Previously on
White Famous, Floyd's progress over the first half of the season was taken away from him, and the public will be none the wiser to everything he's gone through and the opportunities he's had since the show has started.
I was excited for
Wolves to delve right into what Floyd was going to do next, but instead we just had people repeatedly showing up at Floyd's door, and his frustration at not being left alone. Sure, it was related to his sudden unemployment, but didn't it all feel a little strange that everyone in his life started showing up at his door. In the midst of all of these characters intertwining and interacting, Gwen confronts Amy, Trevor accidentally meets Robbie, and Teddy threatens Peter for the control of Angry Black.
There was just way too much going on here but at the same time the plotting of it all just felt a little bit pointless. I feel really bad for the cast because I think they're a talented set of actors, and with the right vehicle they could thrive, but
White Famous is not a show that allows them to do that. This is essentially a half hour episode wherein the plot and conflict is resolved in a two minute scene right at the end. Everything that precedes it isn't needed at all, and it just doesn't make for good viewing. Maybe I'm the only one thinking that, but going off the ratings, maybe other people aren't connecting with the show either.
So after another bottleneck episode the main conflict is resolved; Peter relinquishes control of
Angry Black to Teddy and Floyd is now employed again, but the hard work is just beginning, and Floyd is definitely questioning what he's got himself in for. It's moments like this where I can see the potential in the show, but it's more as a drama than as a comedy. It's definitely my personal preference, but the relationship between Floyd and Balls and the talks that they have together have always been one of the better parts of the show.
White Famous ends episodes on these moments and then never immediately banks on them which is just frustrating.
Duality starts with Floyd reading for Peter's new 'interracial romcom' with Gwen and Robbie, where he quickly finds out that their relationship isn't only just onscreen. He discusses with Balls and Malcolm whether to tell Sadie or not, which we know as an audience that he totally should, but he decides against it, which leads into the main dissension in this episode. Sadie has a showcase at a local bar, where Kali, one of her musical friends, seems to take an interest in Floyd. You guessed it, here's even more reasons for tension between Sadie and Floyd, who I fully believe will get back together.
Robbie promises Floyd he'll tell Sadie about cheating on her with Gwen, but after playing on stage with her at her showcase, he changes his mind, and instead tells Floyd that he doesn't have to say anything to her at all. Sadie has always been a sore spot for Floyd, and he sees red and ends up punching Robbie. Of course, Sadie doesn't have all the information and therefore blames Floyd, and Floyd gets thrown out. You just know this isn't going to end well, but we don't get to find out how things work out here this episode, as Kali instead accompanies Floyd and Balls home. Maybe Sadie was right to worry about what would happen between Floyd and Kali, because we all know the consequences of Floyd's decision to sleep with Amy, and as we saw at the end of the episode, Floyd went there with Kali, which could definitely have repercussions for Sadie too. Somehow I think that video and those impressions are going to come back to bite him as well, which is making me wonder if he's ever actually going to learn about optics and that now he's being surrounded by people in the public eye, he can't do the same things he might have done in the past.
We don't really get any resolution to the Sadie/Robbie or Robbie/Floyd conflicts in this episode, so hopefully these will be explored or given at least some time in the next installment rather than just dropped. Again,
White Famous is still having identity and pacing issues and I have no idea if there is even a general overarching plot other than 'Floyd tries to get famous'. It's a bit of a weak premise and I'm not sure the writing is strong enough to sell it.
What did you think of Wolves and Duality? Let me know in the comments.
