Let me start by saying this isn't the kind of show I normally watch, but some of my favorite shows are ones I never would have expected to enjoy. So I decided to give this series a watch before my Starz channel subscription ran out. That said, if you're at all curious about this but don't immediately vibe with it, you need to stick with this one.
Season 1 was a 5 star watch that I nearly quit after 2 episodes, but the Lil Murda and Uncle Clifford storyline was enough to keep me watching because I am a sucker for romances and I was rooting for them to find love together. That was the main draw for me to keep watching. The athleticism of everyone that took to the poles in both seasons was amazing and another reason to keep watching. Autumn's storyline just wasn't as compelling to me as it should have been given the focus it got. Mercedes was the better character in season one because the acting was better from Brandee Evans, in my opinion. Keyshawn's storyline was another one that didn't hook me. I sympathized and get that she's a beautiful, talented sweetheart of a woman played excellently by Shannon Janai Thornton, but the abuse storyline was a little triggering and is my least favorite part of the whole series even if it's a very real portrayal of situations many people are in or have been through. So with all the highs and lows, I was pretty meh about the first season.
Then the first episode of season 2 started playing and they immediately had me with how they brought the panorama into the world of P-Valley. So much of season 2 dealt with real REAL events from the last few years (has it only been 2?) and it was done in such a way that you couldn't watch without remembering how it was for you and feeling all of it all over again because we've all been through things since 2020 and I connected so much more to this show and the characters for how they brought it all to the story. Season 2 was a 10 out of 10 and this is probably the only show made better by Covid. Not only did the incorporation of more real life situations make the whole show better, but the returning characters all felt more developed and many newcomers were just excellent adds. The growth of Woddy's character and the developments with Diamond were especially good, in my opinion. Whisper's character brought such an ethereal air to the show, I love her look and character. Big Teak's character just breaks the heart with what he brought to the season and John Clarence Stewart played that part brilliantly. I loved the paranormal vibe in many of the episodes like the Paradise Room being haunted after season 1 and Whisper maybe being otherworldly and Diamond having a magic touch and people seeing lost loved ones like ghosts. Lil Murda continued to steal the show for me and solidified himself as my favorite character by far. J. Alphonse Nicholson just nails the bravado, vulnerability, strength and weakness of the character and so much of his best work is just the expressions and gestures he uses. Everything emotes and speaks volumes.. He was good in season 1, but season 2 was award worthy and he should be nominated for and awarded all of the awards possible, in my opinion. As I said, I'm a sucker for romances, especially the angsty ones, and the Lil Murda/Uncle Clifford storyline remained my favorite part of the series. That scene where Cliff was hiding on one side of the door with LaMarques trying to apologize on the other side was one of those moments where the gestures spoke volumes because the way they both touched their side of the door as Lil Murda left was just gutwrenching but so simple and beautiful. I need Katori Hall to start writing romance novels and get one out asap for the Cliff/LaMarques relationship because I want to read it. I want all the details and thoughts and feelings that she imagines for those characters because seeing it is one thing, reading it and letting it play out in your own mind is another and I want it ALL!
All said, this is another show that I love and never expected to even like. For both seasons, the stories and characters are real and relatable. Sometimes too real. The writing and acting are just getting better and I join everyone else demanding a season 3 because there is so much more potential. I'm serious about the romance novels, too. I don't really read plays, but I am tempted to buy whatever Amazon has for me to read by her.
Season 1 was a 5 star watch that I nearly quit after 2 episodes, but the Lil Murda and Uncle Clifford storyline was enough to keep me watching because I am a sucker for romances and I was rooting for them to find love together. That was the main draw for me to keep watching. The athleticism of everyone that took to the poles in both seasons was amazing and another reason to keep watching. Autumn's storyline just wasn't as compelling to me as it should have been given the focus it got. Mercedes was the better character in season one because the acting was better from Brandee Evans, in my opinion. Keyshawn's storyline was another one that didn't hook me. I sympathized and get that she's a beautiful, talented sweetheart of a woman played excellently by Shannon Janai Thornton, but the abuse storyline was a little triggering and is my least favorite part of the whole series even if it's a very real portrayal of situations many people are in or have been through. So with all the highs and lows, I was pretty meh about the first season.
Then the first episode of season 2 started playing and they immediately had me with how they brought the panorama into the world of P-Valley. So much of season 2 dealt with real REAL events from the last few years (has it only been 2?) and it was done in such a way that you couldn't watch without remembering how it was for you and feeling all of it all over again because we've all been through things since 2020 and I connected so much more to this show and the characters for how they brought it all to the story. Season 2 was a 10 out of 10 and this is probably the only show made better by Covid. Not only did the incorporation of more real life situations make the whole show better, but the returning characters all felt more developed and many newcomers were just excellent adds. The growth of Woddy's character and the developments with Diamond were especially good, in my opinion. Whisper's character brought such an ethereal air to the show, I love her look and character. Big Teak's character just breaks the heart with what he brought to the season and John Clarence Stewart played that part brilliantly. I loved the paranormal vibe in many of the episodes like the Paradise Room being haunted after season 1 and Whisper maybe being otherworldly and Diamond having a magic touch and people seeing lost loved ones like ghosts. Lil Murda continued to steal the show for me and solidified himself as my favorite character by far. J. Alphonse Nicholson just nails the bravado, vulnerability, strength and weakness of the character and so much of his best work is just the expressions and gestures he uses. Everything emotes and speaks volumes.. He was good in season 1, but season 2 was award worthy and he should be nominated for and awarded all of the awards possible, in my opinion. As I said, I'm a sucker for romances, especially the angsty ones, and the Lil Murda/Uncle Clifford storyline remained my favorite part of the series. That scene where Cliff was hiding on one side of the door with LaMarques trying to apologize on the other side was one of those moments where the gestures spoke volumes because the way they both touched their side of the door as Lil Murda left was just gutwrenching but so simple and beautiful. I need Katori Hall to start writing romance novels and get one out asap for the Cliff/LaMarques relationship because I want to read it. I want all the details and thoughts and feelings that she imagines for those characters because seeing it is one thing, reading it and letting it play out in your own mind is another and I want it ALL!
All said, this is another show that I love and never expected to even like. For both seasons, the stories and characters are real and relatable. Sometimes too real. The writing and acting are just getting better and I join everyone else demanding a season 3 because there is so much more potential. I'm serious about the romance novels, too. I don't really read plays, but I am tempted to buy whatever Amazon has for me to read by her.
