Star: Season 1/ Episode 6 "Infamous" – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

As Star deals with people trying to take her spotlight, in the worse way possible, Carlotta and Cotton’s relationship becomes more strained than ever. However, what happens at the end of the episode helps to push everyone back together. If for just a moment.

Topic 1: “My Street Bitch” (Hunter, Star, Arlene, and Jahil)

With a wave of a pen to a check book, Arlene, Hunter’s mom, pays off Jahil’s debt. However, in return, she wants 80% off whatever he makes from his music venture and she wants Star gone. Problem is, Star is, to Jahil, the heart and soul of the group. Yet with him owing Arlene his life, he tries to push star out and figure out a way to get Hunter and her to break up. Thing is, the damage has been done. Hunter is on the way to loving that girl and she perhaps feels the same. Making Jahil’s life a living hell.

Commentary

Here is what I’m trying to understand, what exactly does Arlene have to threaten Jahil with? Does she think she can just void a check or take the money back from Maggie and her goons? How is that supposed to work? Cause with it seeming, based off what Hunter said, all their money is reliant on him working, don’t they got all the power? All they got to say if she even tries to pull out is that they’ll leak some information about him working with some criminal organization. I mean, I doubt Maggie and company ain’t being watched by someone, so just showing up could do some damage.

Topic 2: Never Trust a White Girl (Alex, Jahil, Derek, and Star)

With Jahil having the task of pushing Star out, he tries to do so by giving Alex the top spot. Something she is skeptical about, based off her being pushed to the side for being dark last episode. Though the problems come with Star being jealous of someone being given the lead. However, when it comes to Derek, he is proud of his baby. In fact, he even has her come to a family barbecue and his folks love her. They don’t love Star, though, who crashes the party. In fact, Derek’s grandma Ruby damn near tries to fight her.

Perhaps for good reason. For when the time comes to perform the song publicly, the one Alex was tasked to take the lead on, Star never minds that idea and steps front and center and belts it out. Thus straining her relationship with Alex and pissing off Jahil.

Commentary

The thing which really gives me pause is how Star went to Derek’s family’s BBQ and was insulted when she wasn’t invited. Now, I appreciate the fact that Star is a white girl who grew up impoverished and all that, but I think this show is going to now really explore the idea of how much can an around the way white girl enter into Black spaces. Which I feel so uncomfortable about since Lee Daniels I think is on some “All Lives Matter” type of nonsense. At least the Vulture interview he did gives this vibe. For with his reasoning for a white lead dealing with the nation healing and trying to help people understand that “we are one,” I think he misses the big picture. For I could forgive him if he had a Jenji Kohan excuse dealing with Star being a Trojan Horse, but Star was just fine before. Now, though, it seems that while they build up her ego they are trying to force down our throats trying to feel bad for this girl. For nevermind, her momma died when she was young and she hates her for caring more about drugs than taking care of her and her sister, but now this? We are supposed to feel bad that this girl who seems down now got to deal with the fact she can’t just enter Black spaces like it’s nothing? To me, it is too much too soon and I’m not here for it.

Topic 3: Cherish People While They Are There (Carlotta, Cotton, Pastor Harris)

It is well established that Carlotta doesn’t support Cotton’s transitioning, to the point that, so it seems, unless you work at the shop, no one knows anything about Carlotta having a child. Yet, even though they may bicker, and Carlotta is taking on a new child who perhaps Cotton may get jealous of one day, when Danielle, Gladys Knight’s niece in the show, Danielle, gets killed by police, it seems whatever issues they have take a pause.

Commentary

I’m really anxious right now because while Derek has been focused on the Black Lives Matter movement, and one of the previews had Simone talking about passing the fliers at school, I’m slowly starting to see Lee Daniels like Ryan Murphy. I mean, fully respecting what he did for Taraji P. Henson, Gabourey Sidibe, and what he may do for these girls, there is this fear he may exploit a real serious Black issue for the sake of Star more so than the issue itself. And while I get, he is but the creator and not the show runner here, I don’t know if there is someone like Taraji who you can imagine not co-signing on something which seems ridiculous and using a serious matter for some idiotic motive.

That aside, I’m really trying to understand how anyone can not know about Cotton if they deal with Carlotta. Does no one question what happened to Arnold? Did I miss or forget something and is Carlotta new to the area? I’m not 100% sure when Cotton officially began to transition but considering how long it seems Carlotta has been part of the pastor’s church, much less in the area, you’d think he would have met Arnold or Cotton and had piece the puzzle together.

Things to Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but did Porsha introduce Simone, Star, and Alex as Big Trouble? Is their group seriously named Big Trouble?
2. Cotton met some Asian guy at a hotel bar and apparently, he whispered what she needed to hear and she may now have a sugar daddy. Granted, the man ain’t even 40 so he ain’t old enough to be her daddy, but still.
3. Just to 2x check, how old is Star again? She was in the system when we met her so she couldn’t have been 18 at the time so why isn’t it a big deal this 17 or barely 18-year-old girl is hanging with a football player likely in his mid-20s and she is drinking and more?
4. I think we need more Grandma Ruby on this show. Granted, she is a caricature like Miss Bruce, but one thing I will give Lee Daniels is that his hood characters may seem a bit embellished, but there is a chance if you grew up in an urban environment that you know someone like those characters.
5. Derek and Alex are officially relationship goals.
6. I’m really starting to question who and what the hell is Eva. She seemingly, at one time, could understand English but not speak it and was some sort of undocumented immigrant. But now she seems to be making some type of plans? We hear her singing in the shower and talking about how “He’ll” assumingly Jahil, will love the hell out of her singing voice. Does this show just have drama and nonsense on the backburner waiting to be put onto the fire? For, and I’m sure I’m not the one who thinks this but, that whole Jahil and Maggie storyline wrapped up a little too quick and tidy. I appreciate it since that was a weird storyline but this Eva situation is only a smidge better.
7. Anyone else kind of confused there weren’t more paparazzi at the charity event, or following Hunter, considering how they made it seem him and Star were something worth putting on the front page?