Missy comes into her own as a media consultant and must cope with the fallout of a controversial decision at a photo shoot for Cam. Chen and Cassie try to close the gap of a long distance relationship with the help of modern technology.
Representation matters. That's something the media needs to strive to obtain. For too long, diverse voices and personalities have been pushed aside to fulfill the idea that white people are superior. But now, diverse storytelling matters. The industry has been one way for so long that different experiences and identities help add excitement to familial storytelling. It's something audiences have cared about as well. When the Oscars failed to nominate anyone of color in the acting categories, people voiced their concerns about the movie business. The industry has been flailing for a long time with diverse stories as well. In today's world, the movie industry relies heavily on blockbusters to drive tickets. In those films, the protagonists are straight white males the majority of the time. It's the same formula that has driven success in the past. So now, the executives want to repeat it for the millionth time. The industry as a whole is very slowly changing. The new Star Wars movies have women in the lead roles. Star Trek Beyond has a gay lead character. Female-fronted comedies like Ghostbusters and Bad Moms can be wide successes. This is an issue that can be changed as long as the people in charge recognize and understand the problem and then have the desire to do something about it.Meanwhile, television has been ahead of the curve when it comes to diverse storytelling. With over 400 scripted series airing this year, diversity has to happen. It's not even an issue about adding diverse voices to generic stories. It's about making sure that every variation of human is included in the stories depicted in the media. Inclusivity is so much better than diversity. Television has proven that over the last few years. Empire is one of the hugest shows on the air. Power is the highest rated cable show this summer. Master of None, Transparent, Fresh Off the Boat and black-ish have done so much for moving the conversation forward about many different issues. Inclusivity isn't something that just pertains to on-screen talent either. The media needs to make inroads so that all different types of voices can write and direct. Over the last year, FX has made it one of their core missions. As a result, they have their most inclusive slate of directors in the network's history. All of this talk about representation is nice. But actions speak so much louder than words. This isn't an issue that is just going to go away. The media has the duty to represent every voice out there. It has to speak up for the people who often feel neglected in our stories.
This is something that Survivor's Remorse has always done well. It never brings attention to it either. It's simply the story of a family moving to Atlanta because of the son's promising basketball career. The choices were made to make the family African-American, to make M-Chuck a lesbian, and to have an interracial relationship with Cassie and Chen. These aren't always well-represented stories. But on this show, they are the norm. So in it's third season, the show can just produce an episode about the struggles with skin color identity amongst the black community. It's a very insightful episode that also keeps things very human with its characters. It's an important conversation starter for all the reasons that have been highlighted above. Missy knows she can make a difference because she's the one controlling Cam's media image. She knows and understands the norms when it comes to seeing famous athletes in magazines for a photo spread. When profiles need to have diverse skin tones, they always go for the more light-skinned option. That's an issue she takes great offense to and wants to change. But how she goes about changing it highlights just how complicated this issue can really be.
Again, it's one thing to say the photo spread will have Cam posing with a dark-skinned black women. It's another thing completely once complications at the start of the shoot start to arise. Missy wasn't there at the beginning. She needed to have a root canal. This image is what she wanted to produce. But the train has already started moving without her. Decisions needed to be made in her absence and no one knew just how important this image and the gender politics really were. Missy understands the struggles for fair representation because she's a dark-skinned woman who rarely sees herself reflected positively in the media. That's why she wanted a certain model for this photo shoot. She wanted to make the change. But at the end of the day, it was all about this change no matter what the consequences may be. Plot contrivances introduce this complication. But it starts a really compelling discussion. Is Missy wrong for wanting to see this kind of inclusivity depicted? Is she mean for firing the other model? Is she a diva for wanting to throw out a couple hours of work when the shoot has been very tightly scheduled? Is she inconsiderate for not thinking about how this will affect Cam's image? No, she's simply human. She has just put this issue ahead of everything else. It's something personal and important to her. She wants to make this change and make a difference in the world. But it's still just an in-flight magazine. The model she really wanted got the chance to be in Vogue. Missy wouldn't have taken that opportunity away from her. That shoot is far more important for representation and inclusivity. But Missy doesn't want to ruin her idea of what this shoot should be.
As a media consultant, Missy has to think about all of these issues. She can't afford to just be in her own head. She's a strong, independent woman who stands up for her ideas and believes. That's what Reggie loves most about her. This is a complicated and important issue. Missy can't just let it go like Reggie suggests. If everyone embraced that mentality, there would be no inclusivity in storytelling. It would literally be the same story told over and over again. The people who aren't represented in that norm then can't complain about it. If they do, then they risk be labeled in an off-putting way. Missy doesn't care about that. She believes she is completely right with her handling of this situation. She would make the same decision over and over again. She would come to set and fight for her passion even though it meant pissing off the photographer and firing the model. Missy doesn't want to believe she makes this decisions out of personal malice. She doesn't know the photographer and model well enough to fire them on purpose. They just don't match the story Missy wants to achieve in this spread. Is her handling of the situation wrong? I don't know. It's a complex issue with no easy solution. Missy gets what she wants. But afterwards, the story is no longer about the photo shoot. It's about Missy's decision and how it affects everyone else on the set. Fair and equal representation isn't easy. But it is necessary. Though it's also unique to every given situation. It's not fair to criticize every piece of media that falls under the same trappings. Each instance is its own unique thing and should be judged as such. It's one thing to discuss the industry-wide connotations of such a problem. But it's just as important to talk about these issues from project-to-project. How and why are the people being hired landing these jobs? What's the importance? Could anything be changed? These are just a few of the conversations Survivor's Remorse is hoping to start with "The Photo Shoot." Missy and Reggie find no peace with their difference of opinions. But they still need to find a way forward together which is just as important.
Some more thoughts:
- "The Photo Shoot" was written by Ali LeRoi and directed by Victoria Mahoney.
- The conversation of this episode is even more empowering once you realize that it was directed by a black women. Not everyone can tell this story. But it's still an important story worth telling by the right person.
- The Reggie and Missy stories this season have been fantastic. It's almost as if the show has decided that they are now the leads. It's an interesting narrative decision. But it's great as long as it continues producing episodes like this and "The Thank-You Note."
- Is Reggie wrong for complaining about how Missy handled this situation? He stood by her and did exactly what she wanted. And yet, it still felt like he wasn't being supportive because he pointed out the issues with her decisions. That episode ending fight is very insightful. It shows just how complicated these dynamics really are. More importantly, people just have to be willing to listen to other perspectives about any given situation.
- Cam had no problem with the model based on the color of her skin. His problems extended from the fact that he was uncomfortable being intimate with her while Allison was on the set as well. Plus, he makes a fair point in saying that it will be his reputation hurt by Missy firing the model.
- The Cassie-Chen subplot largely brought levity to the serious conversation happening in the main plot. But it also showcased the difficulties of a long-distance relationship. Yes, it's moving when Chen shows up in the end to be with Cassie. But that's not going to just fix all of their problems.
- Those robot sex toys did provide some fantastic visual gags though. Cassie crawling over the one and trying to talk with Chen while the robot was responding sexually was pretty great.
- M-Chuck pairing with Jimmy seems like a very promising friendship. Hopefully, the show explores that further because it's awesome in its brief moments here. He can teach her how to control her anger much better than any therapist. Plus, she may be working at the stadium pretty soon which should be a lot of fun.
- Cam did look pretty ridiculous in that crazy outfit he was wearing at the start of the episode. Meanwhile, M-Chuck looked awesome in that suit.
