'Wu-Tang: An American Saga' Episode 9 serves as a love letter to long-term fans of the Wu-Tang Clan
Hulu released the ninth episode of 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga' and wow, what an episode! The 46+ minutes-long episode was littered with references and easter eggs. Not only did Bobby say he is part of the Wu-Tang Clan along with Dennis, Shotgun, Ason and maybe the Genius if he wants to join in, he even asks the lady from Tommy Boy Records if the label will be interested. But the tape Bobby handed her soon makes its way into a box to be forgotten forever. What a mistake!
The very next scene is Dennis watching 'Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang' with his brothers. When his brothers laugh at a scene, Dennis tells them it's not funny and his brother tells him, "Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' to f*** with" -- which is the title of one of the songs from the group's debut album, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) -- and we haven't even touched the 10-minute mark of the episode yet! Later, Dennis even spins some rhymes with those words. He even suggests the idea of merging two styles: kung-fu with rap, and the movies with the music. Bobby also starts to learn the Supreme Alphabet and Mathematics (from the Five-Percent Nation) which also played a big role in the group's music.
The penultimate episode serves as a love letter to long-term fans of the Wu-Tang Clan. Not only do we see the influence of the martial arts movies and the Supreme Alphabet building up, we also see Divine's and Power's stories setting up to show how they became the brains behind the business that was the Wu-Tang Clan. The principles Dennis learns from 'Shaolin vs Wu-tang' prompts him to mend his friendship with Bobby, who tells him that Attila stole his tapes and is holding them for ransom. Dennis tells him they're going to take it back as the episode closes with a voiceover sampled from the movie Dennis was watching, "the Shaolin and the Wu-Tang could be dangerous".
'Wu-Tang: An American Saga' has been touted as a miniseries and there has been no word yet from Hulu or the people involved whether the show will go beyond this season. With one episode left, to bring everything together, fans would be hoping to get more of the show. The trailer for the last episode shows a confrontation between Bobby and Attila as multiple plotlines build up to a climax. Also, Jake Hoffman will appear as Steve Rifkind again.
"Kung-fu don't belong to anybody. It evolves." With the miniseries on Hulu, the RZA has ensured the same can be said of the Wu-Tang Clan. A whole new generation can discover the music and the inspiration these rappers gave to communities across the country.
'Wu-Tang: An American Saga' Episode 10 can be streamed on Hulu next Wednesday.
