'Mixed-ish' Season 1 Episode 7: Grandpa Harrison and his family visit the country club as the show explores the racist implications of their presence
In this week's episode of 'Mixed-ish', Grandpa Harrison wants to bring Paul, Alicia, Denise, and the kids to his country club on the occasion of family day. Though Paul and Alicia initially refuse, they change their minds and the kids are excited to get the opportunity to learn more about their grandfather.
While Alicia and Denise spend time on the patio, the two sisters react differently to being the only black guests at the predominantly white country club. Alicia tries to be on her "best behavior", keeping her voice low, however, Denise wants to be loud and proudly black -- leading the two sisters to end up fighting.
One of the primary things they fight about -- the flavor of the snow cone to order. Alicia is vehemently against getting watermelon, but Denise -- in order to face the racist trope -- and the kids (unknowing of the fruit's racist history) want to get watermelon. For those unaware of why the watermelon was such a divisive topic, the fruit was stereotypically said to be excessively favored by African Americans -- this trope came into full force when slaves won their freedom during the Civil War. Free black people grew, ate, and sold watermelons making the fruit a symbol of their freedom.
However, Southern whites responded to this -- being threatened by the African-Americans' newfound freedom -- by making the fruit "a symbol of black people’s perceived uncleanliness, laziness, childishness, and unwanted public presence" according to The Atlantic, which details the racist history behind the fruit.
Meanwhile, while Rainbow and Aunt Denise are talking on the patio, management comes to take them away, despite them insisting they are guests of Harrison Jackson. It is only after Harrison says that they are indeed his family, the management apologizes -- which Harrison brushes off as an honest mistake, angering Rainbow -- and highlighting the racism often part of the country club scene.
However, after a father-son talk between Harrison and Paul, the former gives up his country club membership, showing that the character is making small steps in making his family feel like they matter.
'Mixed-ish' airs on ABC on Tuesday nights.
