A main character in "The Other Black Girl," was the grease, but we don't really know much about it. What the h*** was it's purpose? Who made it? What does it symbolize in the "real" world? How does it actually work? The book does a very shallow dive into these questions, and the series does even less. But, the grease isn't the only character missing a backstory. Almost all of them are! "Hazel" is the only one who gets actual character history and we are grateful to understand her motives so deeply, but she's the main antagonist! Why does she get a backstory before the protagonist? Make it make sense!
In this episode of Podcasting Is the New Kink!, Nicole and I discuss the lack of character development in "The Othe Black Girl." We start with a focus on Diana Gordon and Kendra Rae, noting the disconnect in their storylines and the lack of depth in their friendship. We also critique the portrayal of Owen and Malaika, as flat characters dropped into Nella's world, without their own storylines. And, we discuss the story's failure to provide good explanations for key plot points and character actions.
We talk:
Diana Gordon and Kendra Rae - 1:08
The "Grease" - 15:02
The differences in how we consume media - 25:41
Owen and Malaika - 32:28
In the episode Nicole makes a comment about how we all consume different types of media, specifically comparing TV series' and novels. In books, we use our imagination, we can literally read the subtext, and there is an expectation of the reader to use their imagination to fill in certain things. In a TV series, we need to be spoon-fed! The production should show the world that needs to be seen and give us all the tools for it to make sense. We shouldn't have to make huge inferences about what it going on. We shouldn't have to guess!
Unfortunately, I still have a bunch of questions, and I've already watched the series twice, so please hit me up if you know there is something I missed, or if you have the answers! :)
Connect with Nicole on her website BlackWritersRead.com and IG @blackwritersread
Episode References:
The Other Black Girl (TV Series 2023)
The Other Black Girl (Novel 2021)
*This episode of Podcasting Is the New Kink! was produced by Pink Lady Productions --> pinkladyprod.com
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