She’s Gotta Have It: Season 1/ Episode 1 “#DaJumpoff (DOCTRINE)” [Series Premiere] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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She’s Gotta Have It proves not all remakes/ modern updates deserve a side eye. For some are eternal and worth updating so each generation can have their unique connection.

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Network
Netflix
Creator	Spike Lee
Director(s)	Spike Lee
Writer(s)	Spike Lee
Noted Cast
Nola	DeWanda Wise
Jamie	Lyriq Bent
Greer	Cleo Anthony
Mars	Anthony Ramos
Clorinda	Margot Bingham

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The Introduction

Nola Darling, an artist whose charm is sweeter than the most high grade perfume, is a liberated woman. She works from home, is a college graduate, has drinks with friends and sleeps with those who are more than just a dick to her. With Jamie, he takes care of her in ways besides with possessions. He is loving in the kind of ways what woman wouldn’t want. Then there is Greer. Someone who might be a narcissist, perhaps more pretty to look at than enjoyable to talk to, but there is something about his point of view that is different. Stimulating even. Then there is Mars.

Now, while being with Mars breaks the girl code since Nola’s best friend Clorinda used to be with him, the boy is funny. This Puerto Rican and Black guy is the definition of care free and it is hard to not find that refreshing! Even if he doesn’t seem to have too much going on, long term.

But, while Nola has some lovely men in her life, alongside a group of friends, then there is the rest of the world. A world which wants to place her under one word labels. The kind of world where both men and women cat call and demand her time. Even grip her so that she can’t dismiss them.

So, to clear the air and set the record straight, Nola is putting things in her own words.

Other Noteworthy Facts & Moments

• Nola’s artwork is done by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh [Her Website – External]
• The show takes place before the 2016 Academy Awards ceremony – as per Nola mentioning Denzel Washington better not get robbed for Fences.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Who the actual artist painting Nola’s stuff?

Collected Quote(s)

[I need to] Stop seeing everyone’s success as my failures.

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You know, God is a trickster. In life, God doesn’t give you the people you want. Instead he gives you the people you need.

Highlights

A Homage To The Original, While Modernizing For The Times

There are times where, word for word, shot for shot, you’ll see Spike Lee pay homage to the movie this show is based on. Yet, some things are updated to reflect the times. Nola no longer affords her flat because it is cheap, now there is mention of gentrification and her rent being high. It isn’t explained what she does to afford the price, but the presumption Mars wants to move in remains.

But the main updates that matter is making it so Nola isn’t basically stuck in her apartment with very few occasions of going outside. She goes to Clorinda’s home, has friends who she talks to about her life! Unlike the movie, her interactions aren’t almost solely with the men she sleeps with. Also, it addresses a lot of issues of modern culture. Be it cat calling, #BlackLivesMatter, slut shaming, and more. Thus reaching across generations and showing that the foundation of these issues remain the same but have found themselves with a new set of paint. All the better for when people tear that **** down.

Nola Has Friends Now?!

One of the things I didn’t understand in the movie was why is it Nola had no serious female friends? She had Clo, but they fell out and didn’t talk until damn near the end of the movie. There was also Opal, who strangely is missing from the pilot, but she sort of seemed like how some guys are as friendly as they have to be to cross that line. So, calling her a friend would be a stretch.

But in the modernize show, she has Clo, who is very particular about things, a white friend, and a Brooklynite I think maybe just a little bit ratchet in a very necessary way. So here is to how we see her relationship with them all evolve, as well as getting to know these woman Nola deems worth her time.

Mars

When Spike Lee played Mars, you’d have to hunch and assume Nola liked him because he was funny. However, with the way Anthony Ramos plays him, you get an almost John Leguizamo kind of vibe. One in which, yeah, he may not be Mr. GQ or Mr. Right, but as for a Mr. Right Now? Someone who can laugh you out of your underwear? He fits the bill.

Also, there are layers added to Mars which doesn’t make him so bummy. With it seeming he has mad jobs, might be saving for something, and can actually have a conversation with Nola, his standing is risen. No longer do you question why in the hell she chose him. If anything, you just wonder how did they meet?

The Music

Like with the movie, the show has music curated that makes you crave a soundtrack. But, with that being unlikely, it makes that, after the song is over, we get the album art to look it up for ourselves such a welcomed gift.

Criticism

Greer Got Corny

In the movie, which will likely be compared to for each recap, Greer may have been a narcissist, but you got Nola was into him because, similar to Mars, he was different. His obsession with affluence exposed Nola to new things and challenged her. In the show though, he is just a parody. A walking light skinned and light eyes caricature. To the point, if you didn’t see the movie, it would confuse you why someone like Nola would want Greer? Unless it is just because he is pretty.

On The Fence

Jamie

Assumingly to make Jamie a bit more even with the rest, we don’t get to see him as such a clear pick. We don’t get that birthday gift of the two dancers, we don’t see how they meet and fall for them, and he just seems like the same loving man. He has been stripped down to just being the marrying type to me.

Catch Up or Follow Along: Here [Netflix – External]

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