‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Clan tries to sell debut song
Season 2 of ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ is six episodes down and so far, we witnessed how Bobby Diggs aka RZA (Ashton Sanders) managed to get the rest of the members on board with the help of Divine (Julian Elijah Martinez), Power (Marcus Callender) and “D-Love” Coles aka Ghostface Killah (Siddiq Saunderson). The second season of the Hulu original premiered on September 8 and the latest i.e. episode seven was aired on Wednesday, October 6.
Episode seven has been titled ‘Airwaves’ whereas, the last one was called ‘Protect Ya Neck’, where we finally saw an in-depth process of RZA focusing on sampling, mixing, and mastering a beat as the clan recorded their first-ever song in their studio located in a rented apartment. ‘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 aka ODB.
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Plot
Episode seven titled ‘Airwaves’ kickstarts with the vinyl printing of the Wu-Tang Clan’s new single called ‘Protect Ya Neck’ as it hits the record stores. The clan tries different tactics to make sure their new single stays hot in the record stores. From yellow pages to getting the song on the radio, the squad discusses it all. While the clan is busy brainstorming promotional strategies, RZA is seen spending more time in the studio with an intention to produce more songs.
Coles aka Ghostface Killah stays back at the studio as he dials different numbers in order to reach different music companies. We could see him struggling to reach the executives. Coles in one scene can be heard saying that he is trying to make the song reach radio stations. He finally gets pissed as he says, “This is a f**king waste of time.” Coles then acts smart and dials a radio station as a listener and asks to play ‘Protect Ya Neck’ by Wu-Tang Clan. RZA then hits up at a community event where he bumps into a radio host, whom he knows from his earlier days.
Script
The script of the latest episode seemed a bit loose as compared to the previous episode. While episode six took the audience on an extensive journey of how the clan made their first song, their struggle to sell the record, the latest one did not seem to evoke any emotions. It appears as if they have it all mapped out despite showing the audience that they are scratching their head to make their debut single a hit. In one of the scenes, we see T J Atoms selling the record from the back of his trunk while RZA and Killah try their best to get the song a few plays on the radio.
Divine tries to sell their single/tape to A-Mack Records at the community event but their clan being all independent proves to be a bane for them. The owner of the record label makes it clear that since they were independent, they might have to wait to pocket some moolah. The makers tried to add a few comical scenes in the script as we see Sha Raider aka Raekwon (Shameik Moore) repeatedly calling a radio station as a listener in order to make their new song play- a similar tactic used by Ghostface Killah in one of the earlier scenes. The episode ends with the clan getting surprised as their song ‘Protect Ya Neck’ finally gets a radio play. RZA and Raekwon jump with excitement in the studio after they hear their name on the radio. Soon all the members of the clan join in as they bump the track out and loud celebrating their first milestone.
Acting
Despite the show in its second season, we could only see a major improvement in Ashton Sanders, who plays Bobby Diggs aka RZA, and Dave East who plays Shotgun aka Method Man on the show. The former carries the entire show on his shoulders whereas, the latter is rarely spotted. The rest of the clan members in the latest episode fail to impress in front of the camera. They appear expressionless despite showing their struggle.
‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’ returns to Hulu every Wednesday