‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Emotional roller coaster ride
The Wu-Tang Wednesday finally arrived as season two of the much-awaited show called ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ landed on Hulu on September 8. The very first episode of season two was titled ‘Little Ghetto Boys.’ Staying true to the name, the episode took the everyday hustle with personal troubles into the spotlight.
The show chronicles the fictional life of the members of one of the most iconic hip-hop groups ever, the Wu-Tang Clan during the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in New York City in the early 1990’s. While the first season shed light on how the group came together under one roof to record a single while balancing their troubled personal lives, season two will enthrall the audience with how they record their debut album called ‘Enter the Wu-Tang' (36 Chambers).
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Plot
‘Little Ghetto Boys’ opens with Ashton Sanders aka Bobby Diggs chilling out with his lady love at a house party along with his close pal Siddiq Saunderson played by Dennis “D-Love” Coles. Things go south when one of her exes ends up stalking her at the party with his clan and before anyone could blink, they get into a messy brawl as Diggs claims his throne while saving his girlfriend from the sticky situation. Before the ex pulls out his gun, Diggs punches him in the face taking control of the narrative.
Bobby Diggs’ mother Linda Diggs played by Erika Alexander later schools him for getting into street fights saying, “You need to turn yourself in,” which stuns Bobby as his father played by Bokeem Woodbine too supports the idea. The next scene actually cuts to showing Bobby Diggs stepping into the jail with a disappointed expression rather than feelings of guilt. The entire episode then revolves around Bobby going behind bars and repercussions faced by his family and friends. We also see Shameik Moore who plays Sha smuggling pills in packets of chips and nuggets to his house. On the other hand, Bobby gets restless and irritated in the jail as he faces an attempted murder.
Script
Gang fights between hip-hop groups were pretty common back in the day and that’s what the very first episode of season two captures in the truest sense. The script of the first episode looks a bit drab in the first half but it picks up the pace right at the half-time mark when Bobby’s girlfriend’s ex comes back to the house for revenge. The shootout between Dennis along with his buddies against the other clan leads to a shocking outcome.
Apart from the action, we missed the hardcore hip-hop songs in the background as we only get to hear them when there is some action, which was rare in the first episode but we are not complaining. ‘Little Ghetto Boys’ tries to pack the punch by showing the highs and lows of the Wu-Tang members and how their families get affected by it. We loved how they showed Diggs stepping into the world of crime.
Acting
While season two of ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ has recruited the same actors from season one, we still feel the actors roped in lacked the emotional quotient. The scenes are longer than expected as they try to hold on to the audience’s attention. Since the first episode was heavily emotional, we feel drained as we hoped to enjoy some music as well.
The entire episode revolves around Bobby going to jail, facing up to what he has done, his appearance in the court as he recalls his past. However, we have to give kudos to the last scene where Bobby imagines himself rapping in front of his family members and the court judge, pouring his heart out. He drops a powerful acapella rapping everything under the sun he has been feeling off-late. We are not dropping the spoilers here so that you get to watch what really happens with Bobby in the end.
Creators
‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ has been created by RZA and Alex Tse. The series has been executively produced by the duo alongside Brian Grazer, Merrin Dungey, and Method Man. Wu-Tang Members namely Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, and GZA serve as the consulting producers along with the estate of Ol' Dirty Bastard. The show dropped the first three episodes on September 8 and the next three will be up for streaming on Hulu on September 15.