Helstrom Season 1 Review

If you have not yet seen season 1 of Helstrom on HULU, stop here because SPOILERS are ahead! 

Photo: Instagram

I will preface this review by stating that I have not read the Helstrom comics. However, I have watched the other, more obscure, standalone Marvel TV shows like The Runaways and Cloak and Dagger, but Helstrom left a lot to be desired; it felt like a poor man’s Supernatural. There were even two recurring actors from Supernatural on the show!

My biggest gripe is that the show and lore only appeared to have one main protection against demons and that was the Keeper medallion, which only kept a demon at bay for about an hour. I can hold a downtown parking space for longer than that. The demons also all seemed to have the ability of telekinesis and that felt like way too much power for them to possess. Speaking of possession, one scratch could turn a human into a demon’s sock puppet, and exorcising the demon released it back (into the atmosphere?) instead of banishing it back down to hell.

The solution? Lock up possessed humans to be slowly tortured from the inside out by their uninvited, demonic guests. Yikes.

On top of an already dark and dreary color palette for the show, things felt quite hopeless. Any glint of remaining hope was snuffed out when devout novitiate Gabriella became the unwilling mother to a demon. Poor Gabby. She was possessed, forced into nonconsensual sex, impregnated, and had to give birth with no epidural or support. Damion then wanted her to forget all the bad and be happy with their new “family”. Yeah, that’s a no from me, dawg. What that woman needed was legit psychological aid; what she found, however, was a new purpose with the Blood – archenemies to the Helstroms. Earlier in the show, Damion callously reiterated to Gabriella that she had knocked on the door that opened to the demonic reality of the world. Now he was sweetly asking her to be Soccer Mom #1 to their demon baby. If this show gets a season 2, I look forward to Gabby stabbing Damion at some point with the dark dagger and shouting, “Knock on this, sucka!”

There were, still, two main highlights in the show for me:

1. Ana Helstrom (Sydney Lemmon) coming through with the chic, 5’10 fashion that mirrored Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince (Wonder Woman). Those bayangs gotta go, though...

2. A diverse cast which included, not one but, two Black leads. If you know me you know I am all about representation in TV and movies and I felt that here. They were quality roles where the actors were crucial to the plot and not just sidekicks marred by insulting, racial stereotypes.

All in all I spent one day binging a series I knew nothing about and wanted to give a chance. The fact that it has a place somewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe only crossed my mind during the intro. As a standalone show, if it gets a season 2, I would like to see it expound on demon hunting and Papa Helstrom. 5/10

What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

"Vote As If..."

It has been an intense and unprecedented 2020. Between the global pandemic, Covid-19, civil uprising for justice, the wrath of climate change, etc, we are all going through a lot. Despite our current struggles, however, the US general election is drawing near, 54 days near, and it is so crucial that we all exercise our right to vote. A right that recently has been unlawfully impeded for everyone. We have to push through and collectively raise our voices and cast our vote.

 

The Dark Fate of the 'Magical Negro' Trope

‘Magical Negro’ Trope: The use of supporting Black characters, who often possess special perception or mystical powers, who selflessly come to the aid of white protagonists in American cinema. 

Today I saw a Twitter post from Julie Plec, co-creator of The Vampire Diaries, randomly telling Black women that they need to save everyone because white women keep taking “Ls” and choose not to do any better. 

She heaped centuries’ worth of work, pain, responsibility, and essentially blame, on Black women’s shoulders while wrapping it up with a counterfeit “you go girl!” type of sign off. She soon deleted the post (see receipt photo…), issued a half-ass apology, and after about two seconds of pushback, announced she would no longer be responding to comments calling her out, taking another one of those Ls she noted white women can’t seem to avoid. With Plec being a co-creator of The Vampire Diaries, it makes a lot more sense to me now why the character Bonnie Bennett was a constant victim of the ‘magical negro’ trope.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve perked up over the years during the early scenes of a show or movie when I see a Black actress I recognize enter, only to be disappointed upon realizing that the actress’s role is solely a plot device. The five Black, female characters we will look at today were all sullied by the ‘magical negro’ trope, which led to the characters’ untimely deaths: usually sacrificed as a means of moving the plot forward for the sake of the white characters’ evolution and/or safety. (Please note there may be spoilers if you haven’t yet seen the listed shows or all episodes.)

Vampire Diaries - Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham)

Fantastic Beasts – Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz)

Sleepy Hollow – Lieutenant Abby Mills (Nicole Beharie)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Kendra (Bianca Lawson)

True Blood - Nancy LeGuare aka Miss Jeanette (Aisha Hinds)

 

Bonnie Bennett, played by Kat Graham, is an actual witch: the most powerful supernatural creature. She is descended from other powerful Black witches. However, Bonnie is given little screen time or character development and usually falls prey to villains attempting to take advantage of her and her magic. She sacrifices herself at the end of season 4 to bring a white character back to life, only to spend the next two seasons as an apparition only that one character can see. Upon seeing Plec’s tweet, numerous fans asked if she had taken the action of apologizing to Kat Graham for sticking her with such a horrid character arc for several years.

Zoe Kravitz’s Leta Lestrange is the powerful, pure-blood witch and infamous apple of Newt Scamander’s eye. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the first time we meet her, and she is an elegant force of nature with a tragic and twisted past. But more screen time seems to focus on the quiet love triangle between her, Newt, and her new fiancé, Newt’s brother Theseus. The audience is rushed to connect with Leta after a few scenes before helplessly watching as she sacrifices herself to hold off Grindelwald so that Newt, Tina, Jacob, Yusuf, Nagini, and Theseus can escape. It felt less like a personal redemption and more of an opportunity to depict her saving two people (but essentially six) to allow them to go be great.

“Miss Mills”, as her partner 18^th century partner often affectionately referred to her, was one of the most influential TV characters of my life. Lieutenant Abby Mills was beautiful, strong, witty, and graceful, while still possessing a badassness rarely seen in a leading, female character, let alone a Black one. The anger I still feel regarding how Lieutenant Abby Mills (and actress Nicole Beharie behind the scenes) was treated is palpable. She and Ichabod Crane were connected through time and were brought together as the two Witnesses who were supposed to defend and save the world. The first season was chock-full of their heroic rescues, detective work, and growing love and respect for one another. However, it was as if someone in the writer’s room resented that growing love because Abby was quickly sidelined and separated from her Witness partner for the majority of season 2 in favor of bringing his bland, once purgatory-ridden, wife into the picture from a recurring to regular role. By the season 3 finale Abbie was sacrificing her soul to Pandora’s box in order to save the world, alone, and I was vowing to never watch an Abby-less season 4.

Buffy the vampire slayer died at the end of season one but was revived by her friend Xander through CPR. However, her temporary death triggered the emergence of new Slayer, Kendra Young. Kendra was sent from Jamaica to Sunnydale to stop an impending apocalypse. Kendra and Buffy initially shared an antagonistic relationship but grew to respect each other’s strengths and differences. While Buffy fought her former lover turned murderous villain Angel, Kendra stayed at the high school to protect wicca Willow while she attempted to magically restore Angel’s soul. 

Though Kendra and Buffy were matched in Slayer strength, vampire Drusilla was able to get the upper hand over Kendra, hypnotize her, and cut her throat, leaving Kendra to bleed out on the floor. The (all white) “Scooby Gang” would go on to succeed in saving the world a few episodes later. Kendra’s death triggered the emergence of another slayer, Faith, who became a major character of the show (and Angel) all the way to the series finale, 6 seasons later. Therefore, it was possible to have two concurrent Slayers, but apparently just not in the form of Kendra. 

Aisha Hinds absolutely bodies any role she is in. For that reason, I don’t know how you could not utilize her more. Hinds played Nancy LeGuare on season one of True Blood, a minor antagonist and con artist who reinvented herself as the witch doctor, Miss Jeanette. She tricked Tara Thornton and her mother to submit to exorcisms. After her ritual that brought forth great power, Miss Jeanette’s dead body was found in the backseat of a car to essentially introduce the season 2 villain. What was interesting about this scene was that in the novel, the dead body found was that of another male character who, in the show, became so popular that they did not want to kill him off.

 

Black women must continually navigate through a world full of racism, sexism, misogyny, and maternal mortality daily. To then expect us to be the life savers to those who cowardly avoid confronting the discriminatory system they benefit from is farcical. Black women are not here to save anyone. We seek our own peace, joy, and business to mind.

Making Friends as Adults: The Struggle

Vanityfair.com

Making friends as adults is not easy. Little kids really don't know how easy they have it, with their sticky faces and lack of bills.

There should be a course in college on making friends as adults to prepare you for the social struggle. Many people are already set in their social circles (and/or middle school clique mentalities) and choose not to veer outside of that. Some people are 'one and dones' where you have one great meetup and then wonder if they fell down a well with no cell service. Adult life changes sometimes result in moving and having to make new, geographically closer friends. As an HR professional, I've been considered a business resource more than a new friend. Some people are passive planners so you have to take the initiative to get a date on the books, but that can get tiring and play on your insecurities after a while. The pressure and hours of full time and part time jobs also affect the ability to sync schedules with prospective and current friends. A lack of diversity or inclusion in a particular area is also an obstacle for me, personally, because it can be difficult to be yourself when you can't "see yourself".

I will say that I am about 68% introvert and 32% extrovert, so being out and about for extended periods of time isn't always my thing, but I love to plan! I planned our wedding, which was spectacular, but coming down off of that dreamy high can be a reality shock to the system. I guess I also hoped that after getting married, other couples would just emerge from the shadows with CVS receipt long lists of dinner date ideas and shared interests.

I'm still navigating my way around a new city, that has a lot of baggage, and am looking for new hobbies that pique my interest, as well as getting back into the swing of old favorites that will hopefully present opportunities to meet new people. Wish me/us luck!

Black Feminist and Proud

Photo Credit: Style to Bits

I am a Black feminist. I also live in the city historically known for one of the most gruesome massacres of Blacks in this country. The blood of my ancestors runs through the soil of this city. I moved here of my own volition, however, and every day I seek the education and opportunities to continue inspiring and sparking change, inclusion, and empowerment. It’s been over 120 years, but so many of the same racist, biased, and violent mentalities and behaviors continue today.

Obviously, my mission doesn’t come without its challenges, stress, and/or checking of those who misinterpret my amiability for weakness. I have to ensure that I’m protecting and nurturing my mental health on a daily. I must steel myself to the incessant exclusion that occurs in my place of work and, as a model, in the fashion industry. I have a small portfolio of photos that will never see the light of day because I found out, post photoshoot, that the photographer possessed racist views, or spouted a desire to diversify their portfolio, but only really saw me as a token; a spot of brown in their otherwise European “standard of beauty” picture book.

I am not one to take that type of mentality or disrespect lightly. As the buying power of Black consumers has a significant influence on our nation’s economy, I put my money where my mouth is; or should I say, I don’t hesitate to boycott businesses that demonstrate little to no respect for my blackness yet seek out the green in my pockets. However, while there is buying power, Blacks still, unfortunately, do not have established generational wealth because time after time, historically, the intent of white supremacy is to violently extinguish all attempts for Blacks to live a peaceful post-slavery life. Twenty-three years after the 1898 massacre in Wilmington, the Greenwood Massacre took place in Tulsa, OK, destroying more than 35 square blocks of the district of Black Wall Street and killing hundreds of African Americans.

I will continue to kick down the doors that are purposefully shut in my face and let them know upon my entrance that I will not be ignored. Too many young Black and brown girls growing up in generations behind me need to see that they have a place in this society or feel empowered enough to carve out their own.

#BlackandProud

Wakanda Forever

One thing that was made abundantly clear during Black Panther's release is that many people don't want to see Black people be great or joyful, so we often have to embrace and create opportunities of greatness for ourselves. Black Panther, for many, has ignited a fire in our creative drive, and the camaraderie amongst Blacks. There should have been a fashion week solely for Black Panther fans' designs and ensembles across the country!

T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is the most inspiring superhero in the Marvel universe. His actions denote a man who understands and takes full responsibility for the burden and privilege that comes with being a king of a nation and a protector of the world.

The importance of the inclusion, representation, and celebration of Black women, often not seen in many social circumstances, is immense. Black women are often pushed into the beauty shadow of our white counterparts while our style is simultaneously appropriated. Our hard work is utilized while the credit is distributed elsewhere. I for one am exponentially happy to see Black Panther's representation and success in my adulthood, which I didn't always see growing up. It wasn't until I was 22 that a Black Disney Princess was created. Watching Black Panther made me feel like a kid again, but it also empowered me as a  Black woman watching other strong women on screen, who look like me, embodying excellence and strength in their purest forms.

To fans, Wakanda isn't just the fictional African nation in the comics housing vibranium and technology far beyond our years; Wakanda is a vision of what could have been if colonizers had left our ancestors alone to thrive. Wakanda is what could be, and it is the rich utopia Blacks long for in a time and country where we still have to fight for our right to protest not being killed over the color of our skin, while the content of our character is overlooked.

So to all of you I say, "Wakanda Forever!"


What are your thoughts on the film?


Photo: http://movies.disney.com.au/marvel-studios-black-panther