Interview with Abe: Jess Wu Calder

I had the chance to speak with a director of one of the most underrated shows out there, Starz’s “Blindspotting,” for Awards Radar. Watch my conversation with Jess Wu Calder below!

Interview with Abe: Candace Nicholas-Lippman

I had the chance to speak with the cast of one of the most underrated shows out there, Starz’s “Blindspotting,” for Awards Radar. Watch my conversation with Candace Nicholas-Lippman below!

Interview with Abe: Benjamin Earl Turner

I had the chance to speak with the cast of one of the most underrated shows out there, Starz’s “Blindspotting,” for Awards Radar. Watch my conversation with Benjamin Earl Turner below!

Interview with Abe: Jaylen Barron

I had the chance to speak with the cast of one of the most underrated shows out there, Starz’s “Blindspotting,” for Awards Radar. Watch my conversation with Jaylen Barron below!

Interview with Abe: Helen Hunt

I had the chance to speak with the cast of one of the most underrated shows out there, Starz’s “Blindspotting,” for Awards Radar. Watch my conversation with Helen Hunt below!

Interview with Abe: Rafael Casal

I had the chance to speak with the cast of one of the most underrated shows out there, Starz’s “Blindspotting,” for Awards Radar. Watch my conversation with Rafael Casal below!

Interview with Abe: Jasmine Cephas Jones

I had the chance to speak with the cast of one of the most underrated shows out there, Starz’s “Blindspotting,” for Awards Radar. Watch my conversation with Jasmine Cephas Jones below!

What I'm Watching: Blindspotting (Season 2)

I had the chance to review the entire second season of “Blindspotting” for AwardsWatch - head over there to read my take on the complete second season.

What I’m Watching: Blindspotting (Season Finale)

Blindspotting: Season 1, Episode 8 “Bride or Die” (B+)

I wish we knew if this show was going to be returning for a second season or not because there’s so much still to explore, and unfortunately this could be it. I had the chance to interview Daveed Diggs recently (that will go live sometime next week), and he couldn’t stop praising how amazing it’s been to work on this show. It was nice to get to hear his voice over the end credits as Collin checked in with Miles, who noted that, as Diggs said when we were speaking, that this isn’t their story anymore and that Miles should save his time to get to call Ashley and Sean. The idea of having Ashley come to the prison in a wedding dress with an officiant there was a good one, but they probably should have tried to call first and let Miles know that what the plan was so that the officiant, played by Stephen Root from “Barry” and “Perry Mason,” wouldn’t end up leaving since he didn’t consider this a consensual union. After leaving her current identification at home, Rainey made up for that mistake by thinking quickly and flashing the guard, enabling Trish to finish performing the ceremony so that they’re officially married, something that didn’t happen for a lot of reasons. That high was turned into a real low after Earl got to perform his musical number before being carted away by police, signifying how, even with happy moments peppered in, there is a devastating consistency to the cycle of discrimination and incarceration that has yet to be broken. I’m definitely on board for season two – this show has been fascinating and thought-provoking to watch.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Jaylen Barron as Trish

What I’m Watching: Blindspotting

Blindspotting: Season 1, Episode 7 “Seannie Darko” (B+)

Sean finally coming to see Miles provided a nice but short-lived reunion, one that came to a rather unpleasant and disturbing close when Miles was pulled away abruptly due to the unrest happening with the couple sitting next to them. The effect on Sean was visible to everyone, though I’m not sure they would have imagined the terrifying hallucination he had of the guard bowling down a bunch of inmates, but at least he was able to recognize that it wasn’t real and snap back to reality. Rainey’s suggestion of marriage to get visitation took a different turn than I had expected, especially given that it came after Janelle posited nude photos, with a way to give Sean time to spend with his father in a setting often reserved for strictly conjugal visits. After Ashley sang Sean to sleep, she had a surprisingly serious interaction with Earl, who emphasized the less humorous nature of him having to constantly be within reach of an extension cord. Cuddie made quite an entrance in his L.O.B.B. uniform, and he immediately impressed an already eager Jacque by complimenting her art. Trish has reached a good place with him too, and she got Carl down from a 60% stake in her new company to 20% within seconds and with no negotiating, so maybe this very niche kink business will actually end up working out. There’s only one episode left in this season and no word yet on a renewal. I would definitely be interested to see more of these characters.

What I’m Watching: Blindspotting

Blindspotting: Season 1, Episode 6 “Ghost Dad” (B+)

One of the things I find most intriguing about this show is that Miles is a character who is seen frequently but not as the real version of himself. He’s on the phone talking to us, the audience, at the start of every episode in a style reminiscent of “Shameless,” but that’s just a gimmick to invite viewers back in for each installment. He appeared in a good chunk of this episode, but only hallucinated in a Gatsby outfit for Ashley to work through her doubts about finally telling Sean that his father is in prison. It’s not as if actor Rafael Casal isn’t available, but instead it feels like a purposeful reflection of reality, that he feels so distant and Ashley can only imagine most of their conversations since his incarceration makes it difficult to have them in person, especially when she doesn’t stick around to be able to visit him. This episode’s title was a very fitting one as a result. While Ashley was out for the day, there was considerable panic at home when Nancy, Janelle, and Earl took a proactive approach to ensuring that Sean was sufficiently aware of and well-versed in his blackness, a concern that may indeed have stemmed from an uncertain tone in the insinuating question. Ashley did make the difficult decision to finally tell Sean the truth, and I’m curious how long it will be before we’ll get a chance to see the real Miles and how he reacts to Ashley letting him see Sean in person after he’s been wanting to for so long.

What I’m Watching: Blindspotting

Blindspotting: Season 1, Episode 5 “Beaches Be Trippin’” (B+)

This episode certainly had a clever title, and this show manages to keep things uniquely interesting even without too much going on over the course of a half-hour installment. I like that the mutual dislike between Ashley and Trish is acknowledged frequently by both of them, and that Ashley is usually the instigator, tricking her into confirming that she owned a particular kind of bathing suit. Janelle bringing them to the beach to get high and exorcise some of their demons was well-intentioned but naturally missing a few important details, like the fact that they weren’t supposed to have eaten anything beforehand. I appreciated seeing some familiar TV faces on the beach, with Emily Althaus from “Togetherness” and “Orange is the New Black” as Amy, who was even more emotional than the rest of them, and Ginger Gonzaga from “Kidding” and “Mixology” as Maria, who prefers Venmo to Paypal. Their joint trip was indeed trippy, and coming out of it on the beach together at the end felt relatively therapeutic, with the potential even to improve Ashley and Trish’s existing relationship. The highlight of the episode was Earl and his desperate effort to do well at his interview while racing home to make it by 5pm before his monitor kicked back in. While his new boss, played by Susan Park from “Snowpiercer,” probably should not have hired him for a dependable early-morning job requiring a good deal of heavy lifting, he did show a remarkable commitment to being on time when everything depended on it.

What I’m Watching: Blindspotting

Blindspotting: Season 1, Episode 4 “The Four Hustlateers” (B+)

There wasn’t all that much that happened in this episode, but I like that we just got to spend time with the characters as they were struggling to make the most of boring moments and keep things interesting. Trish was entirely absent as Ashley got home very frustrated from a continually-delayed visit to Miles that ended up getting cancelled together, and she, Miles, and Rainey are all well aware that the situation isn’t ideal and that she would prefer not to be living with the mother of her boyfriend. Finding Miles’ stash of pot to smoke was a great bonding opportunity, and I liked that Ashley was proud of herself for spilling the beans about her secret rituals with Miles that Rainey was very aware of and could recite back to her. It was fun that they did this at the same time as Earl and Janelle got to know each other a little better following his very frustrating visit from his parole officer, who tried to keep him honest and in the process stopped him from engaging in a perfectly legal activity on private property. I didn’t expect that he was going to be a very knowledgeable cook, and as part of the barriers coming down between him and his landlord, he broke the news to her that she wasn’t a good cook, prompting a humorous cookoff that he clearly won. The last few minutes of the episode were devoted to that hypnotic dance sequence, keeping this show’s signature style going and saying plenty without any dialogue.

Take Three: Blindspotting

Blindspotting: Season 1, Episode 3 “The Rule of Three” (B+)

I liked the theme of this episode, one that ended up tying everything together in its final impactful scene that spoke to all of the characters involved. Sean’s violent behavior had him panicking about how he could right that wrong, and Earl dealing with his own extended punishment helped to provide a humorous framework for the situation that Sean desperately wanted to avoid. Rainey explaining the rule of three to Ashley seemed too simple to actually work, but then she went ahead and executed that final fateful blow when Trish was going off on her that helped everyone understand why it was (apparently) effective. Trish is definitely one of the best characters on this show, and her business loan application turned from a rhythmic and appealing pitch into a hilarious scenario where the loan agent was calling security because she didn’t want to hear that there was no way she would ever be approved. Things only got worse when she went to talk to Leland Orser’s Carl, who was much more focused on his dolls than on her and then made her go out on the floor because the other dancers didn’t show up. The montage of her getting ready interspersed with the streets and cars was very effective, and all that pent-up frustration set her up for an intense showdown with Ashley when she got home. I’m also enjoying the scenes where Ashley talks to Scotty about what’s going on in her life and he gives her advice with a little bit of sass and sarcasm mixed in.

Round Two: Blindspotting

Blindspotting: Season 1, Episode 2 “Smashley Rose” (B+)

I like that this episode felt completely different from the first installment, and even though that might make for a difficult tonal adjustment and establishment of a coherent narrative, I’m all for it since it really is captivating. Presuming that Miles was only going to serve a month in jail was very poor preparation for the five years that he got, and both Ashley and Rainey seemed equally shell-shocked and devastated by that news. I wasn’t sure what Rafael Casal’s involvement in the show was going to be, and so I was glad to see him pop up a few times as a figment of Ashley’s imagination, commenting on what she goes through during the day at work and validating the notion that people don’t get to just talk to her like they apparently do. Having a man suggest that she come up to his room so that she could partake in a threesome was presumptuous and invasive but not nearly as much as the way his wife behaved when Ashley called her on assuming that she would know a drug dealer just because she was Black. Telling her to “know your place” was the last straw, and Ashley got to take out her anger in a way that would directly affect that woman, likely ending up with her paying high fees for all the damage that they allegedly caused. It’s good at least that her manager fully had her back, and that, back home, Rainey also took steps to make sure she was doing as much for her as possible in a tough situation.

Pilot Review: Blindspotting

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.