OWN Presents: Love Is ________. CUT TO: BLACK
The show’s title drops with Brownstone’s “If You Love Me” playing and then cuts to black…and I’m thinking: oh shit, this is gonna be awesome. Wendy Davis’ face hits the screen and I’m like Hey, Colonel Joan Burton! Daaaaaamn you look good, Sis. And then, she opens her mouth and speaks a truth so dope about this love, it hits me square in the chest, slightly to the left, and I feel my eyes glossing over…breh…what. is. happening.to.me?!. Maintain your “G” Kell, m-a-i-n-tain yourrrr…too late.
I could give you the play-by-play breakdown of each scene, but that’d become a small book (that I’d be selling on my Amazon account by midnight), but I will keep it cool and just highlight key joys because you really must see it for yourself.
Music.
IMO, the best time in R&B music was the 90’s and if you agree, you will not be disappointed by the soundtrack to this show. From the opening through to the end, the music supervisor delivers, hunty. Had me hooked EE-MEE-JUT-LY (=immediately for those who don’t do phonetic spelling for emphasis). The show is packed with 90’s tunes and melodic piano riffs at all the right times. And it don’t stop, ’cause they created a Spotify playlist too homie (see below). And that’s all I have to say about that. The music speaks for itself and it’s saying “Yes, yes I am dope.”
Black Men.
Ok so, so Will Catlett aka “Yasir” is fine –confident in all the rights ways and vulnerable in all the right ways…with a tinge of fkboi in there so we know it’s real (I mean, he did actively pursue Nuri while living with Ruby — but at least he didn’t bone them both the same night, like most negroes would have — good job Ya). From the moment we meet Yasir to finding that Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme) is playing “Yasir, the later years”; the CK drawers on Melrose; his love for his mama and that strong thug tear that rolled down his cheek when getting love and encouragement from her, to his interpretation of what it means when women certain women cut their hair — we know we are standing on the edge, ready to fall, just so he can catch us. My, my, my what a delicious ride this is going to be! Thank you for writing and casting this man. Mercy.
The other men introduced in the first episode represent all kinds of men — the youngin’ who falls in love too quickly, gets told the truth, and becomes salty (Michael King); the suave, buppie, possibly narcissistic Hollywood exec (Tosin Morohunfola); crass, but successful boss dude (Kadeem Hardison — heyyy Dwayne Wayne — totally couldn’t help it and you know it); and the trash-ass-but-nonetheless-homeboy-for-now (Tyrone Marshall Brown). And yes, I am still unpacking his (Sean) “don’t let em put in you box or play with your box…gotta tell her early or she will end up like her mama” and “Camille…I don’t know her, we just got a baby together.” 👀
I dig the diversity of and in men (professionally and emotionally) being shown and I wonder how each character will develop (I liiiiiiive for the character arcs of black men, baby) and I appreciate this dimension in what some may have assumed would only be a show for sistas. OWN got you too, breh, this here is for allllll of us. So, get your real girl and watch this with her…this ain’t sidechick material. #QualityTimeBoo
Black Women.
So let’s go ahead and get Ruby (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing) out de way. You can tell she once believed in a brotha, but had already placed a timeline on his progress and success, which is sad because we can see she gon’ miss out on his breakthrough. One definitely has the tendency to wag a finger at a sista and be like, “Girrrrrl, you shoulda boosted that man up, you shoulda held on and believed, you shoulda…you coulda…I woulda” but how can we? We don’t know (yet) how much she invested. We don’t know what he promised her. We don’t know what their living arrangement/agreement was. A year happened and she was paying the bills. We don’t know what he put Ruby through. I mean, he did buy some concert tickets (she declined) and then offer them to another woman while still sleeping in her house. There’s a hint of foul in the air, but ultimately, Ruby is out and that’s not Nuri’s fault, it was Yasir’s choice — whether that’s timing, impatience, deception, or fate it’s not for us to judge (at this point in the show, anyway — or IRL IJS). But he is gone guhl.
Now Ms. Nuri (Michele Weaver) has her standards list (didn’t we all at one point?!.), her positive outlook, her beauty, and a few dudes meeting different needs. #MaintenanceMen Not ho-in’, just living that California life and biding time waiting for the “one” to get his shit together and be husband-ready. She’s cute and optimistic and we are prone to judging her based on the fellas’ convo about conventional beauty (“light skin, long, curly hair” comment) before she even walks into the café for the first time — but later, we are pleasantly surprised to find out her family’s colorful past (no pun intended), her religious origins, and the meaning of her name. We find ourselves seeing what Yasir clearly sees and we start to fall in love with her too. Can’t wait to uncover her layers, too, now that we know she has depth. Great job, Mara. You got us. We’re in.
Rounding out the female cast members: we have the work frenemy (Idara Victor), the mamas (his – Loretta Devine and hers- Tammy Townsend), and the potentially nosey neighbor lady (Pepi Streiff) rounding out the characters for episode one. It’s shaping up nicely, indeed.
Ultimately.
I know we are going to contend with the light-skin/dark-skin beauty standards and privilege; power struggle of partners who are professionals in the same industry; and even some typical ni&&a shit (baby mamas, lies, cheating, unemployment, etc.). I wonder how (if/when) the show will explore what was happening with the “State of the Black Woman” in the 90s. There were so many Black women firsts: mayor of major US city (Sharon Pratt Kelly); astronaut in space (Mae Jemison); US Poet Laureate (Rita Dove); Nobel Prize for literature (Toni Morrison); US Surgeon General (Joycelyn Elders); President of one of the “Seven Sisters” Smith College (Ruth J. Simmons). Just how will the show reflect on the overall rise of Black women’s independence — its implications and impact both professionally and intimately? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to turn this into Being Mary Jane The Early Years or a parallel to Girlfriends, Mara has already proven she is aware and can write this content, but I am curious as to how/if it will play into the Black Hollywood love story and how it will affect the storyline. What I do know is thus far, I am impressed with how the writers introduced prominent issues. It’s Mara Brock Akil, I expected nothing less. #Finesse
Tuesday night at 10PM EST, OWN premiered the show “Love is ____” and it. is. phenomenal. Aside from the awe-inspiring back story the Akils’ life and love provide as context — it is well-cast, well-written, well-shot, and sprinkled with an elixir that is pure, late-night, what-we’ve-been-missing-since-reality-TV-took-over television magic. Properly reminiscent, but still culturally relevant. Sexy. Entertaining. Trill. It is the GenX/Xennial love story we didn’t even know we needed. Black girl magic, Black boy magic, Black Love magic…ALL the magic in all the world!
I’ve been waiting for this ride, Ms. Winfrey. I knew it was in you, Mara Brock Akil and I feel like it is a culmination of sorts, but in no way an apex. Hats off Salim Akil — you a real one! Thank you all for knowing what was right there in front of you and for moving on it and bringing it to life. We needed this right now.
Congratulations! You inspire us in ways both ON- and OFF-screen.
Check out the show’s OWN page. Checkout the show’s Spotify playlist below.
P.S. that OWN Network “See Yourself” commercial that ran during the show slayed me in such a way that I am still trying to pick myself up off the floor Auntie Oprah…and I feel like you ALL should experience it too, so here it is 😩😭😖: