Nola Darling

Spike Lee plus Brooklyn plus his breakout story had the potential to be really good. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

First, the positive. The soundtrack to this series is amazing! Spike really did his thing with the song selection. Second, the shots and cinematography were great. Spike and his crew really make Brooklyn come alive in this series. Third, Dewanda Wise is gorgeous to look at. At times I was able to overlook the ridiculousness of Nola Darling because I was looking a Wise's pretty brown face.

Now the negative. The concept is dated now. Women having more sexual agency is not new in film or TV. Even worse her preaching about it so much makes her character come off as selfish and even detached from reality. In one scene she tells the therapist the men in her life are trying to control her. That made me laugh. Because up to that point in the series the only person who ever required anything of her was her female lover, Opal. The men were all content with just sex.

And the men in this series were a sore point. These guys don't exist in real life. As a result it makes Nola's character seem even more hollow. Her power is derived from "living her truth" with these men. But their characters are so weak it makes her unbelievable. Mars Blackmon is like a teenager. Asserting your sexual reality against him is no accomplishment.

Finally, the messages in the series are too heavy handed. At times it seemed like Spike wanted to preach a message about gentrification so he built a TV series around it. Also, the random monologues got in the way of the story. Nola breaking the 4th wall always seemed forced and fake deep. Shamecka was more interesting as a character than Nola.

Everyone who hates on this show doesn't understand its true meaning. It's not about a woman juggling with 3 lovers. Her lovers represent the time in her life she's in. She's confused and scared to be her true self and get close to any of these guys in the beginning. Season 2 makes more sense that this show is about a young black woman coming into adulthood a little later than many, but we all have different timelines. It is a journey of growth and self discovery and when you see the ending it will all make sense (or not, if you don't get it lol). It's about learning from your life experiences. Of course she is not the perfect character, she is a real one. Because people in real life are just as confused, if not more. But we all get through periods of growth in our own way and unique situations and experiences. This is a thought provoking series and not everyone will get it, hence a lot of negative feedback. Why hate on something you don't understand? See it again and maybe you'll learn something. I'm giving it a 5 because of the negative way the character is portrayed in the beginning, she's contradicting her own words and views in life and my thought in the beginning was like many of the negative reviews on here but then I got the meaning of the show later on.

The music gave it a 2 star rating... and I'll chuck an extra 1 star because they rip on Trump.

Spike Lee's style isn't for everyone. With multiple graphic sex scenes and extreme adult situations, I can understand why people don't care for this show. However, since the world of Nola is confusing and crazy, the style seems fitting. There are times when the editing sucks and the acting falls flat, but overall, you won't be bored.

Unfortunately the best thing about this show is the soundtrack. The rest of movie seems like a self-indulgent exercise by the director and whoever wrote the horrible, leaden script. Someone said it in a earlier review but the dialogue could not have been any more unnatural. What were they thinking? While he does capture some beautiful images of Brooklyn, the characters are poorly developed and Spike was clearly trying to push a narrative at the cost of the story. The lead character is interesting but she was not given opportunities to shine within this vanity project. Please spare us a third season