Dear White People season 2: The characters will get deeper and expect a lot of 'Scandal' parodies
Winchester is back in session - Netflix is bringing back 'Dear White People' for a second season this Friday. If you've already watched this gold of a television series since it came out last year, you know how amazing it is. But if you haven't don't sweat it, I've got you covered.
'Dear White People' is for everyone who cares about what is going on around you - it's for the woke. Witty as hell, wildly entertaining, this television series is all about a rebel with a cause stuck in a generation that's desperately trying to fit in. Starring Main characters Logan Browning as the protagonist Samantha White, Brandon P. Bell as the hunky Troy Fairbanks, DeRon Horton as the aspiring journalist Lionel Higgins, Antoinette Robertson as the scheming Colandrea "Coco" Conners, John Patrick Amedori as the righteous white man Gabe Mitchell, Marque Richardson as lovelorn Reggie Green and Ashley Blaine Featherson as the sassy Joelle Brooks.
Incredibly written by author and filmmaker Justin Simien, this series deals with a whole range of issues - racism, interracial relationships, hypocrisy within the community, nepotism, political correctness, the role of the press, how much money speaks and sheds light on a generation that has forgotten what the Black Movement was all about.
A series with a lot of stuff on its mind and every character is a representation of the current political scenario. The season starts off with a radio show called 'Dear White People' run by Sam stirring a storm in the fictional Ivy college of Winchester.
Pastiche, a magazine run by predominantly white men gets super offended by it and decides to throw a black face party to show their disgruntlement. The party, however, gets called off but someone hacks into their Facebook account and sends out one invite. next thing you know everyone shows up with their faces painted black and Sam is there to film the entire thing.
Cultural inappropriation is dealt with such intelligence in this series. The stark reality of pop culture influence in terms of racism comes through. Sam states something that lies at the core of the series, black culture isn't your Halloween costume. While the Winchester Independent, the campus newspaper catches up to the incident, which creates a massive protest, you get a glimpse of the real-life press situation, how sometimes the press inclines to support a person rather than a cause.
For the second season, 'Dear White People' will definitely be darker, funnier and hella entertaining than the first season and that's a super high level of expectation that I'm almost certain that the new season will meet. Nia Jervier who plays Kelsey in the series, in an interview revealed earlier that season two feels like "it's almost on steroids".
She went on to add that "Every time we read the new script, a new script for the next episode, we were all freaking out. There's even an episode so crazy that all of the writers and producers in the room put their cell phones on to videotape us."
The trailer for Season 2 dropped last week and it looks like the show starts right where it left off - there's no crazy new storyline. It evolves from the first part and just flows into the aftermath of the protest regarding Armstrong Parker house. Sam is still reeling from the pressure of facing the backlash against her show and her heartache after she and Gabe called it quits.
While romantic drama isn't the focus of the show, expect love to bloom in Winchester this season. Sam and Gabe may just get back together and leave #bae posts on Instagram for the world to see, but don't expect it to happen at the beginning of the show. Simply because the two characters have other priorities.
At its heart, it is a new age politically driven show, but an incredibly written plot, it doesn't forget to delve deeper into its characters. The season one finale left a lot of relationships out in the cold, especially the ones hanging by a thread hoping that nothing disturbs their delicate balance. Gabe and Sam's relationship for example. Like season 1, this season will also further explore the nitty-gritties of an interracial relationship and the way both the communities see it.
Troy's future is in trouble after he was arrested in the last season. Troy's character has been portrayed as a man who is born with more privilege than the rest. But he's unhappy with the constraints it brings, he wants to follow his heart. In the second season, here's hoping he finally gets to do what he wants with his career. There's also a heavy chance that his affair with his teacher may be unveiled.
There's also Lionel's dating life that will hopefully get started full-fledged as he sniffs out stories. His coming to terms with being gay has been dealt with in a very realistic way until now, here's hoping he gets the Troy of his dreams in the second season.
Speaking of relationships, Coco and Sam, who had been on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of opinion may just find a midpoint to meet. They will definitely realize the layers of privilege and the importance of the fight as they see that they are stronger when on the same side.
Coco and well as Sam are very strong female characters who know what they want and how to get it - the difference being Coco likes to plot and Sam likes to take the higher road. I think they might just end up becoming a force to be reckoned with as they join hands.
By the beginning of the second season, Sam's BFF Joelle and Reggie, the dude who had a forever crush on Sam will start dating. At the end of the first season, they were already making googly eyes at each other when Reggie comes to Sam's show to recite his poem in support of the protest as Sam runs off to meet Gabe, who shows up as a surprise.
The entire season will definitely be more violent, though it won't be about the guns, it will be about the violence that is masked by smiles. Like the way they portray the suspicions black folks face whenever something wrong happens through the character of Troy, this season will be more subtle in terms of showing things in the physical space. It will definitely address college campus politics but on a much deeper level. This season will definitely be about the consequences of actions.
There are also rumors of guest actors for the show that include names like Kid Fury, Todrick Hall and Lena Waithe (omg!) that will star as guests for Sam's radio show.
This season will definitely focus on the importance of media - in fact, I'm certain the scoops and news that Lionel breaks will change the course of the protest. It could either make or break it and through Lionel, the characters and the audience will learn a valuable lesson - the media today is powerful but very dangerous if in the wrong hands.
Finally, this season will focus a lot on finding one's voice as a colored person, and through Samantha, they will touch upon what a struggle it is to find it as a woman of color. Plus, expect a gazillion 'Scandal' parodies.