And choose they do. We open this episode after a win against Norfolk State at the Dorian Heywood arena. Hayward, as well all should remember, first appeared in season six, episode one. If you recall, Heywood was a star basketball player (not the best fighter since Piccolo beat him up), boyfriend to Lena James (who we will see later) AND a virgin who was waiting for marriage before having sex. His best friend became Terrell Walker who is not featured or mentioned in this series.
For reference, Norfolk State is a NCAA Division I school rivaling Hampton (which is nearby) and Virginia State University. Hazel says good luck in Baltimore. We don’t know who they’ll play but there are two D1 schools in Baltimore, Coppin State and Morgan State,
The crew decides to stay on campus during spring break but there ends up being a terrible storm. In the original series, a hurricane heads straight for Hillman in season five, episode five. What I remember is Jaleesa running around, pregnant, like a chicken with her head cut off, and Freddie and Ron discovering that they like each other.
In another episode, season three, episode three, the crew goes to Myrtle Beach (which I believe was mentioned earlier in this season) for spring break. This is when a pair of drug dealers mistake the crew’s van for their own and end up tracking them down to retrieve their drugs.
Deborah brings down tarot cards (better than a seance) and Hazel pulls The Moon, Rashida pulls The Five of Baskets (also known as the Five of Cups) while Deborah pulls The Lovers. According to the Google, Deborah is right…for the most part. It says The Moon upside down means that secrets are being exposed and you will be able to finally see a situation for exactly what it is versus what you feared or assumed. The Five of Baskets or Cups is a reminder that the even though three cups are spilled two are still full. There is still hope, love, and support you can rebuild with. Now, the lovers, is interesting because The Google says that this card is about being honest with your personal values and beliefs. You must stop making a choice based in fear or what is expected of you and make a choice that aligns with your soul. Thanks, Google.
Deborah asking who dies first if everyone is Black reminded me of “The Blackening.”
Boo Boo is sage-ing her space…no idea why. LOL.
When Hazel and Amir explore the basement to find the circuit breaker, they find a piece of the Underground Railroad that Freddie found when Clair Huxtable visited campus in season three, episode 15. For reference, there is no stop for the Underground Railroad in Richmond, VA. I think there is one in Delaware or Maryland, if I’m not mistaken. We have a slave trail here and Henry “Box” Brown famously shipped himself in a box all the way to Philly to gain his freedom. Also, VUU is a culmination of a four different institutions—Storer College, Hartshorn Memorial College (which used to be where Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School), Wayland Seminary, and Lumpkins Jail where they taught those slaves seminary. (I used to do campus tours for the school when I worked there.)
Kojo and Rashida being alone in The Pit reminds of the episode I mentioned prior when Freddie and Ron got stuck in the radio studio and shared a kiss. In this case, they made a fort. Cute.
Shaquille mentioned that back in the day, when they set the warehouse on fire with some fireworks, Deborah wore his Cass Tech hoodie. Cass Technical High school is a highly prestigious public magnet school in Detroit. Apparently, this school is hard to get into and hard to stay in because of its rigor but maintains a 99% graduation rate. Who else went to this school besides this fictional character? I’m glad you asked! Big Sean (who I think might have donated to the school in recent years), Diana Ross, Lily Tomlin, Jack White from The White Stripes, and Donovan Peoples-Jones, to name a few. This will be something Deborah finds in Candace’s room later.
Deborah and Shaquille recounting their past reminds me of season four, episode eight when Dwayne comes to Whitley’s apartment to talk about their relationship. At the end of this episode, they restablish their relationship, much like the new school version of themselves do in this episode.
Shaquille mentions they took a family trip to Disneyland in Tokyo. Fitting callback to the series finale when Dwayne and Whitley tell everyone that they’re moving there. They don’t tell us when Deborah moved to the States.
Shaquille answers her question by saying he’s the only one for him. Not that he’s had sex with someone else since her. Omission. Not a lie.
A “Bunny” texts Hazel and this, as we know, is the nickname that Dwayne calls Whitley. Hazel reveals that she has a boyfriend named Roger. That only reminded me of Roger from “Sister, Sister.” I had nothing else.
The line dance the crew does during the montage is the Tamia dance. I cannot do the dance and will not learn to do it. I’m too old to learn a new line dance.
The end of this episode feels almost like when Kim and her boyfriend, Robert, were having sex and she thought she was pregnant. That was season two, episode 11. It’s a stretch but Whitley was there for Kim like Deborah is here for Rashida in this moment.
Deborah goes into Candace’s room and finds Shaquille Cass Tech sweatshirt. This ruins my day.
What yall got?
