Dear White People – Volume 2: Chapter X

By starrymag | May 28, 2018

By: Malasha Parker

 

 

We’re back on Winchester’s campus as we see the flyers for the Carson Rhodes (Tyler James Williams) event say “Cancelled” and other flyers pasted over them saying, “It’s okay to be white.” The students are making comments about it. Theodora (Jaclyn Betham) and Alexis (Madison Lawlor) discuss how they shouldn’t be having Rikki Carter (Tessa Thompson) speak at their school. We hear Joelle (Ashley Blaine Featherson) on the intercoms on campus, discussing the flyer situation on Dear White People. While Alexis is talking about how annoying the student radio station is at the moment, Theodora is shocked by the news that quinoa is a form of systemic oppression. Clifton (Erich Lane) decides that they should do something about it and tweets out that people should stop colonizing quinoa. They find out that it’s fake news and try to figure their way out of the racial conundrum.

 

We move to Joelle continuing to talk on the radio and Lionel (DeRon Horton) and Sam (Logan Browning) go through the contents she brought back from her father’s study. They have compiled books of secret society handbook scans. Sam suggests that it’s Order of X. She shows it to Lionel and begins to read from the book. He sees that it’s only up until the 40s and she says she doesn’t believe it’s real. She suggests more clues, but he shuts those down, too. She says that she had an “X” just like the one in the book on her door when she returned to campus. Lionel says he had one too but he just thought it was a hoax. He asks her where she got it from and Sam tears up as she says that her dad believed that even the worst things happened for a reason. She needs something good. She says that the Order of X may be the piece that they have been missing. She suggests that there may be a network of them and they could get on the frontlines of everything. Lionel tries to dismiss it but he says that he will try to look through everything. Sam leaves and Lionel receives a text from Wesley (Rudy Martinez).

 

As Joelle is still talking on the radio, the police department listens to it. The captain begins to say that Rikki Carter has been known to stir the pot at their school and tells the other officers to be alert because they know how these kids can get. Dean Fairbanks (Obba Babatundé) asks which kids he’s referring to and the police officer ignores his comments and then dismisses the other officers. Dean Fairbanks walks up to Officer Ames (Scott Michael Morgan) and tells him to watch it while throwing a folder on his desk. The officer is unfazed and says that his brother got him a job so he isn’t worried.

 

Coco (Antoinette Robertson) and Kurt (Wyatt Nash) are in bed together when Joelle’s voice on the ready ruins the mood for Coco. He tries to kiss her, but Coco avoids him because she doesn’t want them to get into a real relationship. She isn’t interested in a relationship right now. She says she has to tell the Black Caucus first. Troy (Brandon Bell) texts him so he goes downstairs to talk to him. Troy hands over a sketch packet for Pastiche. While they talk, Coco sneaks out of the dorm behind Troy. Troy just says that he needs to get into the parties and then he can take it from there. Kurt agrees to helping him, but he’s going to need more material.

 

Troy passes Al (Jemar Michael) and a group of students who are trying to figure out who started the Davis House fire that caused A-P to integrate. Troy gives them good wishes and then leaves. Troy goes into A-P as CORE is meeting and after receiving an unpleasant comment from Coco, he goes up to his room. He gets right to writing more ideas on his sketch list. He hears moaning and voices in the room beside him. We see Lionel and Wesley in a compromising position. As they awkwardly try to maneuver their way through sex, they come into a few complications but they finally work it out. Lionel accidentally says “I love you,” but quickly dismisses it.

 

Afterwards, they’re watching a show where P Ninny (Lena Waithe) is getting interviewed. Apparently, she got dropped from Trap House Tricks because of her not saying she was a lesbian. While they discuss it, Lionel brings up monogamy. However, Wesley isn’t much of a believer in it and tells him so. Lionel agrees, uncommitted.

 

Joelle and Reggie (Marque Richardson) are talking about how Reggie felt about her being with the hotep guy. She tells him that at least he decided to make a move instead of just telling her what she deserves. While they’re sitting there, Al walks up with a plan to get to the bottom of the Davis House fire. After failing to convince them to let it go, Reggie tells them where they keep the security footage in Fitzgerald Hall.

 

Reggie and Joelle go up to her dorm room. Joelle tells her what her rose and thorn is and she says that her thorn was singing “Call Tyrone”. When he asks her why she tells him that he already knows. He starts kissing her, but stops and apologizes. He says that he never tried because he doesn’t deserve her, but Joelle says it/s because she the second choice to Sam.. He disagrees and Joelle jumps at the chance to kiss him. Things start getting heavy, but Sam comes into the room to see the two barely clothed and sitting at a desk. After that awkward encounter, Sam leaves and texts to meet with someone. Coco walks by to tell her that it is almost time and she then receives a text telling her to come through.

 

Sam’s in bed with Gabe (John Patrick Amedori) and he asks her what she’s nervous about. She tells him it’s the Rikki stuff that she’s worried about and neglects to tell him about the things her and Lionel are working on. Gabe asks her, in not so many words, what’s going on between them and Sam tells him that it’s something that she likes, but doesn’t know if it will work. She leaves after getting a reminder that it’s time for her to go see Rikki.

 

She goes past the protesters through a back door of the building to get backstage to Rikki. Sam walks up on Rikki getting her hair and makeup done. Sam starts talking, but Rikki cuts her off to talk about the light. Sam ignores her comment and Rikki starts to compliment her. She says that she loves Sam’s “character” that she plays on Dear White People, but Sam denies it completely. Rikki starts talking about how Sam will eventually be able to make her persona bigger and get on TV shows like she and Carson. Sam cuts her off and makes a rude comment and then begins to speak her rehearsed read. She gets annoyed with Rikki, but Rikki continues to ask her questions. She brings up how minstrelsy has been one of America’s top forms of entertainment for cultural influence. She makes the analogy that they are still doing it by putting them (black people) on a stage. She says that she is stacking her checks so that she can build a kingdom of her own. How she picked what worked for her is no different than how Sam picked what worked for her. A man comes to escort Sam out and she angrily leaves.

 

Silvio (D.J. Blickenstaff) goes on stage to introduce Rikki, but stumbles when he notices the audience. Rikki comes out and the audience is full of black people and other people of color. They sit silently and blankly stare back at her. Silvio asks Coco what is going on and she tells him that they sold out to the Black Caucus and every other affinity group on campus. Joelle records it for all to see.

 

Sam shows up to Lionel’s door to see what he found. He tells her about some old groups– going through some of the flashbacks of Winchester that we’ve seen in previous episodes. As he moves along, he circles the points. Sam quotes her father saying, “When the truth is suppressed, it doesn’t die it just goes underground.” From this, they realize the that these spots have to do with the meeting place. They realize it’s the bell tower.

 

They run past the waterfall and Al as he screams to met them at A-P because they have the footage. Sam and Lionel proceed to the bell tower. When they get there, Lionel has some doubts but with some encouragement from Lionel they continue. They get inside to realize that they’ve found nothing. They both get frustrated because they needed it to be a win. Sam says she’s done with Dear White People because she doesn’t want to become another Rikki. While Lionel is sulking, Sorbet runs up. He gets upset. We then see a shadow and a voice say, “Lionel. Sam. And look, Sorbet. I see you’ve been watching closely.” The narrator (Giancarlo Esposito) then steps from the shadows from behind Lionel and Sam, and proceeds to stare into the camera.

 

After the credits begin, we see Al and his crew watching the footage from Davis House only to watch as Clifton sets the fire from putting foil into the microwave.