The Get Down: Season 1 (Part 2)/ Episode 10 “Gamble Everything” – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

In the last episode, I said someone likely was going to die, well someone does. It is just not someone I would have guessed. Everyone: “Go To Hell!” | Ramon: “Wish Granted” (Ramon, Mylene, and Lydia) With it becoming clear that Ramon is solely about what he wants, Lydia and Mylene have had enough. Lydia…

In the last episode, I said someone likely was going to die, well someone does. It is just not someone I would have guessed.

Everyone: “Go To Hell!” | Ramon: “Wish Granted” (Ramon, Mylene, and Lydia)

With it becoming clear that Ramon is solely about what he wants, Lydia and Mylene have had enough. Lydia is tired of standing by and watching Ramon make his dreams come true of their daughters back, and she calls him out on it. Thus leading to him beating on her and saying she is jealous. Leading to her going to Francisco and, later that night, revealing Mylene is the true father.

As for Mylene? She is at Ruby Con and Misty Holloway (Renée Elise Goldsberry) is there. However, there is no love between the up and coming and established diva. Misty came to throw shade, imply Mylene got her position by sleeping with Roy but Mylene shuts her up by shutting the place down. Though, unfortunately, thanks to Yolanda chickening out and telling her mom about the club, and her mom telling Ramon, he shows up. He shows up, shows out, smacks Mylene and she has him escorted out. [note]I should also note Zeke is escorted out as well, but simply because the bouncer didn’t know who he was and he was getting in the way of Roy’s big celebration for Mylene. Especially since she impressed the producer he was courting.[/note]

But, on the way home, she decides to visit this megachurch her dad took out a quarter of a million dollars for and guess what she sees? She sees Ramon, who seemingly killed himself, bleeding out on stage.

Commentary

Nah, if anything, things might be getting a hell of a lot worse.

There is something about Ramon’s death which feels like it wasn’t originally planned for. The first problem with it is that for someone so religious, it makes suicide seem like a ridiculous way to write a character off. I mean, yeah, his wife left him for his brother and he learned the young woman he raised isn’t his daughter but his niece, but he is a pastor. Was what Lydia implied true? That he was more about the fame and recognition than about the bible’s teachings? For really, that is the only way to make sense of this.

But with his death comes the question of, storyline wise, where do we go from here? It is expected for there to be tears and guilt, since both Mylene and Lydia ended things with Ramon on a sour note, but will they give this death some meaning? For, I don’t know about you, but I feel very unaffected by Ramon’s death since none of the adults on this show are really that noteworthy in their performances. They do well in helping to shape the time and have us experience their cultures, but it isn’t like you are ever wondering what Ramon, Wanda, Lydia, or any of the parents will do next on this show. Really, the only adults worth taking note of are Fat Annie and Cadillac. Everyone else is just there to help add some depth to their children. So I hope this situation becomes about more than Lydia and Mylene having both a sense of guilt and freedom.

I’m An Orphan All Over again (Zeke and Shaolin Fantastic)

With what happened to Dizzee, who is alive and well, by the way, Zeke reasserts the thought that he wants no parts of Fat Annie’s business. He comes to the realization that all he and The Get Down Brothers are doing is basically creating a new market for Fat Annie’s drugs. So, with that, he asks of Shaolin Fantastic to get him and the rest of the guys out of their contract. Something which is a bit complicated for Shao since Fat Annie has become such a big part of his life. Nevermind she is like family, but she gave him a job and kind of messed with his head. Lest we forget, she has been having sex with Shao and while Boo-Boo and the rest maybe chasing girls, Shao is kind of foreign to that. He doesn’t know what a relationship with someone his age is like, how to talk to them and all that. I mean, yeah, he may look and even flirt a little bit, but as for the actual day to day tasks of being someone’s man, what is that?

Yet, being that Zeke asked, and Shao really wants to take their brotherhood seriously, he asks Fat Annie about releasing them from the contracts. Of which she says no. Which was fine and expected for Shao. However, when she notes the record won’t have a DJ and he will be in the band by name only, that sets him off. Then with her getting a tone with him, thus really setting his machismo juices flowing, he pistol whips her. Hell, he would have probably killed her if Cadillac didn’t walk in.

Commentary

Combined with Ramon’s death, the idea of Shaolin pistol whipping Fat Annie, especially on some machismo nonsense, just doesn’t make sense. It seems more so done to build up the season finale and justify a season 2 than continue on with what may seem logical for the story. Which isn’t to say I’m knocking the decision for Shao to do something so stupid, it is just, like the Ramon thing, being that the character has been so established in such a way which makes his action seem out of character, it makes it so the finale can’t just ride off into the sunset for it has to backtrack and make sense of the writers’ decisions. If not, at the very least, use that jolt to the show to push it into overdrive.

Hopefully not off a cliff. [Note]When they remake The Little Mermaid, the actress who plays Fat Annie, Lillias White, would make an excellent Ursula[/note]

Welcome to Zululand (Ra-Ra, Zeke, and Shaolin Fantastic)

With Ra-Ra finally getting around to calling Tanya (Imani Lewis), he gets a date. One which takes him into Zululand where word of what happened at 10-51 has spread and makes the Get Down Brothers unwelcomed. After all, Zulu folk don’t support drug and gang activity. Thus leading to an idea, if the Get Down Brothers can form an alliance with Bambata, maybe that can protect them from Fat Annie. Though, let’s be real, Cadillac has been waiting for Shao to screw up so he could really mess him up. So I doubt, unless the boys move, they’ll be safe from his wrath.

Commentary

At this point, I just need to watch the finale to see if they can clean up which seems like the type of decisions made solely to shock and build anticipation for the finale. For, as of right now, I’m not impressed nor that excited. Making me kind of glad that part 2 is only 5 episodes since I don’t know if I could handle too much more without starting to hate this show.