In much of the American economy, it is almost taken for granted that things have “gotten better” for racial minorities: that there are more black voices in positions of influence than ever before; that diversity and inclusivity are valued more than ever; that each generation of pioneers and role models produces the next; that things are still better than they were three or four decades ago, no matter how unfair they are. And sure, some of it might even be true.
But there’s a particular frustration in telling all this, when you can see with your own eyes that things aren’t always like that, when you’re told to just wait your turn, and when you’re in the In the meantime grit your teeth. Set largely in the lily-white terrain of book publishing, Hulu’s The Other Black Girl taps into that tension with every genre at its disposal — it’s a workplace drama, a biting satire, and a twisted horror story, all rolled into one extremely entertaining whole interwoven package.
The other black girl
The conclusion: A delicious mix of horror, satire and office politics.
Air date: Wednesday, September 13th (Hulu)
Pour: Sinclair Daniel, Ashleigh Murray, Brittany Adebumola, Hunter Parrish, Bellamy Young, Eric McCormack, Garcelle Beauvais
Developed by: Zakiya Dalila Harris, Rashida Jones
Created by Zakiya Dalila Harris and Rashida Jones based on their 2021 hit novel, The Other Black Girl begins on an intriguingly dark note. In 1988, a frightened young woman escapes from her office into the subway. We soon learn that it is Kendra Rae Phillips (Cassi Maddox), Wagner Books’ first black editor, and a little later we learn that whatever happened to her next, no one likes to talk about it. However, the series first jumps to 2023, where another young woman takes the subway to the same office. Every day on the way to her cubicle, editorial assistant Nella (Sinclair Daniel) passes Kendra Rae’s framed portrait hanging on a gallery wall of former editors. Her face is still the only black in a sea of white.
Nella eagerly greets Hazel (Ashleigh Murray), the newly hired editorial assistant and the only other black employee she has encountered in her two years at the company. As the title suggests, “The Other Black Girl” puts the dynamic between them front and center, with an eye for the ever-changing twists and turns of admiration, jealousy and distrust that crackle between them. (It’s not for nothing that Harris named her heroine after “Passing” author Nella Larsen.) At first, Nella is simply thrilled to have a natural ally, someone to whom she can share office gossip or commiserate about needy bosses or supposedly well-meaning white colleagues who ” “forget” to honor their ideas in meetings. They have the same complaints, the same goals, even the same favorite author: Diana Gordon (Garcelle Beauvais).
But it doesn’t take long before Nella begins to realize that Hazel is also a natural competitor and that her self-confidence compared to Wagner already seems to exceed her own. Daniel can fit the mixed emotions of an entire monologue into a single underplayed reaction shot – and she often has to, because Nella spends much of her work time suppressing her true feelings. In contrast, Hazel looks right at home. She ingratiates herself at fancy industry parties and impresses colleagues with treats from the famous Harlem bakery that she believes made her grandparents’ wedding cake. The fact that a lot of it is nonsense doesn’t seem to bother her at all. “Sometimes you just have to be the person you want to be,” she says with a laugh after admitting that she came up with the cake’s flowery backstory.
The lie has no real consequence. However, the reasoning sticks with Nella – especially when she begins to wonder whether there might be something more sinister behind Wagner’s delicate office politics. She starts seeing things: flickering lights, reflections of another woman’s face on her computer screen, a stranger who seems to be stalking her. She receives an anonymous message that could be a threat or perhaps a warning. Is Hazel friendly, she begins to wonder, or is she suspiciously friendly? (Nella’s hilariously feisty best friend Malaika, played by Brittany Adebumola, is certain it’s the latter.) The highlight of Murray’s performance is how deftly she walks the line between the two interpretations, even as Nella’s suspicions turn to “Kanye -” developed. Level wild.”
“The Other Black Girl” never indulges in full-blown horror, preferring to stay on the lighter side of the comedic-scary spectrum. But like “Get Out,” whose name isn’t revealed until late in the season, it’s about both the absurdity and danger of being black in a white world. His craziest turns arise from the real and relatable exhaustion that comes from years of trying to live up to a mold that wasn’t designed for you in the first place. Trying to change the system from within has potential benefits, but also clear drawbacks. Nella’s favorite book, Diana Gordon’s Burning Heart, is an artistic triumph that single-handedly inspired her to publish novels for a new generation of “nerdy little Nellas.” Furthermore, through conversations with the author, she learns that it is the product of a bitter compromise between artistic integrity and marketability.
The series’ sympathies lie more with those who dare to think about burning everything down – like activist Jesse (Langston Kerman), who is smug but not wrong when he asks whether Wagner would ever work so hard for Nella, like she does for them. The tantalizing possibility of revolution is under-explored in the first season; The 10 half-hour episodes solve the biggest mysteries, but leave enough plot threads open to irritate those who prefer clearer answers. (Or to set up a possible second season.) But The Other Black Girl isn’t really interested in neat solutions anyway. “Black people are allowed to be messy now,” Nella tells Diana, citing the work of Shonda Rhimes. She could have referenced this series. The joy of “The Other Black Girl” lies in its willingness to make big leaps, seemingly unfazed by the pressure to be anything other than what it wants to be.