This episode broke down into two main categories for me: Self/Ego, Clarity.
HIS PERSPECTIVE: When MJ was eaten up and spat out by a few students, I was awestruck. I just knew that at any moment she'd clap back at the lot of these young upstarts. As it turned out I was happy that she didn't, it was more intriguing that way. The back and forth between MJ and the "scarfed one" had me wanting to come through my screen and shake the shit out of both of them. MJ for not rolling out a list of her accomplishments and Penelope Pitstop for being so fucking disrespectful, in both tone and content. It's always amazing when the opposite of what you expect to go down happens. When Mary Jane started out selling her lifestyle to a bunch of idealistic college kids, I thought to myself, surely they'll check her shoes, outfit, whip and Birkin Bag to have all of the information they'll need to "buy-in", but instead told her, "You sold out, that's why we don't trust you." Fade to black and head to commercial. That shit was powerful. Making money is a freaking necessity, it helps with everything, but it's not a cure-all. Having a voice and using it is important to me and most everyone I know. When there's a choice to be made between the two, heaven knows which way to go. The fact that MJ stood there and took it was endearing to me. There's nothing more telling than a moment of clarity, and this is what that presented to me. I might could like this Mary Jane chic?
HER PERSPECTIVE: The Henry David Thoreau quote posted on MJ's window before she went out to join her family by the pool was EVERYTHING: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." Those words set the tone for Tuesday's episode. It was perfectly timed that those words preceded the powerful ending of the journalism class scene. For the first time, we saw a side of Mary Jane in that scene that we don't get to see often: MJ being humbled by someone other than a peer. Part of me wanted to smack the respect back into the "scarfed one" but by the end of the scene I was clear on her purpose and delivery. She not only gave MJ a dose of her own medicine (bark and bite) but for once, MJ had no snap back. None. A reality check doused in truth tends to have that effect. That was the first step in MJ going confidently in the direction of hre dreams.
Yet another profound quote that gave me perspective, "Once people said: Give me liberty or give me death. Now the say: Make me a slave, just pay me enough." My take away: Money isn't the root of all evil, it's the questionable choices made to get/make money that plays evil.
HIS PERSPECTIVE: Sometimes the dude in horns with the pointy tail isn't really the devil. I think one of the key characters to this season is Cece (Loretta Devine), the extortionist and bookstore owner. This woman is all about uplifting her community from the inside out, through any means necessary and I love her for that. From the start she has dropped little nuggets of meaningful advice to MJ all while taking money and time. By this season's end I am sure that she will give more to MJ than she's taken. It's funny and realistic that MJ treats her like the plague, whenever she shows up. I mean you can literally see Mary Jane's posture change whenever this woman appears. Even better is the annoying information that she drops along the way to a reluctant MJ. Even funnier is how MJ seems to parrot that information at some point later in each show. I think the advice is sinking in. This is what soul searching is all about, you get what you can from whoever you can and apply it for the betterment of self.
HER PERSPECTIVE: I am fascinated by the relationship between MJ and Cece. I sometimes wonder whether Cece being a lesbian is crucial to the character and relationship with MJ or was it thrown in for the sake of a curve ball. In other words, would the effect that Cece's character has be different if she were a straight feminine woman vs. a masculine lesbian woman? Either way, I am a huge fan of the new character. To me, Cece (in addition to the "scarfed one") is MJ's conscious. Yes, Cece's intrusion on MJ's life is through extortion but it's benefiting MJ in more ways that one. I thought it was incredibly telling that MJ ended up taking Cece's advice (after she threw her major shade for showing up unannounced at her house) to stay in Primetime but ask for Talk Back back. Grit on Cece all you want, MJ (and fans)...she's here for a reason. This was the second step in MJ going confidently in the direction of her dreams. Note -by the end of the episode, MJ gets exactly what she wants.
HIS PERSPECTIVE: While the girl thinks that I hate MJ, I don't. I've just been waiting to see some self-reflection from her in a way that is tangible to me. I feel like I finally got that from her. The fact that she humbled herself enough to listen to the students and that she did the same to not only listen to, but apply some of the lessons shared by Cece, warmed my heart. You never know from what direction good advice will come, you only have to be receptive enough to hear it, reflective enough to know if it fits and humble enough to make the proper adjustments. Am I salty about her bailing out on Brandon still? Not really, I kinda like the new dude although I'm sure that he has one, maybe two scenes left. I still feel that this season is setting MJ and Brandon on a collision course to need each other and come to some sort of reckoning or closure fairly soon.
HER PERSPECTIVE: Part of character building is going through the motions be it good, bad and ugly. The audience, loves, hates, disagrees, questions, cheers, boo's MJ. That is art imitating life. I appreciate that the character is incredibly flawed (and has been from start) because when the inevitable aha moments, gems, and life lessons are dropped, the audience is privy to witnessing the metamorphosis (and subsequently thinking about our own shit). This may very well be the first female African American TV character that I've seen rolled out in this particular fashion. Yes, I thought that the boy hated MJ (and he did) but I am glad that he's finally come around :-).
*Side Note - Although we didn't write about this, I had to mention it. The boy brought up a really good point, by way of a rhetorical question, regarding the scene between White Boy's Can't Jump and MJ: "If we can trust each other to have sex without knowing our status (which is way more riskier), why can't we trust each other to take tests together? Word!
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