Make It Rain
Episode 1 of Beauty in Black begins with a tense scene between a man named Roy and a woman, Kimmie. She works at the club as a stripper and is desperate to get out of this line of work. She’s trying to please him but she dresses wrongly. Roy is frustrated and eventually kicks her out.
Kimmie has actually applied for the Beauty in Black hair scholarship but her friend Rain isn’t so sure this is a good idea. Kimmie decides to hang about and clings to the hope. There’s 1 million dollars and a slot for the scholarship open, presented by the woman herself at the top of this brand, Mallory Bellarie.
Mallory came from humble beginnings and then married rich, helping to catapult her brand and image. Specifically, because she wanted to be paid in equity.
Kimmie shows up late to the club and she has an attitude with those in charge. This is something stemming from the cut that the club owners are taking, which is so large that she and Rain are struggling to make rent.
Kimmie is forced into the VIP booth that night where her latest client, Horace, is actually gay. Kimmie notices him checking out a Latin guy dancing (whose name is Angel) and she questions him about it. He rushes off, while Kimmie comes under fire. She’s not making a dent in her debt and to hammer the point home, Jules forces her into a car and reprimands her outside the club.
This next gig is a big deal and she’s back to see Roy again. If she doesn’t play ball and please him, Kimmie is warned that she’s basically going to be eating the rest of her meals through a straw.
She shows back up at Roy’s place, and he warns that he could easily throw her back in prison. She eventually concedes and does what he asks. Only, Kimmie struggles to get him up and when he leaves to go to the bathroom, Kimmie decides to ring Roy’s phone and get through to his wife. The thing is, this is actually Mallory.
Now, Mallory hits a road-bump outside when she finds herself coming under fire for a lawsuit against her company. In the car home, we see a very different side to this woman. She’s rude, nasty and wants the woman who reprimanded her at the event murdered in the street.
Mallory eventually forces her security detail out, and drives herself. But when she answers the call from Roy, she ends up running someone over in the pouring rain. She doesn’t stop to help though, and she just leave the poor woman on the street and takes off.
Rain takes up an offer for an ass implant but it’s pretty dodgy. She’s at a motel, and encouraged to drink some alcohol to numb the pain. Unfortunately, after the operation, the place is full of bloodied towels and when Kimmie shows back up at home, she finds Rain face-down and unconscious.
The Episode Review
So Tyler Perry’s soapy drama gets off to a decent start here, with an introduction to our main characters and an intriguing set-up right off the bat. There are definite influences here from P-Valley, especially the way pimps and hoes are woven into the fabric of this story.
Seeing that Roy is actually Mallory’s wife helps to stitch these storylines together, while there’s a definite desire here to explore more of Kimmie’s past through these flashbacks, and exactly how she got into this messy business. It works well for the most part, with plenty of drama and some strong character foundational work.
So far so good; it’ll be interesting to see where this one goes next.
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You can read our full review for Beauty in Black part 1 here! |
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Episode Rating
Episode 1 was excellently put together. the complex details of the characters’ respective roles and the tedious small points cannot be missed in a show like this. but story line flows so smoothly that no discrepancy ever arouses with what is going on. great start to hopefully a great show.