Web Series Wednesday – Working Out the Kinks

By: Spring Marie Cullen

WHAT? Working Out the Kinks

BY: Live Yo Life Productions Inc

WHY SHOULD I WATCH?

Working Out the Kinks is a comedy series made for black women, both young and old, and the complicated relationships they have with their hair. Creator and executive producer J Nycole Ralph stars as Jada, a young woman that finds herself schooling her new roommate Madison (Amanda Gardner), who’s white and means well yet is completely clueless about African American hair care. With the occasional help from her other roommates, Moné (Kajuana Marie) and Crystal (Amber Efé), Jada teaches Madison everything from braid outs to clip ins and stresses the number one rule: never touching a black girl’s hair.

Web shows have more opportunity for originality and exploring new ground than the typical television program so I’m often praising them for giving me something I’ve never seen before. Working Out the Kinks delivers on that front tenfold. Not only is it hilarious, with zany gags and clever sound cues, but it touches on real struggles for these women throughout the episodes. It’s a silly sitcom, citing inspiration from shows like “Girlfriends” and “Living Single,” but it’s truly something all its own.

Jada opts to sport her natural hair as a way to express herself and her identity, but when she gets a chance to audition for a movie she has an important decision to make. In one of the series’ stand out episodes, “You Not Acting Black Enough,” the casting director asks Jada if she has any other hair (implying a straight wig) and flat out requests that she “blackens up the lines,” much to Jada’s dismay. It leads to a great monologue from Ralph about eurocentric beauty standards and how harmful it is to perpetuate negative stereotypes in media.

Working Out the Kinks is the perfect mix of humor and heart and is entertaining from start to finish. There’s not a single weak link in the cast or an episode that isn’t enjoyable. If you’re considering rocking your own natural locks or just miss those quintessential black sitcoms from the nineties, you’ll fall in love with this series.

WHERE CAN I WATCH? Episodes can be found on the series’ website and on YouTube.

Follow on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wokseries/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/workingoutthekinksseries

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wokseries