Really liked the first season, really liked this second one. But I gotta say, it feels like something important is missing from Dear White People. Probably it's just "more time with these characters and their stories;" the show has an impressive ensemble cast, and at only ten half-hour episodes per season it's easy for the series to give short shrift to nearly every character. Really though, these are deeply fascinating characters, each of them representing and embodying different components of the, uh, I guess I'll just say "black people in a white world" experience, and the show is so good in part because it doesn't spend enough time with any of them to make them feel old or stale, or to let their stories feel overbearing toward the overall narrative.
Actually, that's what the show is missing - narrative! Don't get me wrong - it's an enjoyable watch, and "too much plot" is never a good thing - but if you compare where the eight or ten main characters are at the beginning of the season to where they are at its end, I mean, they're really mostly in the exact same places. I couldn't even tell you how much chronological time the second season took up. Certainly not a full school year, and probably only a month or so. The big climax of the whole thing - the moment the whole season appears to build up to - is nothing more than a "wait and see where this goes in Season 3" reveal. Along the way, a vicious Internet troll is outed, a girl has an abortion, a guy does a lot of drugs one night, a girl's father dies. All of these events make for interesting episodes, but two seasons in I can't really say this show is going anywhere. And that's okay! It's about the ride, not the destination, and I really do appreciate this ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment