she was able to have one last fun night before she went "home."

How are you going to misspell "Kevin" and then have a stank attitude when your customer points it out? What in the no-customer-service hell is that?

Edited July 27, 2020 by Empress1

[Enigma X]

I was confused by the opening diner scene, because I thought why is Keisha talking about leaving now when she still has a whole year left. I thought it was a memory flashback to the previous year. And how much older is Trig supposed to be than Reg. I ask because they are talking as if Trig could have gotten custody of Reg and Jake. To me, Trig looks the same age, if not younger.

The actors who play Douda, the abductor, and Ronnie are just as wooden as Kandi in my opinion.

I did enjoy the Miss Ethel scenes, but I think that is because I enjoy the actress.

Edited July 27, 2020 by Enigma X
correction

[Marley]

Yea I don’t watch this show for storylines like the shit they are doing with Keisha. It’s weird and creepy as fuck. Also just end it already. If they kill her after all this it’s gonna be really fucked up.

Not a fan of Kandi as an actor. She’s not great at it. 

For some reason I want Douda to win and become mayor I don’t know why lol. 

Emmett was annoying at the weed shop. It is cute he went to Kevins bday tho.

Jada is gone from the ep again. She was gone from a couple episodes before and then suddenly in this serious relationship when she got back. She will probably be married next time we see her.

This show needs to get its shit together but I somehow still like it lol.

Edited July 29, 2020 by Marley

[scrb]

Check out #TheChi.

Similar criticisms as here.  People not feeling it like the first two seasons.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Loved loved loved that Miss Ethel got one last night out on the town and that everyone got to enjoy her presence. I was really hoping that instead of this being her last hurrah, the club would have a weekly event (Sunday nights with Miss Ethel!) so she could get dolled up and tell everyone crazy stories about what happened there when she was around.

[SuzieQ]

On 7/27/2020 at 7:42 AM, Enigma X said:

I keep watching because I am from Chicago and want the show (mainly writing but acting in some cases too) to be better. 

Same!!  But I feel like I'm watching a different show from the first 2 seasons.......................and not in a good way!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Next episode description:

Ronnie laments a loss. Emmett and Dom get help from landlord Zeke in their new effort. Kiesha is resigned to her fate but vows to fight. Jemma melts Kevin’s heart. Politics pit Douda against Camille.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S3.E7: A Stain

Promo:

We the next generation

Thank you

Original air date: 8/2/20

Edited August 8, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

THANK GAWD Kiesha is finally free. At first I thought this was going to lead to a "Kiesha and Ronnie cover up a murder" plot so I was glad when the ambulances immediately showed up. I hope they get her into therapy immediately because she is really going to need it. On a related note, I hope that this completes Ronnie's redemption. I don't need the show to drop him into another pit of abyss now that Ethel and his two friends are gone.

There's always a huge risk when you cast young kids because there's no telling if they are just naturally precocious or if they'll be able to pick up the technical skills of acting. The actor who plays Kevin clearly showed all the conflict he felt when he went into Ronnie's hospital room. You could see all the different emotions he felt before finally just saying, "Thank you."

I don't know how smart it is for Jake to show his obvious contempt for Douda. I mean, I get it. He has reason for his contempt now that the rose colored glasses are finally off and he sees him for what he really is (plus he's a teenager so contempt for parental figures is par for the course), but this guy is paying for your private school tuition and giving you a roof over your head. Maybe consider hiding your outright disdain for him a tiny bit?

Ha, I was LIVING for Jaida telling Emmett and Tiff that THEY AIN'T SHIT. It's not like she was asking a lot of them. As she pointed out, they're living there rent free and the very least they could do is clean up after themselves. That's the bare minimum you should be doing as a guest (or as a human being, to be honest). 

Emmett is so predictable. As the psychic told him last week, he lets his dick make his decisions. Despite him telling Tiff JUST A FEW DAYS AGO that he wasn't cheating on her with the chef lady, the first chance he got he fucked her. Good job, dumbass.

Sonny is going to be furious when he finds out that Emmett went behind his back and got him kicked out. Even worse, Emmett apparently plans to keep the name of the place as Sonny's? That is not going to go over well with Sonny.

Edited August 2, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[LibertarianSlut]

This episode wasn’t quite the prettiest girl at the dance, but it wasn’t a dog either.  

Ronnie’s old drinking buddies had some funny commentary.

Sonny’s landlord’s response to pretty much everything Emmett made me laugh.  

Emmett:  “The next generation!”

Landlord:  “This ain’t Star Trek”

Lena’s speech to Kev’s girlfriend’s dad and Douda was hilarious.  I loved the cynicism of the words juxtaposed against the earnest patriotic music.

Ken’s girlfriend’s father to Kev:  “Were you trying to fuck my daughter?”   

Maisha’s mom opening the door to Papa and his dad and saying dryly, “I accept Jesus Christ as my savior.”  Ha ha ha.  

Sure, much of the episode didn’t make sense, and there was a lot to be desired, but this show is so much better when it’s just funny.  Not heartwarming—they get that all wrong—but wryly and sardonically funny.  

I thought the guy Jada was dating was completely right about Emmett and it was weird writing that Jada seemed to have completely reversed her earlier stance of telling Emmett she was moving and he was not coming with her, even if that meant Emmett would be homeless, and I chalk that up to shoddy writing.  I liked Jada’s attitude so much better last season.  Emmett is good for a laugh here or there, but he’s an irresponsible, manipulative asshole who will take a mile if he’s given a foot.  Two episodes in a row he is willing to fuck up someone else’s business plan just because he felt like he was Emmett, and who is anyone to ask him to adhere to any kind of decorum or authority (last episode when Tiff asked him not to cause a stir at the dispensary and he did, and this episode when he brought his kid along to make a business pitch). 

Also, I feel bad for that guy Jada’s dating.  First she freaks out that he is widowed and now she is letting her date with him get derailed because...there are some snacks and wrappers lying around the apartment?  Run, don’t walk, hospital man.  

I also think it’s awfully convenient that Emmett only seems to have one child now, when last season he had three, with another on the way.  Showtime’s other show Billions does the same thing—they just write out kids when they’re inconvenient to the narrative.  I think it goes without saying that life doesn’t work that way...?  

Best episode of the season by far for me though.  (I am grading on a very steep curve).  

 

[DiabLOL]

So Kevin's mom kicks out her wife and packs her belongings in a bag: a strap on dildo, what appears to be other sexual paraphernalia and Lacy underthings?

Then the wife is seamlessly back in the hospital once Kiesha is found? That's it?