Harlem: Season 2

Our favorite best friends are back and this season ain’t playin no games. Camille (Meagan Good) is back with Ian… things are going to say the least but the communication is still rocky as fuck. Angie (Shoniqua Shandai) is still pursuing her career in the arts and finally lands a decent gig but there are some hick ups.. aka another white industry that doesn’t know how to cater to their Black clientele. Tye (Jerri Johnson) is trying to understand why she doesn’t take relationships seriously. Which is ironic since she’s also in the middle of trying to divorce her husband. Quinn (Grace Byers) is trying to make everything perfect while simultaneously making herself miserable.

I love the themes that are being explored in this season especially through the lens of Black/Queer women. They show how depression can happen to people that look like they have it all together. How there is no shame in talking to your physician and especially no shame in taking medication that can potentially make things better and easier for your life. The show speaks on relationships and commitment. Not only romantic but platonic as well. How the way your upbringing/environment can help shape the way you communicate or lack of communication. There’s a scene when we meet Camille’s mom (played by the wonderful Joie Lee, Crooklyn) and there is some unhealed mental illness, some hoarding, some unspoken truths and you get a somewhat idea of why certain conversations can be hard for Camille.

One really important aspect that they cover that I feel like doesn’t get as much talk especially on tv series is navigating white spaces as a Black woman. Especially white work spaces that are suppose to cater to your certain needs (like working on a network/show) and they don’t have products, hair stylist, etc for you and expect Black women to have it already figured out instead of having the resources readily available for them like their white coworkers.

This show really digs deep. I’m so excited to see what will happen for these women. Will Camille and Ian work it out, or did he break up his marriage for his past? Will Tye find true love? Will Quinn put herself first? And will Angie keep standing up for herself and not let the bullshit bring her down?

Season two streaming on Amazon Prime