The Chi - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Was it just me or was the sound mix terrible this week? The music was SO intrusive for most of the episode and it was really annoying. I watched another tv show right afterward and the sound for that was fine so it seems like it was just this show/episode.

I guess this episode was a good reminder of how far Emmett has come because wow, did he regress a lot this week. He has become a lot more mature and responsible in the past three years but this week was a throwback to what an immature baby he can be. I was just shaking my head every time he was on the screen.

When he got mad at Dom for not asking how he was feeling in the wake of confessing that he cheated to Tiff, I was like bro, come on. You're asking your sidepiece to comfort you and be concerned about your feelings because your wife found out that you fucked around on her? PLEASE. Obviously Dom is involved since she was the other half of the fucking and she knew that Emmett was with Tiff at the time, but Dom is not responsible for any of that. As far as I'm concerned, that's all on Emmett. He was the one living with his girlfriend and he was the one who chose to cheat.

The whole situation with his mom was ridiculous too. First of all, you don't live there anymore so the least you can do is call or knock instead of just letting yourself in. Secondly, it is none of your business who your mom wants to have sex with. Third of all, accusing her of choosing Suede over him was laughable. She wasn't choosing Suede. She was having sex with him when you barged in. That's not even close to choosing Suede over Emmett. Fourth of all, fine, it's weird for your mom to be sleeping with someone who's two years older than you, but how old is Dom? In real life, La La is about to turn 38. Wasn't Jada relatively young when she had Emmett? I know that Dom and Jada aren't the exact same age, but the point is that he thought it was fine to fuck Dom who is much older than he is but for some reason he thinks it isn't okay for his mom to have sex with someone who's younger. And does he tell Darnell who he can't sleep with or set an acceptable age range for the women that Darnell hooks up with? UGH.

Speaking of Darnell, I loved when he felt the need to interrupt the party for his very important announcement: "I don't want to be high anymore!"

A+ to Kiesha for telling Emmett like it is. He's been fucking around on his various girlfriends for years and now that the shoe's on the other foot (and all of one time, I might add), it's all WOE IS ME.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

I don't know, y'all.  I think I am just about done with The Chi.  This is the second week in a row where I feel like the plot is all over the place and just plain stupid.  I see this going the way of Empire.

So Tracy goes from focused, grieving community-activist mom to a Douda Freak down with 3-somes?  Really, Lena?

I hate that they had Keisha carry a rapist's baby and now have her looking like she's having second thoughts about the adoption.

Emmitt comes clean but doesn't bother to explain that his indiscretion  occurred BEFORE he and Tiff were married???

Oh, and I'm sick of Kevin's girlfriend.  Jake will be doing him a favor.

That's all I can rant about right now---this show feels nothing like the first 2 seasons.

[Enigma X]

2 hours ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

I don't know, y'all.  I think I am just about done with The Chi.  This is the second week in a row where I feel like the plot is all over the place and just plain stupid. 

I was done after the first episode this season.

[tennisgurl]

On 6/6/2021 at 2:55 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Was it just me or was the sound mix terrible this week? The music was SO intrusive for most of the episode and it was really annoying.

It was definitely not just you, I noticed it as well. Normally the sound mixing on this show is fine, but this week it felt really off. So much of the music really jarring, especially that huge sax of sadness that started when Kevin was watching Jake and his annoyed girlfriend on their schools station. It was ridiculously intrusive, like the episode wasn't totally done yet but they showed it anyway. 

Emmett really backslid hard into his old ways, I am really glad Keisha was there to talk some sense into his thick skull. Now if only someone would have some real talk with Keisha about her plans for the future and how she feels about the baby. 

This season is just a mess, possibly even more of a mess then last season was. So many ideas, characters and plots that are all just half baked because we cant focus enough on any of them, fumbling around looking for a point. I keep waiting for this show to get good again but I really doubt that's happening any time soon. It just doesn't feel real anymore. 

[Marley]

I haven’t even watched any of the episodes yet. They are just sitting on my DVR. Last season soured the show so much for me. I don’t even get what they are trying to do anymore with this. It’s been completely ruined. I used to love it.

[Empress1]

On 6/6/2021 at 3:55 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The whole situation with his mom was ridiculous too. First of all, you don't live there anymore so the least you can do is call or knock instead of just letting yourself in. Secondly, it is none of your business who your mom wants to have sex with. Third of all, accusing her of choosing Suede over him was laughable. She wasn't choosing Suede. She was having sex with him when you barged in. That's not even close to choosing Suede over Emmett. Fourth of all, fine, it's weird for your mom to be sleeping with someone who's two years older than you, but how old is Dom? In real life, La La is about to turn 38. Wasn't Jada relatively young when she had Emmett? I know that Dom and Jada aren't the exact same age, but the point is that he thought it was fine to fuck Dom who is much older than he is but for some reason he thinks it isn't okay for his mom to have sex with someone who's younger. And does he tell Darnell who he can't sleep with or set an acceptable age range for the women that Darnell hooks up with? UGH.

Also Dom is dating Emmett's dad and no one has mentioned an age difference there so I assume she's closer to his dad's age than his. Either Emmett slept with someone much older than he is, as you say, or his dad is sleeping with someone much younger than he is. It's that age-old double standard of how May-December relationships are only acceptable when it's the man who's older. 

This open marriage is going to be a disaster. Really, they shouldn't have gotten married in the first place.

[Goldfish77]

we could not find one entertaining aspect of last week's episode.  All of the sudden this season, Chicago has gotten much smaller

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E4: The Girl from Chicago

Quote

Jake, Jemma, and Kevin organize an on-campus protest. Emmett and Tiff set new boundaries for their relationship. Imani schemes to break a girl out of the 63rd St. Mob's trap house. Nina is suspicious of Dre. Jada gives Emmett some unexpected news.

Promo:

Too many rules:

Original air date: 6/13/21

[MBayGal]

Unexpected news--is Jada pregnant?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oh, Jake and Jemma. I know teenage relationships are all about the ~drama~ but would it kill you to break up with Kevin before making out?

The whole storyline where that woman couldn't leave Douda's fancy apartment building because of the protestors made no sense. He lives in a huge high rise. There was to be more than one entrance/exit. Maybe go out the service door or the loading dock? Have someone who has a car with tinted windows pick you up in the garage and drive you home so that no one will see who's inside the car?

I really felt for Drea who was forced to keep lying to her own wife because she was keeping Jada's secret. I really like Jada, but JFC. If you think your precious son can't handle hearing that you have cancer then I don't think he's going to be able to handle, I don't know, LIFE. Yes, it's awful and yes, he's going to be devastated but you still need to tell him. That's the truth on its own. But by asking Drea to keep it a secret, you're adding an extra burden to someone else just because you know that Emmett can't handle it.

I was SO glad when Jada finally told Emmett the truth because he has been acting like a petulant fucking child with her. He had a shitty attitude when he showed up at her place, threatened to never see her again if she and Suede were getting married, and generally acted like a spoiled brat AGAIN. Now that he finally knows, maybe he can stop acting like a toddler who expects his mother's entire life to revolve around him.

I'm glad that Kiesha finally picked a family for the baby. Now let's push that kid out and be done with this storyline.

17 hours ago, MBayGal said:

Unexpected news--is Jada pregnant?

Nope, she has cancer.

[Empress1]

19 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I was SO glad when Jada finally told Emmett the truth because he has been acting like a petulant fucking child with her. He had a shitty attitude when he showed up at her place, threatened to never see her again if she and Suede were getting married, and generally acted like a spoiled brat AGAIN. Now that he finally knows, maybe he can stop acting like a toddler who expects his mother's entire life to revolve around him.

Emmett really needs to grow up. He's a married father of THREE (he has two other kids by two other women that the show mentions when it's convenient), he's trying to run a business. He's grown. He's been way too fucking coddled. HE needs to be there for JADA, not the other way around.

19 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Oh, Jake and Jemma. I know teenage relationships are all about the ~drama~ but would it kill you to break up with Kevin before making out?

And it looks like they're still doing it next episode. Break up with him, Jemma, damn. And Jake is trifling too.

I like that Tabitha Brown is going to be the adoptive mother. Cuz that's her business. (Look up her videos on IG or Tik Tok if you don't know.)

I am not fully following the rescue story - Imani was trying to save the girl from the trap house, and the girl was killed?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

10 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I am not fully following the rescue story - Imani was trying to save the girl from the trap house, and the girl was killed?

Yup, so now the only question is whether it was because Nug found out she was trying to leave or if it was something else.

[Meedis]

On 6/13/2021 at 12:16 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I really felt for Drea who was forced to keep lying to her own wife because she was keeping Jada's secret. I really like Jada, but JFC. If you think your precious son can't handle hearing that you have cancer then I don't think he's going to be able to handle, I don't know, LIFE. Yes, it's awful and yes, he's going to be devastated but you still need to tell him. That's the truth on its own. But by asking Drea to keep it a secret, you're adding an extra burden to someone else just because you know that Emmett can't handle it.

Gotta love the Chi for adding extra drama with Nina peeking at Drea's text message and seeing Jada's message saying "OUR SECRET" instead of "MY SECRET".   

Edited June 15, 2021 by Meedis
edited for grammar

[tennisgurl]

I was really concerned about Kesha keeping this baby because every couple she looks at for adoption is ridiculously obviously not right, but hopefully this means she found a winner. And that hopefully they wont pull the cliché last minute "I saw the baby so now I have to keep it" switch where she keeps the baby even if she shouldn't by any kind of logic. 

Emmett is being such a whiner, both to his mom and his wife, hopefully finding out about his moms cancer will get him to get his act together. He was doing pretty well maturing but now he has majorly gone back into trifling manchild territory. Now maybe he can get back on track and we can get all of this stories actually moving. 

This season has so many stories that its hard to get invested in any of them, so its like they have to make every story as needlessly melodramatic as possible. Especially Jada making Drea keep her cancer a secret just so that her wife can find her vague text to create some extra drama in an already dramatic situation. 

Oh that teenage drama. If you don't want to be with Kevin be honest, don't go behind his back.  

Edited June 15, 2021 by tennisgurl

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S4.E5: The Spook Who Sat by the Door

Quote

Douda, Roselyn and Marcus prepare for the gala; Kiesha goes into labor; Kevin and Jemma's relationship reaches a breaking point.

Promo:

Clip:

Original air date: 6/20/21

[ElectricBoogaloo]

First of all, thank you to the show for showing texts in a huge font on the screen. I hate when shows insist on using texting as a plot device but only show the phone screen with tiny font for half a second. I mean, I will rewind and then pause so I can read it but I get annoyed every time I have to do it.

Ugh, I knew this was how the whole Jemma/Jake/Kevin situation was going to play out. Again, JUST BREAK UP, especially when you aren't even trying to hide the fact that you are ignoring your boyfriend and making heart eyes at his best friend. I was rolling my eyes when she said speaking truth to power was different than dumping your boyfriend. No, not really. It just means have the guts to speak up and be honest. She didn't want to break up with Kevin because it would mean being honest about her feelings and being seen as the bad guy, and she didn't want to deal with that. I also hated that once Kevin found Jemma and Jake making out, they decided that it was okay for them to walk around the party holding hands like a couple. Just because you got caught doesn't make it okay.

The communal part of Keisha giving birth was lovely - she was surrounded by women who love her, which is always a beautiful thing. Hopefully she won't change her mind and decide to keep the baby. I was a little worried when she looked back at the adoptive mom holding the baby.

Emmett continues to be the worst. Even now that he knows his mom has cancer, it's still all about him and what will make HIM feel better instead of what will help her. Demanding that your mom come over for dinner when she's in the middle of treatment is selfish. If you really want to cook for her, why don't you offer to go to her house to make something? Or just drop something off in Tupperware so that she can eat it when she isn't puking her guts out. But noooooo, everything has to be on Emmett's terms. And he was still being salty about Suede, despite the fact that this man has been taking care of Jada. I couldn't believe he was being so fucking petty and jealous. But hey, I learned an important lesson from Emmett - apparently you're only allowed to eat pancakes if they're made by a woman!

[tennisgurl]

So is this is going to turn into a whole "Who Shot JR?" sort of murder mystery story now? Or at least an attempted murder story. 

Hopefully this is finally going to lead to Keisha finally moving forward with her life and those looks at the adopted mom and the baby were just a bittersweet goodbye and not her thinking about changing her mind to keep the baby. Its unfair to the adopted mom, the baby, and herself. 

Poor Kevin, that played out exactly the way I thought it would. So Jemma expects to be able to change the world but cant even properly break up with her boyfriend, instead sneaking around with his friend? Why is the "activists make for sucky girlfriends/boyfriends" trope such a thing on television? 

[aghst]

Half paying attention, how do high school kids go to some black tie event?

And Kevin got into some chauffeured car or just a fancy Uber?

seems like that family is doing well financially?  That alternative birth, is it covered by insurance or they pay out of pocket?

Is this suppose to take place in the Southside, supposedly underprivileged?  Forget if Kevin got scholarship to that private school.

 

Well you knew Trig was going to clash with his friend about Imani.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

Half paying attention, how do high school kids go to some black tie event?

Douda invited them to be youth ambassadors at a gala to help win an Olympic bid in Chicago.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

Kev, your broken heart won't let you know this yet but Jake has done you a favor.  That girl is exhausting.

23 hours ago, aghst said:

Well you knew Trig was going to clash with his friend about Imani.

During that scene, all I could think was that Reg would never stand for someone trying to punk him in his own home.  Trig is a joke.

[Goldfish77]

Wow, this show just keeps getting worse.  we really loved the earlier seasons.  What was up with that scene of Kevin running around sweating and moving quickly?  It looked like an early 80s Mtv video from one of the British one-hit wonders.

 

Edited June 26, 2021 by Goldfish77

[Marley]

Yea the writers have turned this show into complete trash.

[Empress1]

On 6/22/2021 at 4:37 PM, SuburbanHangSuite said:

Kev, your broken heart won't let you know this yet but Jake has done you a favor.  That girl is exhausting.

She really is. I feel sad for Kev because he's lost a friend over it, and now he's lost his school. But Gemma is ... not that nice, and pretty self-absorbed.

Ooops, Nina.

Can Keisha get her baby back? Like legally, does she have recourse?

[tennisgurl]

If you want to murder someone, don't just shoot them once in the gut then leave, go for the head! Come on!

So they are really going there with Keisha and the baby, the plot that I have been dreading since this whole pregnancy clusterfuck started, How have the writers managed to fuck this show up so badly? This is going to suck so much I almost don't want to bother. 

The music is just so intrusive this season, like a music video is about to break out at any second. The end of the press conference was especially embarrassing.  

[Sycophant4Lease]

23 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

If you want to murder someone, don't just shoot them once in the gut then leave, go for the head! Come on!

So they are really going there with Keisha and the baby, the plot that I have been dreading since this whole pregnancy clusterfuck started, How have the writers managed to fuck this show up so badly? This is going to suck so much I almost don't want to bother. 

The music is just so intrusive this season, like a music video is about to break out at any second. The end of the press conference was especially embarrassing.  

My GOODNESS!  I expressed each of these thoughts to my wife as we were watching on Sunday.

I have said in the past that the writing has now turned this show into utter CRAP.  Basically, it has become EMPIRE 2.0.  I checked out on that "cluster" early in the second season.

You try and give your people and their shows a chance.  They start off good and interesting.  Then, I don't know what happens. I'm teetering on punching the "check out" button on this as well.

[MBayGal]

When Nina went home with that woman from the bar, it looked like there was a camera in the ceiling. More soapy trouble ahead!

So Keisha wants her baby back.  WHO could have foreseen that?

I don't understand why some magazine wanted to do a big shoot on Myisha--because some little raps on Papa's barely heard show went viral?  That came out of nowhere!

[tennisgurl]

Oh, so now people want to ask Keisha the hard questions about the baby? After people walked on eggshells around her this whole time, everyone suddenly has thoughts? Even then everyone is still acting like none of this is that big of a deal and not having any real talk with Keisha about what being a teenage single mom is going to be like, let alone raising a child who was conceived in such terrible circumstances. I cant believe they had Keisha get her baby back from the adopted mom offscreen, what a cheap cop out for this story, I hate this plot so much. 

This whole show has just become a series of awkward encounters where everyone has weird stilted dialogue and talks about the same things over and over again. Its so sad to see what this show has become after such a promising start. 

Edited July 12, 2021 by tennisgurl

[aghst]

So now this show has a literal gangsta mayor, who is shot but survives.  He still has business out on the streets, going to literally defund the police.

And this show continues with the abduction/sex slave plot, except Keisha names her baby after the guy who rescued her from the rapist baby daddy.

And if open marriage wasn’t enough, Emmit and Tiff are hitting swinger parties.

Predictably more drama with infidelity in the Nina and Dre marriage.

So unrecognizable from the first two seasons, which were more grounded in reality.  Maybe fitting they feature those high tech aerial night shots of the skyline.

When did it jump the shark?  When Dre pulled out the big strap on?

 

[MBayGal]

When did this become a YA novel? 

[LoveIsJoy]

After watching this episode, I leaned over and told my husband that the writers must have gone on strike this week.  No real plot movement, nothing for the actors to do but pretend to dance around at various parties.  And why exactly is Poppa’s wannabe girlfriend suddenly so smug (Myisha?).  What shine-worthy enterprise is the source of all this newfound adoration and social media haters?

I find the young female characters so tiresome (starting with Keisha, then on to Gemma, Myisha, Kevin’s new gaming love interest, and Tiff).  I have no idea why I’m still watching this mess.  Probably because once I invest in a show, I want to see it through to the bitter end. And this has been one bitter pill.

[tennisgurl]

Seriously, can this show please find a point soon? Every single scene is just full of awkward dialogue where people shamble around from one pointless scene to the next, with subplots just piling up on each other as they desperately try to find a purpose to exist, finding none. This episode was especially filled with nothing, it was just boring scenes with people going about their boring days having boring conversations about their boring relationships. 

I will at least take boring over Keisha's cringy story though, how nice that having this baby that was conceived via rape has been such a non issue since she decided to keep him, turns out being a teen mom is totally easy with a baby that never cries or causes any stress and leads to minimal emotional trauma. Its almost like this whole subplot is stupid and insulting or something. Her story was actually one of the more engaging ones for awhile, but now its becoming just as awkward and lifeless as everyone else's, but with a side of major discomfort. 

[Marley]

I think the show started getting shitty when Douda started getting so much screen time. They also should’ve never killed Reg.

Season 1 and 2 were great it all went to shit after that.

[tennisgurl]

What am I even watching anymore? Thank God next week is the season finale, I am running out of ways to say "this show sucks" over and over again, I'm becoming just as repetitive as the show itself, but what else can I do? What has even been the point of this season, what has actually been accomplished? I thought, based on previews, that this season would focus on police brutality towards the black community as well as triumphs within that community, overcoming adversity and finding love despite the odds, but none of that has really happened. Everything with the kids being harassed by the cops is pretty much forgotten and has been a pretty minor thing in the scope of the whole season, and Douda deciding that the police wont come into majority black neighborhoods anymore has just been a stupid and bizarre plot (which I'll get to more later) that has never been properly explored, and every triumph has been marginal at best, with every relationship being an utter mess of cheating and needless drama and professional victories being few and far between. It seems like nothing at all has happened this season, what is even happening in that writers room? Do they only know how to use copy and paste? 

So Douda continues to just be a full on comic book supervillain, I expect him to end the season installing a moat around his giant apartment, complete with sharks with laser beams on their heads. Look at him mopping the blood off of his cane while cackling about letting Gemma's dad die, is the show implying that his whole Defund The Police platform has all been a part of some evil scheme to install himself as Mayor For Life and take over Chicago so he can do whatever he wants? I have found this whole story to be really poorly thought out and a real waste of an opportunity to discuss ways to actually work on internal reform and what most activists actually mean when they chant about defunding the police, but this show has instead just given Douda ultra mayor powers where we get a bunch of randos doing things that the police might do, which has already led to one guy getting killed, the cops apparently just being alright with being kicked out of half of Chicago, and none of this getting any media attention or discussion from the other characters whatsoever. How is this not a bigger deal? How is any of this even legally happening? Why is this plot so freaking stupid? Remember when this show took place in the real world and was about normal people dealing with normal people things? 

Keisha's baby's almost adopted mom is just too perfect for words. I can buy that she wouldn't be angry at Keisha, especially after everyone's she's been through, but it seems like she would at least be more sad about getting her hopes up about having this child, only to have them dashed at the last minute. Keisha giving her the picture with the baby didn't seem heartwarming so much as heartbreaking for the poor woman. Like "here is you as a mom...for five seconds before I changed my mind and took this baby from your arms." I cant even decide if this story or the Douda story is the most stupid and offensive. 

[aghst]

Yeah I have episodes 7 and 8 on my DVR but not even looking forward to them.

Instead I find myself watching other things.  Even The End, which Showtime seems to be burning off, seems more interesting after the first two.

I think this show has a following on social media.  They must also have noticed the change s8nce the first two seasons?

[aghst]

Well it was just renewed for season 5.

Man the worst thing to happen to the show was that actor who played Brandon getting fired for sexual harassment.

The actress who played Brandon's gf also left the show and she had been harassed as well.

They had no choice but to fire him but that character anchored the show towards better stories.

Now they have to give a lot of screen time to unlikeable characters and dubious stories.

[MBayGal]

17 hours ago, aghst said:

Well it was just renewed for season 5.

Why???  This seemed like a good end to a series that has run out of anything creative to say.  

Among the many dumb plot points, the dumbest is that the mayor of chicago would just up and leave with no word to anyone, and that would not be news throughout the country.  And Marcus is going to live and knows who shot him.  But he won't say anything because his daughter's b/f  was there. Ridiculous!!!!

[tennisgurl]

Seriously? Another season? What more could this show possibly have to say? What else could happen? They even had the big ending monologue where it sounded like they were trying wrap things up and pretend that this season had some kind of point, why would they do more? More drama between Emmett and Tff? More teenage love triangles? Douda finally completes his transition into being a full supervillain and returns to Chicago with an eye patch and cybernetic arms? 

I have basically said all that can be said about how stupid this season has been and how sad it is to see a show with so much potential become a shadow of its former self, I can only end on a sorry shake of the head. What was even the point of this season? What was actually accomplished besides wasting the time of a lot of good actors and the poor suckers still watching this show? 

I'm normally a completionist with my shows, and this show has pulled me back again before after losing me, but I really do not see myself being back next season. Or if I do, it will be begrudgingly. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

The next season starts on June 26, 2022.  And a collective exasperated cry of "Why?!?!?!?!?!?!" goes out across the land. 

[aghst]

Already deleted from my DVR.  Didn't even finish last season.

 

[One Imaginary Girl]

The promo I've seen seems like it concentrates a lot on the kids, the women, and Trig and Imani, so I would be OK with that.  Just eliminate any of the riiculous stuff about Otis, a mayor who was shot (which would be a huge thing anywhere) but then recovers enough to actually beat a man up (which would also be a crazy thing to happen in real life).  

[announcergirl]

The new season started, and in my opinion, it did not disappoint. I couldn’t stand Trig’s hair though. He is too beautiful for whatever they had going on with his lovely locks. I did not like how they are making the Imani character do him just because she’s not coming back. Is she? They seemed like a solid couple. I did enjoy seeing his friend finally come around to being a good guy. I’m scared that means he dies soon. Please no! I can’t take it!

[One Imaginary Girl]

I might be just talking to myself at this point, but... something I'm wondering about is that Trig and Jake's mother is back and they are all reveling in being together again, but no one mentions Reg, not even once.  He doesn't have to be a big plot point, but it would be realistic to show that some sadness remains.

[KingJ305]

1 hour ago, One Imaginary Girl said:

I might be just talking to myself at this point, but... something I'm wondering about is that Trig and Jake's mother is back and they are all reveling in being together again, but no one mentions Reg, not even once.  He doesn't have to be a big plot point, but it would be realistic to show that some sadness remains.

Lena "the assassin of positive male characters" Waithe wont let the writers even mention Brandon and Reg. The semi development of Emmet and Kevin was tied to the character of Brandon, yet you'd be lead to believe that it was Darnell and his re-emergance in Emmets life that was the root cause. I will say this season until this last episode has been a vast improvement over the previous two.

[Bichon]

This has turned into a stone-cold soap opera. The music is straight out of a catalog where you would order "sexy moonlight bedroom encounter" for $9.95, recorded at home by someone with their keyboard that's covered in cigarette butts and beer. Or it may just be from a box of discarded tunes from an older low budget soap that went off the air.

The dumbing down of Kevin has been a huge disappointment and I wonder if the actor is puzzled by this direction as well. At least he still is a wonderful friend to Jake. 

[One Imaginary Girl]

Agreed about it being so soapy.  It seems like all of the plotlines now are about who is going to couple up with who.  I didn't even get far into the most recent episode, so maybe there was more later, but I just turned it off when it seemed like the same old same old.

[aghst]

Stopped watching, I think partly through the season after the abduction and she’s actually raising the baby from when she was raped — BTW how does that idea look after recent court decisions and cases of raped girls who had to go out of state to get abortions?

in any event, just saw a promo for the show and they’re showing a bunch of tweets from random people, the way Movies and shows put up blurbs from reviews.

Maybe they couldn’t find reviews with even a few positive phrases?

[announcergirl]

I love this show so please keep posting. I’ll try to be more consistent in posting here. Right now I’m playing catch up on the season. 

[Rae Spellman]

Some things stood out when I rewatched the series. 

Forty-something Darnell, primarily listens to Earth Wind and Fire and made Keisha a mix tape on an 8 track. Thirty-something Shaad made Deja a mix tape on a cassette. 

Initially Darnell and Jada met when Darnell was 25 with three kids. Now they met their sophomore year of high school. Did Darnell have 3 kids by the time he was 15 or is Emmett is the oldest now? 

Tiff and Emmett had a very contentious relationship during the first couple of seasons. 

Ms. Ethel was 73. Was Ronnie supposed to be under 40? Dom is supposed to be younger than Suede. Suede is only 2 years older than Emmett.

Kevin said that Nina's partner Karen had been around since he was little. Yet, we only found out she was gone when they showed Nina marrying Dre.

Tiff asked Keisha how she would feel if Tiff wanted to be with Nuck. Nuck might have been the last guy before the abduction. But, the night Keisha was going to meet him wasn't that many episodes after things ended predatory track coach. Maybe Keisha and Tiff don't know that Nuck held those women that live at Trinity house captive, pointed a gun at Kevin, and is a generally terrible dude.

Kevin liked Maisha after she bullied and assaulted him.

Kevin said that Nina's partner Karen had been around since he was little. Yet, we only found out she was gone when they showed Nina marrying Dre.

Rich girl Jemma tried to discourage Kevin and Maisha from going to college. Maisha can rap while in college and/or after college. Everything we know about Kevin suggests that he could get a scholarship to any number of colleges or universities. 

Kevin giving Lynae something after winning seems reasonable. 20% seems like a lot. Kevin's parents provide Coach Lynae  with free food and shelter. 

Whenever this series ends, I hope they imply that Kevin has a happyish future. They've put that kid though so much.

Edited August 25, 2022 by Rae Spellman
more thoughts as I rewatched more episodes

[Crashcourse]

I recently binge watched the first five seasons, and now I'm watching season six.   I was loved the shows first two seasons, but it's too bad that Brandon had to be axed because of Jason MItchell's off-camera behavior.  

I still like the three main young'uns Kevin, Jake and Papa.  There are so many other characters that I sometimes find it difficult to remember names.   I like most of them, but Jemma and Tiff get on my nerves.

Also, I can't stand that Douda dude and his menacing stares.  And he wears his shirts too tight, LOL.

[aghst]

I gave up after the abduction season and she decides to keep the baby fathered by the guy who raped her.

Is that suppose to be representative of life in the Chicago hood?

I can see the girl being abducted from the bus stop but all the stuff afterwards, ridiculous.