UnPrisoned – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap & Review

Nigrescence

Episode 6 of UnPrisoned begins with Edwin thanking the sheriffs for finding his bike. Following that, Edwin informs Finn that they must travel to Alabama to retrieve Edwin’s birth certificate. Edwin is disappointed to learn that Finn is unaware of black history.

Paige and Edwin use a live video on the way to Alabama to inform Paige’s Instagram audience about nigrescence and how to be it.

When they arrive at Edwin’s house, Edwin takes a trip down memory lane, telling Paige and Finn about his childhood. Even after Paige insists, Edwin does not answer his cousin’s phone. He recounts why he had to leave the place, but he lies to Paige about it.

Edwin shows Finn photos of himself when he was younger and teaches Finn to defend his blackness. Following that, he tells Finn about Martin Luther King. Meanwhile, Paige sits on Edwin’s childhood bed in his old room, imagining what it must have been like for him to live in Alabama.

Edwin informs Paige that he cannot locate his birth certificate. Paige then questions Edwin about his mother’s leaving. Edwin lies to her, and she points out that she knows he’s lying. Edwin tells Paige that the cops came to his house at night and scared his mother and that the only thing he remembers after that is moving to Birmingham.

Following that, Edwin takes Paige and Finn to a church to retrieve his birth certificate by tracking down his baptism certificate. Edwin asks a nun at the church for his baptism certificate, and she agrees to look for it with him.

The nun then tells Paige the truth about what happened to Edwin’s mother while they are looking for the certificate. She goes on to tell Paige that the cops beat Edwin’s mother and that they all left with the mother the next day. Edwin refuses to discuss it and instead claims to be hungry, taking Paige and Finn out to eat.

Paige presses Edwin to discuss his trauma over a meal. Edwin expresses his doubts about therapy and explains how it hasn’t worked for Paige because she’s into toxic men and ignores her mature, emotionally available boyfriend. Paige then contacts Mal and lies to him about why she wasn’t responding. She appears to have a breakthrough while speaking with Mal, and not long after Paige, Finn, and Edwin then head to the courthouse to retrieve Edwin’s birth certificate.

Paige finds answers to a few questions at the courthouse, including the fact that Edwin’s real name is Eddie. Following that, the authorities refuse to give Edwin his birth certificate after he finds it because he doesn’t have an ID. As a result, Edwin lashes out.

Paige helps Edwin calm down and Edwin goes on to tell Paige that he doesn’t trust therapy, but he trusts her. Paige also agrees to text Mal and make things right with him. Edwin then goes to see his cousin, while Finn and Paige return home.

The Episode Review

The episode and the show is heading in a negative direction, which is extremely disappointing. Knowing history and making people aware of the past is not only good but fantastic; however, using the past to fuel hatred towards a specific group of people, in this case, Caucasians, is problematic.

Edwin’s comment about Finn’s skin colour is one such example here, which unfortunately overpowers the messaging of the episode itself, which sees the pair head off to Alabama.

Hopefully the episodes ahead will improve.