Dear White People – Volume 2: Chapter V

By starrymag | May 15, 2018

By: Malasha Parker

 

 

The episode opens with us spanning over a flyer for Dear White People. Both Joelle (Ashley Blaine Featherson) and Sam (Logan Browning) are questioning Al (Jemar Michael) on why Joelle’s picture is so small and why it took an hour photoshoot for an unflattering picture of Joelle. Al says it’s because she’s new to the show but because it has to be posted immediately, they decide that they’ll fix the flyer later.

 

The narrator then comes in to say that Joelle isn’t used to being second to anyone. It flashes to Joelle giving her high school valedictorian speech from Woodlawn Academy. The school is designed to breed Ivy leaguers and that is exactly what Joelle accomplished. In 1840, Winchester’s first black alum has an epiphany that it was clear he would never be accepted there after watching his professor give a lesson by putting a skull measurer to a black man’s head to say that it determines their brain matter. He hoped to change things by fifty years time at Winchester. It then shows Joelle singing in a choir and being told to dial it back because she’s singing over everyone. We then see Joelle checking her grades for a class showing that she is clearly at the top and “giving these white boys a run for their money.”

 

Joelle and Sam are in the studio recording another episode of Dear White People. They go back and forth discussing a another issue about bots on the internet. While they’re doing so, Sam consistently cuts Joelle off by either finishing her sentences or just ignoring what she’s saying all together. Joelle is visibly annoyed.

 

Joelle goes to inconspicuously meet Gabe (John Patrick Amedori) in the library. He asks why they can’t just openly be friends, but Joelle mentions that Sam doesn’t process change well. He thanks Joelle for helping him with his documentary. They joke about it for a little bit, but then Gabe asks about Reggie. Joelle gets defensive and Gabe says he’s moved on. Joelle apologize for snapping at him. She insecurely says, “When I look in the mirror I see someone who’s beautiful, talented, and always the second one you think of.”

 

Joelle shows up to her lab class because she missed the one on Monday and meets Trevor King (Shamier Anderson). They both acknowledge that they’ve heard of each other. While they’re looking over a body, the two determine together what’s wrong with it. They go back and forth about what’s going on with the body on the table and have a laugh over it. After class, Trevor runs to ask Joelle to go out with her. Since Joelle can’t leave campus, Trevor offers to take her somewhere on campus. He says a cute line and Joelle literally faints in her mind over it.

 

He takes her through the food science lab for a meal and they bring out a fancy dish for the two. Joelle says she thought she knew all of the black people that are at Winchester and asks what house he stays in. He responds with Webster and then guesses that Joelle is from A-P. He says he won;t hold it against her. Joelle asks what’s wrong with A-P and he says it’s too “pop-woke” for him. He says that he doesn’t want to come home to talk about living the black experience after actually living it. She offers for him to come and visit, just to see what it’s actually like.

 

They go eat icecream on a bench as they watch people pass by on campus. They watch as a member of campus security has a little fun with some white kids playing a game with toys guns and then continue to walk as he suspiciously stares down a black boy getting a book out of his bag. Joelle gets an alert that she has a black caucus meeting so they exchange numbers so that they can hang out again.

 

While Sam is delivering the news that Carson Rhodes (Tyler James Williams) has been secured to speak on campus, Joelle is busy messaging Trevor. Ethan (Keaton Savage) mentions a segment that Carson had with Rikki Carter (Tessa Thompson) on it. Lionel (DeRon Horton) pulls up the clip for everyone to watch. Carson and Rikki are discussing safe-spaces, which turns into something else altogether. James tries to defend her, which causes everyone to hop into a discussion on what Rikki’s explanation actually means. Clifton (Erich Lane) asks Reggie (Marque Richardson) for a better explanation on what Rikki says and he responds that, “For some of you people, coming together means ignoring our experiences.” Joelle says that sometimes people need their own space because “we’ve been through a lot, we go through a lot.”

 

Joelle goes back to texting Trevor, receiving looks from Reggie in the process. Al looks over her shoulder and outs what she’s doing. Rashid (Jeremy Tardy) asks for more information on the guy, but Joelle says she doesn’t want to bring him around just yet because every time they see Sam they change their mind about her. Rashid asks for an elaboration on what she means and Joelle motions to her skin tone. Rashid tells her that, “If a guy can’t see how beautiful she is, he is blind.”

 

Joelle and Sam walk into their room and Sam asks if she’s “boy smiling.” Joelle breaks it out and tells her that she is smiling because of a boy. Sam asks why she hasn’t brought him around and Joelle admits that she isn’t ready to bring him around yet because she doesn’t want it to get messed up. Sam asks for all the details and Joelle gives a little bit of information on how they met and his first name.

 

Trevor and Joelle are walking through campus – giving the rundown on their families. They stop at some monuments on campus where Trevor reveals a hidden book to Joelle. The camera pans over an interesting engravement on one monument. The two sit down and Trevor explains some history of the school. Joelle explains why she loves A-P and Trevor just slightly laughs at it. Joelle decides to show him something and the two go under A-P to see a part of the underground railroad. They see some markings on the wall and the two share a kiss in the shadows.

 

As the two walk into A-P, Trevor makes a joke about why black people always “dress the part.” While Joelle is explaining some of A-P’s newest additions, Trevor spots the Dear White People flyer and asks why her picture is so small. He says that she’s the draw and then makes a comment that real sisters get sidekicked by these light-skinned chicks. Sam slightly defends her. Reggie walks up to ask if Joelle wants to go out, but Trevor says that they already have plans. After he leaves, Troy  (Brandon Bell) walks in to discuss some issues at Davis House now that they’re he’s head of house. Troy asks how he can get them off of his back and Trevor says to just keep proving them right. Troy asks him what that supposed to mean and trevor sarcastically says that they love seeing us squander a chance.

 

Why’ll they’re watching another episode of Prince O’ Palities where P Ninny (Lena Waithe) cameos, Trevor mentions that it’s another piece of proaganda and uses some offensive terms to do so. A group of white boys walk up saying that they’re missing their show and Trevor proceeds to break down the plot in a harsh way. The entire time Joelle is looking at him with a questioning face. Trevor asks, “Joelle, you know you’re a queen, don’t you?” When she finds out that he means Nubian queen, she breaks down in her mind all the moment that lead to her realizing that he’s a Hotep. She asks him if he is and instead of answering, he explains the meaning of the word – leading Joelle to explode in frustration.

 

Sam comes around to see what’s wrong, but Trevor calls her a “Halfrican-American” and other rude names. Joelle tells him not to talk to her like that and more people surface around. Gabe comes in to give Joelle something she forgot and then Coco comes to deliver the news that they lost Carson Rhodes. Trevor decides it’s not going to work between Joelle and him anymore, but Reggie hops in to her defense. Joelle tells them to stand down and delivers a read for him to go back to his own dorm. Trevor starts mouthing off, but before he can finish Reggie punches him in the face. Just as that happens, Sam receives an alert that AltIvyW posted about the punch – meaning the account is someone who spends time at A-P. Joelle talks to Reggie and as he walks off she turns to stare into the camera with a smirk.