The Vince Staples Show – Episode 3 “Brown Family” Recap & Review

Brown Family

Episode 3 of The Vince Staples Show starts with Deja arriving at Vince’s family home to meet his mother – Anita. Deja tries to compliment Anita but the latter is not having it. She is less than happy to see Deja and calls her a white girl because of her comparatively fairer complexion despite being an African-American.

Deja tries to appease Anita by wearing the same shirt as her. Vince and Anita go to a family get-together and he introduces Deja to his aunt. Anita fights with Aunt Gladys for not telling her the dress code for the event. Anita blames it all on Vince’s father’s ex-girlfriend – Paulette. Anita tells Vince and Deja that Paulette has been upset with her ever since she started dating Vince’s father who used to be her ex.

Deja tells Vince that she needs a big Christmas gift for putting up with his family, especially with the way Anita mocks her. One of Vince’s cousins shows up but he is not able to recognise him. The guy tries to chat with Vince but he struggles to get away. Deja tells Vince that Anita is pissed off because someone else bought Mac and Cheese at the get-together, something that Anita had already prepared.

Anita learns that Janine has set up the copycat Mac and Cheese on the table so she goes to have a civil chat with the woman. Anita takes Deja along as her witness because she is sure Vince won’t bail her out if there is a physical altercation during the conversation that would cause the cops to arrest her. Meanwhile, Vince hangs out with Uncle Mike and the other men of the family. Uncle Mike asks Vince to do business with him in the future.

At the same time, Vince gets a call from his friend. Vince ends up being a mediator between the guy and his girlfriend while a brawl breaks out in front of him. In the meantime, Anita goes looking for Trudy, the woman who had brought in the copycat Mac and Cheese. Deja tries to stop Anita but the latter is determined to stand up for herself.

Deja asks Anita why she doesn’t like her and Vince’s mother states that it’s because she is a “goody two shoes” who always wants to do the right thing. Deja calls Anita a bully and tells her that she’s making a mountain out of a molehill over Mac and Cheese. Vince talks to Uncle James about how he feels his family members are trying to leech off from him instead of treating him the same.

Uncle James tells Vince that his family members are not seeking favours from him because he’s successful now but are trying to be a part of his success. Vince tells Uncle James that he is in love with Deja and will soon marry her. Uncle James teases Vince and asks him to bring out the beer from his truck.

The old man leaves a note behind, trying to remind Vince of the parable of the 5 loaves and 2 fish, urging Vince to share his success with his family to multiply it tenfold. At lunch, Anita stands up for Deja and gives her a second serving of the dish she liked. Deja finally starts bonding with Anita and the two laugh it off.

Vince takes what was not brunt from the chicken he fried to the dinner table and gives Uncle James a nod only to turn around and see Anita and Paulette break into a fight. The episode ends with Uncle James recording a video of himself, narrating the events of the day. He states that the family get-together was an eventful day for him as it brought back fond memories of the past.

The Episode Review

The show is actually doing a pretty great job at representing the struggles of the Black community with a comedic take. There are a lot of Christian references and notes throughout the show which shows that Vince Staples himself is a religious person perhaps. From how the episode ended, I wonder if Uncle James was even alive after all. His conversation with Vince shows how people should bring their friends and family up other than focusing on their success. 

Deja and Anita’s back and forth was the highlight of this episode. The way they eventually bonded is extremely heartwarming as Deja stands up for Anita and the other way around. Vince’s struggle with power and his current status while his family is struggling makes you look at how the show is trying to highlight the importance of being there for the people you grew up with. This one is turning out to be great and I am looking forward to the next two episodes.