2020 is unusual-ish.
Remember back in 2017, a mysterious Black-ish episode titled “Please, Baby, Please” (based on Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee children’s book of the same name) was embroiled in some controversy because of its reported politics-laden themes? It caused such a ruckus, and I kind of imagined that the episode would never see the light of day.
Now, almost three years later, fast forward in a world where companies bury themselves in black boxes in a performative display of solidarity with Black Lives Matter and you have yourself a plot twist! The previously discontinued episode is now available for air on Hulu.
“We were one year after the election and came to the end of a year that left us, like many Americans, with the state of our country and fearful for its future,” Barris wrote in a reflective statement on Twitter, after the announcement. ‘Those feelings ran on the page, became 22 minutes of television where I was, and still am, incredibly proud. ‘Please, Baby, Please’ did not end the season and although there has been much speculation about the content, the episode has never been seen in public … until now. ‘
That “speculation” Barris refers to in the conversations about network censorship, especially since early reports claimed that the episode was aimed at the knee-jerk protests in the NFL, led by Colin Kaepernick. That gesture was not so popular at the time. Look at us now.
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Point is that the fact that ABC decided not to air it on time made us want to see it even more. Hell, Michael Harriot even wrote an open letter to the showmaker The root urging him to lick the damn episode. That’s how deep the expectation went.
On Monday, Barris confirmed that after the re-broadcast of the “Juneteenth” and “Hope” episodes, he asked Walt Disney Television to reconsider the previously discontinued episode and they agreed, seeing the time of today.
“I can not wait for everyone to finally see the episode for themselves, and as was the case almost three years ago, we hope it inspires a much-needed conversation – not just about what we struggled with then or how it led to where we are. now, but talks about where our country wants to move forward, and most importantly, how we are there together. “
ABC News reports about the content of the episode:
The episode revolves around a sleepless night in the household of Dre and Rainbow Johnson (Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross). To calm his grandmother down during a storm, Dre begins by reading a children’s book – the episode’s Spike Lee-Tonya Lewis Lee work – and then shares his own fears.
While Dre presents an improvisational fable, it is the actions of the then Trump administration that are identified as part of his unrest. His monologue includes a thinly veiled reference to “the shameful king.”
The episode expands to look at deep social divisions that Dre says follow the election of the first American president of the Blacks, Barack Obama, and the revelation with the eye that “not everyone is a fan” of change , as the character puts it.
“Father, I’m scared. … Everything is so crazy now, ”Dre says softly to his son at one point.
Through images and concerns expressed by other family members, the episode addresses issues in addition to racism, including mass shooting, climate change and gay rights.
Likewise, you will be able to see for yourself! The episode “Please, Baby, Please” of Black-ish is available now (along with other episodes from the past) on Hulu.
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