Dear White People – Volume 2: Chapter II

By: Malasha Parker

Episode Two opens with Reggie (Marque Richardson) walking through campus getting a pity “Hey, Reggie” from a girl passing by. They flashback to the incident of Reggie getting held up at gunpoint at the party and then go into a further flashback. In 1825, Winchester issued guns to locals and then took them away years later. It then flashed back to the present of Reggie in his room berating his roommate about some of his unwanted habits. Reggie pulls out a beer – to the dislike of his roommate – and then Clifton (Erich Lane) tries to have an open conversation with Reggie about the gun incident. Reggie rejects all of his advances and then receives a reminder that it’s time for him to attend therapy.

On his way to his session, he has a moment of fear where he daydreams the cop pulling the gun on him, only to realize it’s Gabe (John Patrick Amedori). Gabe asks to talk to him, but Reggie says he’s moved on. In his therapy session Reggie begins discussing how white Clinton is. His therapists tells him that he is here to help him, but Reggie says if Winchester was here to help they would have given the police officer a shrink as well. He says that the only reason they’re making him go through therapy is to cover up everything and make sure he doesn’t end up killing himself. The therapist asks if he is thinking about it and without answer, Reggie guffaws.

When he goes to the dean’s office to drop off his paper, when he’s asked to go speak with the dean. He sees Troy in the office getting fussed at by his dad before he goes in. Dean Fairbanks (Obba Babatunde) tells him that if Reggie needs someone to talk to that he is  there for him. He says that he’s been through situations and that he can let him know if he needs to. Reggie asks about Officer Aimes and he says that the school is taking appropriate actions. As Reggie leaves, he has memories of the incident run through his head.

He walks into the lobby of Armstrong-Parker and Coco(Antoinette Robertson) asks him how he’s doing. As they sit and watch an episode of “Iyanla Vanzant,” she discusses issues of another man dealing with the same thing as Reggie. Kordell (Brandon Black) comes in and asks Reggie to join. He does and as he reads a scripture and then prays, Joelle advises him to leave. He skips out and runs into Gabe. Gabe asks him again if he wants to talk, but Reggie rejects him as Sam walks by.

Reggie is welcoming Troy back to Armstrong Parker and later he watches him talk to a girl. Troy (Brandon Bell) slyly discusses his “reparations” that he receives from the girls now that he’s back. They head over to hang with Kurt (Wyatt Nash) to smoke and drink. They discuss Sam’s online meltdown and Kurt and Reggie have a bonding moment after getting well under the influence. Kurt says, “If he encourages the system, then he’s a racist.” Troy and Reggie laugh at him saying that he acts like because he realizes it he should get a cookie.

Troy mentions how his father wanted to see Reggie and he recounts the events Reggie confesses that he hasn’t told his father about the incident and they reminisce about how they used to be good friends. After a girl comes by and Reggie takes her up to his room he has a long night with multiple girls, his roommate decides to tell him all of his issues with rooming with Reggie. Reggie rejects his conversations again.

Reggie and Joelle go out to the open mic night. Joelle (Ashley Blaine Featherson) mentions how Reggie brought a flask, but he brushes it off. When Joelle goes up to sing, Reggie gets hit on by a girl as Joelle watches the whole scene play out in front of her. Instead of continuing their date, Joelle ops to go instead.

Reggie goes to visit Dean Fairbanks again and they discuss the incident where he tells Reggie not to normalize the event. On their walk around campus they see the cop that held Reggie up at gunpoint. Reggie gets angered and tries to go towards them, but Dean Fairbanks tells him to be patient because he will pay. Reggie replies, “I don’t want him to pay. I want to make him feel small like I did.”

While in the lobby of Armstrong-Parker, Reggie waits for Gabe to come so that they can film for his documentary. They sit down to begin a discussion. Instead of just hopping into the police brutality situation, Reggie just talks about regular oppression. He says “They see me as one and that is a threat to me.” He looks into the camera and says, “I’m done seeing myself through other people’s eyes. Telling you what’s going on beneath my skin.” He’s concluded that he doesn’t care about what’s going on beneath their surface anymore.