The Six Triple Eight Review

[00:00:17] What's up fam and welcome back again to Recap Kickback. That's right, it is our first Recap Kickback podcast of the new year 2025 and I'm your host Chappelle as I am here to ring in the new year with my co-host, the one who keeps this podcast on the tracks. I mean literally, I mean the winter happened and I was like, Mari, I don't know what we're gonna do but she's back to make sure we got more content coming your way. Mari, welcome back.

[00:00:43] Hey, I'm glad to be back. I mean it feels like it's been so long. You know, I love seeing your face, Chappelle. Great. We're here, we're about to talk about some blackness, some randomness. It feels good to be back, like to be in the swing of things.

[00:01:01] This is our first January on the Recap Kickback because this time last year we were still the connect on Post Show Recaps. Latanya was here. It got real ghetto on PSR for a little bit, okay?

[00:01:13] We were like, okay, I think the ship is starting to sink y'all. What we gonna do? What we gonna do now? You know, and we ended up talking about Jeffrey Wright and American fiction.

[00:01:26] Yeah, American fiction.

[00:01:27] Yeah, and I think that's kind of where like we start to, okay, if PSR hat goes away, what do we do? And I think we've now pivoted and we're creeping up on the one year anniversary of Recap Kickback. It started last Black History Month in February, the first I believe.

[00:01:42] And so we are getting dangerously close to our year anniversary. Mari, should we be doing something for your anniversary?

[00:01:50] Maybe we should ask the listeners. Do you want us to do something special for the one year? Did you like our brackets that we did in March last year? You want to see that come back? In February, I think what we did, we did, well, that's when we did the top fives.

[00:02:06] We did the top fives, so it's very fun. Very debatable top fives. Did y'all like that? Do you want us to bring that back? Let us know.

[00:02:15] Yeah, I had so much fun. And as soon as you said, I was like, oh yeah, this time last year we were, we covered Color Purple twice.

[00:02:22] Yeah. We talked about Shirley as well.

[00:02:25] Yeah.

[00:02:27] Still in the same vein here.

[00:02:28] Yeah, but we are a year older, a year wiser, and we got to bring this new year in with some new content.

[00:02:34] But of course, we still have our Black Entertainment news.

[00:02:37] And today's recap, we're talking about The Six Triple A on Netflix and really getting into a film that is very powerful, but also like, you know, one that is very topical and got a lot of awards coming its way.

[00:02:52] And so we're going to get into all of that in just a second.

[00:02:56] But first, of course, thank you all for subscribing to Recap Kickback, subscribing here on YouTube, youtube.com slash at Recap Kickback.

[00:03:03] Make sure you join our Facebook page.

[00:03:04] Last year, I was a little janky on the Facebook page.

[00:03:06] I posted whenever I could, y'all, but I'm going to be better this year.

[00:03:09] Or if not, y'all going to hold me accountable.

[00:03:12] Just put in the comments like, you ain't going to Facebook.

[00:03:14] Let me know something and I'll get up and do it.

[00:03:16] You know, just light a fire under my ass because this is, we're a family here at The Kickback.

[00:03:20] Everybody's invited.

[00:03:20] You get to kick it and chill.

[00:03:22] But we got to make sure this content goes out everywhere so people can enjoy it and be a part of our social media community.

[00:03:27] So Recap Kickback on all social media platforms and wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:03:32] Mari, it's awards season as well.

[00:03:36] And we had the Golden Globes recently.

[00:03:40] And I heard some Black folks was nominated.

[00:03:43] We love that.

[00:03:44] Yeah.

[00:03:45] Yes.

[00:03:46] Now, did they win?

[00:03:47] That's a good question.

[00:03:48] Now, what are our winners looking like in 2024?

[00:03:51] And I don't mean like phenotype looking like.

[00:03:52] Like, what is the list of the winners for 2024 slash 2025?

[00:03:58] And do we have any standouts from any of the shows that we like?

[00:04:03] So.

[00:04:04] Okay.

[00:04:05] So.

[00:04:07] Are we just talking Black people right now?

[00:04:09] We can talk about it as a whole because we was there.

[00:04:12] A lot of people there.

[00:04:13] Let's talk about everything.

[00:04:14] What stood out for you?

[00:04:15] Okay.

[00:04:16] So.

[00:04:17] Well, what stood out for me is.

[00:04:19] So for best motion picture drama.

[00:04:22] The brutalist one.

[00:04:24] And I have absolutely no idea what that is about.

[00:04:28] It has Adrian Brody in it.

[00:04:31] And I think he even went on to win.

[00:04:34] Let me just check.

[00:04:35] I'm looking at.

[00:04:35] Yeah.

[00:04:36] He even went on to win best performance by a male actor in a motion drama.

[00:04:41] And it's.

[00:04:42] I don't know these shows.

[00:04:44] I'm surprised he beat.

[00:04:47] I'm surprised he beat Timothee Chalamet for a complete unknown.

[00:04:52] Like.

[00:04:53] I don't know, man.

[00:04:54] These Golden Globes.

[00:04:55] I thought.

[00:04:56] I thought there was more of us nominated than there actually was.

[00:05:01] There's not a lot of us up here.

[00:05:02] It's not a lot.

[00:05:04] It's not a lot.

[00:05:04] You know, Wicked got a few nominations.

[00:05:06] But I don't think they won the awards that people thought they were going to win either.

[00:05:09] Yeah.

[00:05:10] No.

[00:05:11] Didn't they get one award in Wicked, I think?

[00:05:13] Yeah.

[00:05:14] Yeah, they did.

[00:05:14] And it was the.

[00:05:15] It was the most.

[00:05:16] It was like the newest award that they just introduced.

[00:05:19] It's like cinematic and box office achievement award.

[00:05:22] That's what they won.

[00:05:24] It literally is just basically the movie that made the most money this year.

[00:05:28] Like.

[00:05:29] Yeah.

[00:05:29] They made that award for Barbie last year.

[00:05:31] So Wicked only won that.

[00:05:33] So maybe I think if you haven't already, you can go check out over on RHAP scripted.

[00:05:43] We did a Wicked review like one month later.

[00:05:46] I was on the panel and we talked about Wicked.

[00:05:48] There is no surprise or shock that Wicked was my shit.

[00:05:53] I talked about it.

[00:05:55] It was my jam.

[00:05:57] Basically competing for my favorite movie musical of all time.

[00:06:02] So I was really like stunned when I when I realized they didn't get like none of the awards that I thought they they would.

[00:06:11] I'm not even like.

[00:06:14] OK, so best performance by a female actor in a motion picture.

[00:06:17] Cynthia Erivo was up for that from Wicked.

[00:06:20] Demi Moore won that.

[00:06:22] She won it for the substance.

[00:06:24] And I heard the substance was really good.

[00:06:27] So I really want to watch that.

[00:06:29] I'm not really mad at it.

[00:06:30] And it was Demi Moore's first Golden Globe.

[00:06:32] I believe.

[00:06:33] Yep.

[00:06:33] She's like 61.

[00:06:34] Like, man, I feel like.

[00:06:36] Have y'all just been.

[00:06:37] Yeah, they.

[00:06:37] I feel like we ain't been putting enough respect on her.

[00:06:39] Yeah.

[00:06:40] Like put some respect on her name.

[00:06:42] Yeah.

[00:06:43] She had a really nice speech.

[00:06:44] So you might want to go listen to that.

[00:06:47] She was talking about being in the business for 45 years and she basically was about to give up.

[00:06:52] And this role came along.

[00:06:54] So it's like it's just.

[00:06:57] Somebody made a.

[00:06:58] I think they made a joke like a woman over 50 who like.

[00:07:04] Like this happens to.

[00:07:05] It's a comeback.

[00:07:06] But for like.

[00:07:07] You know, it's so stupid.

[00:07:10] Zendaya was also nominated in that category for challengers.

[00:07:16] So she lost as well.

[00:07:19] Ariana Grande was best performance.

[00:07:22] Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in a motion picture.

[00:07:26] And she lost to Zoe Saldana.

[00:07:29] So.

[00:07:30] I mean, that's one.

[00:07:32] OK.

[00:07:32] That was.

[00:07:33] We did it.

[00:07:35] We did it.

[00:07:37] I heard Emilia Perez was good.

[00:07:40] Like Selena Gomez is in the same category as Zoe Saldana.

[00:07:44] I heard it's good.

[00:07:45] I haven't watched it yet.

[00:07:48] So.

[00:07:49] I've heard mixed reviews, Mari.

[00:07:51] Because it got a lot of Golden Globes.

[00:07:53] But I saw an article and, you know, anybody can write an article these days.

[00:07:56] But I saw an article that basically was saying that it's like a story about Mexico and Mexican culture, essentially.

[00:08:04] But like written and directed by a French man or something like that.

[00:08:08] So it doesn't really come off authentic.

[00:08:10] I think they got Selena Gomez as the lead actress playing a Mexican-American woman who goes to Mexico.

[00:08:14] But like because it's from this French man's perspective, a lot of people were pushing back about his authenticity.

[00:08:21] And so.

[00:08:22] And getting nominated for a bunch of Golden Globes is not.

[00:08:26] It's not the flex you think it is when people start questioning your authenticity.

[00:08:30] You know, like people are like.

[00:08:32] Remember that?

[00:08:33] You know, I'm just saying the Green Book was nominated for a lot of awards.

[00:08:38] So I'm just saying, I saw mixed reviews, but I did know that it was going to, it was the most nominated film of the Golden Globes.

[00:08:48] And I believe it has won the most awards this year as well, if I'm not mistaken.

[00:08:52] Yeah.

[00:08:54] You know, Quinta Brunson did not win for Abbott Elementary.

[00:08:59] And you know how I feel.

[00:09:01] Like, what are we doing here?

[00:09:04] I don't get it.

[00:09:06] You got to give this lady some credit, man.

[00:09:07] Quinta, I mean, I.O. should not be in the same category as Quinta, but she also did not win.

[00:09:13] I believe Jean Smart won for Hacks.

[00:09:15] Yeah.

[00:09:15] And then Donald Glover was nominated for Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

[00:09:18] He did not win.

[00:09:20] Jean's a win.

[00:09:21] Dental Washington did not win for Gladiator 2.

[00:09:24] Nope.

[00:09:24] And then I don't believe any of, like Abbott won any other awards.

[00:09:29] I think Jeremy Allen White ended up winning for The Bear.

[00:09:33] Which is crazy because that is not a comedy or a musical, but whatever.

[00:09:36] So interesting night at the Globes, I'd say.

[00:09:41] Very interesting night.

[00:09:43] Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series, or motion picture made for television.

[00:09:48] Jodie Foster won for True Detective Night Country.

[00:09:50] I don't know.

[00:09:51] Did you watch that?

[00:09:52] It was really good.

[00:09:54] Oh, I loved it.

[00:09:55] I've never seen any of the True Detectives.

[00:09:58] Really?

[00:09:58] Okay.

[00:09:59] That's fine.

[00:10:00] I heard they were good.

[00:10:02] They are.

[00:10:03] But they're slow.

[00:10:04] So for you, I don't know if you'd like them.

[00:10:06] Like it's...

[00:10:08] Yeah.

[00:10:09] And then some of them are confusing, even once you get to the end.

[00:10:13] So...

[00:10:13] Yeah.

[00:10:14] Okay.

[00:10:15] They're hit or miss.

[00:10:16] But that one was good.

[00:10:17] I liked it.

[00:10:18] Big shout out to Shogun as well.

[00:10:21] Yeah.

[00:10:21] Big winner of the night.

[00:10:23] Yeah.

[00:10:23] Won a bunch of awards as well, including Best Television Series.

[00:10:27] So shout out to them.

[00:10:29] Best Performance for an Actress in Television Series, of course, for Shogun as well.

[00:10:32] I mean, Shogun cleaned up.

[00:10:34] And so I'm very happy to see that because I did enjoy Shogun.

[00:10:38] I did too.

[00:10:39] Yeah.

[00:10:39] But Mari, that's the Golden Globes.

[00:10:41] We also have our own award shows.

[00:10:44] And we had the NAACP Image Award nominations that have now dropped.

[00:10:49] And I was very excited to see a lot of the content that we watched last year and that

[00:10:56] we have talked about here on this podcast was nominated.

[00:10:58] So Entertainer of the Year nominees, Cynthia Erivo, Kiki Palmer, Kendrick Lamar amongst them.

[00:11:07] Outstanding Social Media Personality of the Year nominee, Keith Lee.

[00:11:11] They're amongst the nominees, obviously.

[00:11:14] Motion Picture category, I don't think we had...

[00:11:17] Oh, the 6888, which we will talk about today.

[00:11:20] And Wicked were both nominated.

[00:11:23] For the social media one, can you go and say all of the people in that one?

[00:11:28] Yes, got you.

[00:11:29] Tony Baker, Shirley Raines, Rayshonda Leyes.

[00:11:34] I don't know her.

[00:11:35] Yeah, Rayshonda.

[00:11:35] I don't know her.

[00:11:36] And then Keith Lee and then Kai Sennett.

[00:11:39] Oh.

[00:11:40] Yeah.

[00:11:41] What is Rayshonda known for?

[00:11:42] Rayshonda, she's known for the board.

[00:11:45] She did the board.

[00:11:46] And she's like, and this, and then the board.

[00:11:48] And then there was some drama with like her lesbian lover.

[00:11:52] Ooh, okay.

[00:11:53] So it was like...

[00:11:55] All right.

[00:11:55] She's cool.

[00:11:56] Yeah.

[00:11:57] I'm going to give it to Rayshonda because she messy.

[00:11:58] All right.

[00:12:00] Motion picture categories included, like I said, outstanding motion picture.

[00:12:04] The 6888 that we're talking about today.

[00:12:07] Wicked, of course, that Mari has talked about several times, including on here.

[00:12:13] Outstanding actress in a motion picture.

[00:12:14] Cynthia Revo for Wicked.

[00:12:16] Carrie Washington for the 6888.

[00:12:18] Regina King for Shirley, which we also talked about here.

[00:12:21] Oh, yeah.

[00:12:22] Yeah.

[00:12:22] I'm so happy people are showing that love because I just feel like they didn't give that enough.

[00:12:26] I really do.

[00:12:27] Shirley was really good.

[00:12:28] Shirley taught me about government a little bit more than...

[00:12:32] I took AP government as a senior in high school.

[00:12:35] And I feel like I learned more from that movie.

[00:12:38] Ooh, this is a good category.

[00:12:40] Outstanding supporting actor in a motion picture.

[00:12:42] Okay.

[00:12:42] We had Samuel L. Jackson for the piano lesson, which we did not talk about here.

[00:12:46] Did they watch Jen for Gladiator 2?

[00:12:48] Still got to watch that.

[00:12:50] Still got to watch that.

[00:12:51] Corey Hawkins for the piano lesson as well.

[00:12:53] Which I still need to watch, obviously.

[00:12:56] We were going to talk about it in December.

[00:12:59] Oh!

[00:12:59] And I think we ended up pivoting.

[00:13:00] I got you.

[00:13:01] It's by the guy who did Fences, right?

[00:13:04] Yes.

[00:13:05] August Miller.

[00:13:06] August Miller.

[00:13:07] And so we were supposed to talk about it, but we hadn't gotten around to it.

[00:13:10] Brian Tyree Henry of Atlanta fame for The Fire Inside.

[00:13:14] And you'll love this.

[00:13:16] Oh, yeah.

[00:13:16] The Fire Inside.

[00:13:17] Yeah.

[00:13:18] David Allen Greer for the American Society of Magical Negroes, which we also talked about

[00:13:23] here on the K-Bag.

[00:13:25] You know.

[00:13:26] Was it K-Bag or was it...

[00:13:28] Was it K-Bag or was it...

[00:13:29] It might have still been on the K-N-E-T.

[00:13:31] I hope we left that magic behind on the K-N-E-T.

[00:13:34] Jesus.

[00:13:37] Yeah.

[00:13:38] So 6-Triple-A ends up getting a ton of award nominations for the NAACP Image Awards, including

[00:13:45] Ebony Obsidian from the 6-Triple-A as well.

[00:13:50] And I would say that I think somebody else probably could have gotten nominated, but we'll

[00:13:54] get there later on.

[00:13:56] But yeah, I think she gets a couple nominees.

[00:13:58] Ryan Destiny gets nominated as well for The Fire Inside.

[00:14:02] So there's a through line here between some of the stuff that we talked about here on

[00:14:06] Recap Kickback.

[00:14:07] We try to stay current and talk about what's popular, and we try to shout out some of these

[00:14:11] things that will be award-winning or should be award-winning.

[00:14:14] So I'm happy that we were kind of on track with a lot of stuff we watched, but there's

[00:14:17] a lot of this stuff that we did not talk about, including Mufasa, Mari.

[00:14:20] I think it's gotten one, two, three voiceover performance nominations for the NAACP Awards.

[00:14:28] Blue Ivy?

[00:14:29] Blue Ivy Carter.

[00:14:30] Yeah, nominated for the NAACP Image Awards.

[00:14:33] Did you watch Mufasa?

[00:14:34] No, I haven't.

[00:14:36] The only movie I got to watch over the holidays was Sonic because I have a five-year-old boy.

[00:14:41] You don't think you could convince your five-year-old boy to watch Mufasa?

[00:14:44] Oh, he, he, he, every time the, the trailer comes on, he's like, ooh, is that Mufasa?

[00:14:50] I was like, yes.

[00:14:51] And he was like, you want to go see that?

[00:14:52] Nope.

[00:14:52] He was like, I want to go see Sonic Chapter 3.

[00:14:57] Sounds about right.

[00:14:58] Yeah.

[00:14:58] Speaking of kids, Anthony B. Jenkins from The Deliverance was also nominated for his youth

[00:15:04] performance.

[00:15:04] I thought he did amazing on that for him to be so young.

[00:15:07] And then, of course, television and streaming categories, including Abbott Elementary and

[00:15:12] How to Die Alone, which we talked about here.

[00:15:14] How to Die Alone is so good.

[00:15:17] So good.

[00:15:17] And so, you know, there's a lot of shows in here that, you know, sitcoms that we probably

[00:15:21] don't, we probably could talk about, but we haven't talked about, including Papa's House

[00:15:25] and The Neighborhood, The Upshaws as well.

[00:15:29] Is The Neighborhood a spinoff of New Girl?

[00:15:33] No, it just got that.

[00:15:34] Okay.

[00:15:35] That same guy.

[00:15:36] Okay.

[00:15:37] Somebody made a joke that that was a spinoff.

[00:15:40] I was like, wait.

[00:15:42] No.

[00:15:43] Okay.

[00:15:43] No.

[00:15:43] That's good enough.

[00:15:43] He's not Schmidt in that show.

[00:15:45] Okay.

[00:15:45] Okay.

[00:15:46] Cool.

[00:15:46] Cool.

[00:15:46] Same energy.

[00:15:48] A few more nominees, obviously.

[00:15:50] Aldis Hodge for Cross, which we talked about here.

[00:15:53] We did two podcasts on Cross.

[00:15:54] If y'all missed it, go check that out.

[00:15:56] Mr. and Mrs. Smith, what Pouya and I covered here.

[00:15:58] From with Harold Pernio on MGM+.

[00:16:01] Mari, you talked highly about From.

[00:16:03] From is so good.

[00:16:05] Yeah.

[00:16:06] And then, of course, Javari Banks from Bel Air, which has been greenlit for its last season.

[00:16:11] And so we will be catching that when it drops.

[00:16:13] Season four?

[00:16:14] I believe that's season four.

[00:16:15] Yeah.

[00:16:15] And a few other people from Bel Air.

[00:16:18] A couple people from Power Book 2, Method Man included.

[00:16:22] Reasonable Doubt, another big one.

[00:16:24] So, yeah.

[00:16:25] Shout out to them.

[00:16:25] A number of actors.

[00:16:26] I mean, I could go through the list.

[00:16:27] They all black.

[00:16:28] So, it's like, shout out to them.

[00:16:30] You know, but a bunch of stuff that we talked about here.

[00:16:33] But stuff that we should have talked about, you know.

[00:16:35] And so, if you hear something, if you saw something that's award nominated that you think

[00:16:39] is recap kickback worthy, let us know.

[00:16:42] Email us, recapkickback at gmail.com.

[00:16:44] And tell us what it is that you want us to talk about here on Recap Kickback in 2025.

[00:16:48] Because we got time.

[00:16:49] We got space and opportunity, baby.

[00:16:51] So, you got to let us know.

[00:16:52] And we'll pull up and bring you whatever it is that you want to see and that you want

[00:16:55] to hear us talk about.

[00:16:56] Mari, is there anything else from this week that we got to discuss?

[00:17:00] No.

[00:17:01] No.

[00:17:02] All right.

[00:17:03] I mean, it feels like it's been like a quiet week.

[00:17:06] Everybody take the week off for that?

[00:17:09] I mean, in black entertainment.

[00:17:11] Now, some horrible, horrible political tragedies have happened.

[00:17:15] Some horrible stuff have happened, too.

[00:17:16] Some horrible things.

[00:17:17] Yeah.

[00:17:18] But we're not here to talk about all of that.

[00:17:23] But let us know if there is any black entertainment related things.

[00:17:27] Before we switch over, just like, you know, I listened to Drake's leaked freestyle recently.

[00:17:33] The Fighting Irish freestyle that he got.

[00:17:36] If you're not familiar with Drake and what he has going on, you can check out our Kendrick

[00:17:41] Lamar podcast that we dropped with the Was It Good Though podcast, people, months ago.

[00:17:46] It was a great time.

[00:17:47] We really broke down the Kendrick and Drake beef, how it started.

[00:17:49] But we missed how it ended because we did not.

[00:17:52] We actually released that podcast right before Not Like Us dropped, like the same night.

[00:17:56] It dropped and then Not Like Us dropped while we recorded.

[00:17:58] It was crazy.

[00:17:59] So, that's how we want to answer.

[00:18:01] But you couldn't predict it.

[00:18:03] But anyway, Drake and LeBron James didn't broke up.

[00:18:05] They didn't broke up.

[00:18:06] They're having a public spat now.

[00:18:08] And Drake dropped this Fighting Irish freestyle where he is basically a diss track to Drake.

[00:18:13] I mean, to LeBron James.

[00:18:15] And at first, I was very disappointed because I was like, Drake, please stop it.

[00:18:20] You know, just let it go, baby.

[00:18:22] It's done.

[00:18:22] Let it be.

[00:18:23] Stop it.

[00:18:24] Just stop.

[00:18:24] Go rest.

[00:18:25] Go hide.

[00:18:25] Come back.

[00:18:26] It's 2025.

[00:18:27] New Year, new me.

[00:18:28] So, let's do it.

[00:18:30] The man was rapping.

[00:18:31] I'll give him credit.

[00:18:33] And I was like, this is when Drake rapped like this.

[00:18:37] We're the top five rapper.

[00:18:38] So, you know, like I'll give him his credit.

[00:18:40] But also, Drake, stand up.

[00:18:42] Stand up.

[00:18:42] Go to therapy.

[00:18:43] Figure this out.

[00:18:43] Because you cannot bring this energy into 2025.

[00:18:46] But if you do, we're going to talk about it here on Recap Kickback.

[00:18:49] Mari, we have a movie to talk about.

[00:18:52] The Six Triple A on Netflix.

[00:18:54] And we will talk about that in just a moment right after this break.

[00:18:57] All right.

[00:19:01] We're back.

[00:19:02] And Mari, we have our recap of the week.

[00:19:07] The Six Triple A starring Kerry Washington on Netflix.

[00:19:12] And this is yet another Tyler Perry production here on Recap Kickback.

[00:19:20] What are you going to do?

[00:19:21] I know.

[00:19:22] He's like keeping us relevant.

[00:19:25] Lights on over here.

[00:19:26] You know?

[00:19:26] Keeping the lights on over here.

[00:19:31] I had my trepidation because of who TP is.

[00:19:36] And not to say who TP is as a whole.

[00:19:40] I'm even just talking about recent TP productions.

[00:19:42] Because we did talk about both Beauty in Black and Divorce in the Black here on this podcast.

[00:19:47] Okay.

[00:19:48] So Tyler Perry, as much as we got to say, we're, this is a partnership, baby.

[00:19:52] We're going to call it like we see it.

[00:19:54] Different take.

[00:19:55] Those were hot ass messes.

[00:19:57] But we enjoyed talking about them.

[00:19:59] I think, Mari, this was really good.

[00:20:01] And I want to give him his flowers.

[00:20:03] I think I really enjoyed The Six Triple A.

[00:20:05] And if you have not watched it, I say that it is a good, wholesome watch.

[00:20:10] If you like watching Black history stories.

[00:20:13] Or if you just like really compelling stories.

[00:20:16] If you like a love story, too, I think this also will fit that mold.

[00:20:20] But Mari, this was your idea.

[00:20:21] What do you think about it?

[00:20:23] Honestly, you guys know.

[00:20:25] If you know anything about me, you know I love me some herstory.

[00:20:28] I love me some herstory.

[00:20:30] This was great.

[00:20:31] I really enjoyed this.

[00:20:33] Because I love when you learn about history that, surprise, surprise, our American educational system didn't tell us about it.

[00:20:43] You know what I'm saying?

[00:20:44] And especially when it's Black history.

[00:20:47] And this was so good.

[00:20:49] I mean, of course, you're going to get your inwards thrown in there a few times.

[00:20:55] You know, white people say inwards.

[00:20:56] I think I was only like two or three.

[00:20:58] They kept it real cute.

[00:20:59] Couple level.

[00:21:00] Yeah.

[00:21:00] You're going to get your long monologues about how we have to be better.

[00:21:04] Twice as good.

[00:21:05] Yeah.

[00:21:08] Exactly.

[00:21:09] But it was so good.

[00:21:10] It was so compelling.

[00:21:11] And it was a story I didn't know.

[00:21:13] So I really liked it.

[00:21:15] And Tyler Perry.

[00:21:16] So, yes, I was like, oh, God, Tyler Perry is writing this.

[00:21:19] But it's based on a book.

[00:21:21] Based on a book written by a white man.

[00:21:23] But it's still it's still based on a book.

[00:21:26] And I think Tyler Perry wrote to the book.

[00:21:30] OK.

[00:21:32] And there was only a few times where I was like, there it is.

[00:21:34] That Tyler Perry is popping out a little bit there.

[00:21:37] Mm hmm.

[00:21:39] OK.

[00:21:40] But other than that, I thought it was I thought it was really good.

[00:21:43] I loved it.

[00:21:44] I truly did.

[00:21:45] I I honestly really liked learning about those women.

[00:21:50] And then at the end, the tribute, Lena, the the main woman, the main character, the actual

[00:21:58] woman who was 100 years old reading.

[00:22:00] Crazy.

[00:22:01] Um, man.

[00:22:03] And then the just the montage of the different women and the actual like newsreels of them

[00:22:09] marching that that was so great.

[00:22:12] I love that.

[00:22:12] So I honestly really liked that movie.

[00:22:16] Yeah.

[00:22:17] It's like you said, her story, black herstory at its best.

[00:22:20] Uh, a story that I never heard for sure.

[00:22:23] And it feels like a story that was definitely not really told and not appreciated.

[00:22:27] Even at the end of the movie where you hear Lena talking about their experience.

[00:22:31] She talks about how when they come back from being the first black and women of color, uh,

[00:22:37] battalion to go over to Europe.

[00:22:38] Uh, the only one to go over.

[00:22:41] Yeah.

[00:22:42] The only one they come back and they are treated worse in America than they were treated, you

[00:22:47] know, in Europe.

[00:22:48] And so, um, you know, to come back to that, knowing the work that they did is very heartbreaking,

[00:22:54] but it's also a tale as old as time.

[00:22:56] Black folks been hearing about that forever because our, our relatives are the ones who

[00:22:59] went to war and went to, you know, enlist and then came back.

[00:23:02] And instead of coming back heroes, they came back second-class citizens and treated like

[00:23:06] that by, you know, the American government and society as a whole over here in America.

[00:23:11] And so, um, it's great to see them get their flowers.

[00:23:13] Um, by the end, we find out that, um, they ended up getting congressional gold medals in

[00:23:19] 2021.

[00:23:20] Um, and then, uh, they've also, you know, gotten like other accolades.

[00:23:25] Um, there was a, I want to say they got another, like, oh yeah, the National Postal

[00:23:31] Museum, um, the library, the Arlington Natural Cemetery and the Library of Congress have

[00:23:37] revived and preserved the legacy of heroism as well.

[00:23:40] So they've been getting their flowers, but it took a long time.

[00:23:43] It took a long time for this story to be told.

[00:23:45] And that's one thing that's not changed since we've been growing up, Mari, is that

[00:23:48] like every year we get a story like this, you know, every year we get a different, like

[00:23:52] hidden figures, you know, where it's like, oh, did you know they were astronauts?

[00:23:56] Isn't that crazy?

[00:23:56] It's like, wait, what?

[00:23:58] You know, like, where did this come from?

[00:24:00] And it's so crazy for two of us who went to a historically black college and even we

[00:24:05] didn't know.

[00:24:07] And I, again, learned a lot of black history at my, you know, HBCU and still didn't know

[00:24:13] about this.

[00:24:14] So it's just insane.

[00:24:19] Also insane, this cast.

[00:24:21] I was very excited when I saw the cast because I was like, okay, Kerry Washington, you know,

[00:24:27] love or hate Tyler Perry.

[00:24:30] Yeah.

[00:24:30] Like, love or hate Tyler Perry.

[00:24:32] Like, sometimes his content be a little, you know, it's Tyler Perry.

[00:24:36] We've talked about it ad nauseum here.

[00:24:37] But Kerry Washington, this is a decorated actress.

[00:24:41] I felt like she not fit to sign up for no BS.

[00:24:44] Well, this actually felt to me that she brought it to him because she, yeah, she, look, if you,

[00:24:51] I think I was reading it on IMDb, she's the executive producer for this.

[00:24:56] And I think I saw somewhere she heard about this story and wanted to bring this story to

[00:25:00] life.

[00:25:01] Okay.

[00:25:02] So I think this was one of the things that she, and then at the end when you find out

[00:25:07] that like one of the military bases is named after her as well.

[00:25:11] Yeah.

[00:25:12] Yeah.

[00:25:13] Fort Lee, I believe has been renamed after her.

[00:25:16] And this is like, yeah.

[00:25:18] And also she got this new rank Lieutenant Colonel as well.

[00:25:22] As this was bestowed onto her, the first time it's ever happened to a black woman.

[00:25:26] And, um, uh, you know, what can you say?

[00:25:30] Like, uh, Kerry Washington ate it up.

[00:25:31] It's just a, it's just a great role.

[00:25:33] It's a very powerful role as Charity, uh, Adams, uh, Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams by

[00:25:38] the end of it.

[00:25:39] Yeah.

[00:25:39] She killed it.

[00:25:40] Um, we talked about Shirley last year, but, um, another member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority,

[00:25:45] you know, the beta chapter, shout out to the, to the war chapter over there at Wilberforce

[00:25:49] University.

[00:25:50] Um, but yeah, this woman had a degree in math and physics and Latin, I think.

[00:25:57] And then psychology.

[00:25:59] Like what?

[00:26:01] And then white men had the nerve to go there and yell at her and call her dumb.

[00:26:06] Um, yeah.

[00:26:08] And so, and of course we'll talk about all of that, but yes, I just did not know about

[00:26:12] this person.

[00:26:12] Another hidden figure as, as we like to say in the black community, because we got a

[00:26:16] lot of them, but you know, it's like when we grew up, you know, we're like black kids

[00:26:20] three months.

[00:26:21] It's like, that's when you write your book report about your black history person, or

[00:26:25] that's who you pick your black history person to be in the play, or you do your little poster

[00:26:29] or whatever.

[00:26:30] And for grades like K through five, maybe K through eight, you're doing this and it's

[00:26:34] like MLK, Harriet Tubman, like no disrespect, no disrespect, but like, damn, you know, it's

[00:26:41] a lot of people that we really could have been telling the stories of and talking about

[00:26:44] as kids.

[00:26:45] And it's like, on the one hand, we were kids.

[00:26:47] We didn't know.

[00:26:47] We were just picking the ones that were in front of us.

[00:26:49] On the other hand, it's really like a part of the education system.

[00:26:52] As far as I'm concerned, it's a responsibility to educate and to tell stories like this, because

[00:26:57] you could really replace like Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, like these American stories that

[00:27:02] you just pass down that don't mean nothing.

[00:27:04] Pass down some of these stories.

[00:27:06] I promise you, I'd have been a lot happier had I known a lot of this stuff because I feel

[00:27:09] like this kind of representation matters.

[00:27:11] I agree.

[00:27:11] I agree.

[00:27:13] Like as somebody who's won a in in first grade, won a black history month art project

[00:27:21] where I basically made a Mr. Potato Head look in Martin Luther King Jr.

[00:27:26] Like we need more.

[00:27:28] You know what I'm saying?

[00:27:29] Like we need more figures to talk about.

[00:27:32] And then we can't whitewash the ones that we do talk about.

[00:27:35] Like, and this is why, and honestly, this is why movies like this are important.

[00:27:41] You know what I'm saying?

[00:27:41] Like you can see it and you can roll your eyes and be like, oh my God, it's Tyler Berry.

[00:27:45] You know, but honestly, it's a story that needed to be told.

[00:27:50] It kind of reminded me of Red Tails.

[00:27:51] I'm pretty sure I've talked about Red Tails on here before.

[00:27:55] Red Tails was such a good movie.

[00:27:57] And it showed that you could do a big budget movie that centered African-Americans and it

[00:28:05] still made money.

[00:28:06] You know what I'm saying?

[00:28:06] Like we need these stories to be told.

[00:28:10] We need these stories to be told.

[00:28:12] A thousand percent.

[00:28:14] I love this cast.

[00:28:16] Kerry Washington obviously is a standout, but that's Kerry Washington.

[00:28:19] She was always going to do that.

[00:28:20] She was always going to be that standout.

[00:28:22] But to me, to me, the standout character in this was Shanice Williams as Johnny May.

[00:28:29] That woman brought so much to the table.

[00:28:31] It was just so much energy.

[00:28:33] She was levels, Mari.

[00:28:34] I was really a fan of her.

[00:28:36] I was like, I had never seen her before.

[00:28:37] I think she was in The Wiz Live or something.

[00:28:39] Oh, yes.

[00:28:40] Yeah.

[00:28:41] But I'd never seen her before.

[00:28:42] And I thought like, man, people should really be talking about her performance because

[00:28:45] it gave us so many levels with her being comedic, but then also being the person

[00:28:49] who obviously don't take no miss from, you know, the racist and is trying to humble

[00:28:55] herself and be in the military because you got to.

[00:28:57] But also, you know, do the right thing as far as like be by yourself, be to yourself,

[00:29:04] be for yourself, you know, stand on what you believe in without getting picked on and

[00:29:08] bullied.

[00:29:08] And so although she was a mess of a character, I thought Shanice Williams killed this role.

[00:29:13] Amongst some of these other women as well, our lead actress, we talked about her earlier.

[00:29:16] Um, Lena, uh, was played by Ebony Azidian, who, as I just outlined, is nominated for a

[00:29:23] few of those NWCB Image Awards.

[00:29:26] Yeah.

[00:29:27] Uh, just going back to Shanice.

[00:29:29] Okay.

[00:29:30] She did great and all that, but I was like, oh God, you're typical.

[00:29:34] Like the bigger girl is the funny comedian, you know, it was very cliche.

[00:29:41] It was very, very cliche.

[00:29:43] However, she did bring the levity.

[00:29:46] You, you always need a character that will be bringing levity, especially in period pieces

[00:29:51] like this, where it's really like hard, you know?

[00:29:57] So she, she was that from the moment we saw her on screen.

[00:30:01] So she did a great job.

[00:30:03] It, it, it does just, that's why I was like, oh, there's Tyler Perry stamp all over her.

[00:30:07] Mm-hmm.

[00:30:08] It's very, very stereotypical.

[00:30:11] But she was great.

[00:30:12] Yeah.

[00:30:13] She was great.

[00:30:14] She killed it.

[00:30:15] Very funny.

[00:30:16] Yeah.

[00:30:16] And I like that they used, they were talking about her, like, I know you called her one

[00:30:20] of the bigger, uh, women in the movie and she is, and it's used as a plot point because

[00:30:23] they were talking about how even the clothes that the people in the military were wearing

[00:30:28] were not tailored to be fit for black women, right?

[00:30:31] These were made for pencil thin white women.

[00:30:33] And so when someone like her got some, she calls it the titties, Martha and Mary, I believe,

[00:30:38] um, she got, she got some curves to her and this, this ain't going to work, but they had

[00:30:42] to make it work for themselves.

[00:30:43] We see them taking every, like every opportunity to just piece together this military unit with

[00:30:52] just the smallest bit of, you know, uh, rations and supplies.

[00:30:58] And even people trying to sabotage them throughout.

[00:31:01] And that's the other thing that pissed me off.

[00:31:02] Like it's bad enough.

[00:31:03] You got a head start, but do you really got to try to slow people down too?

[00:31:06] That, I don't like that.

[00:31:07] Exactly.

[00:31:08] And it like, never has a movie been more apt than right this very second.

[00:31:13] Black women literally doing the most they can out of the little they are given and being,

[00:31:21] being sabotaged and blocked along the way, but still managing to overcome expectations,

[00:31:26] exceed them even.

[00:31:29] And it's just a tale of all this time.

[00:31:33] We're tired.

[00:31:35] We're tired.

[00:31:36] 2025 is the year of we, we're relaxing.

[00:31:42] That's it.

[00:31:42] Let it all burn.

[00:31:44] Let it all burn.

[00:31:47] Edge of the bathroom style.

[00:31:49] Yeah.

[00:31:50] It's one of those moments where you got to sit at some point.

[00:31:53] You're like, we did all we could do.

[00:31:55] It's above us now.

[00:31:56] You know?

[00:31:56] And so I think for black women, a lot of times it's like, Hey, they got it.

[00:31:59] You got to save yourself.

[00:31:59] You got to save yourself.

[00:32:00] The ship is sinking.

[00:32:01] Save you.

[00:32:02] Because, you know, at this point we don't know who going to save you.

[00:32:05] Uh, we, we going to try, but, uh, you can't count on everybody.

[00:32:07] Like you thought you could, you know, it's just, it's, we let ourselves believe different.

[00:32:11] Uh, but, uh, I do want to talk a little bit about this love story.

[00:32:15] All of this is on the backdrop of this love story between Lena and Abram.

[00:32:19] Um, this, uh, interracial couple question mark.

[00:32:23] Uh, they like each other, but I don't think they ever get there, but she in love, Mari.

[00:32:27] This woman in love so much that she went and joined the military to fight Hitler, to avenge

[00:32:31] her secret boyfriend that never really quite was her boyfriend.

[00:32:35] Yes.

[00:32:36] And even this, like, I thought was a little interesting because Abram David is, we're introduced

[00:32:42] to him.

[00:32:42] He's a Jewish, he's a young Jewish man.

[00:32:46] Um, him and Lena apparently grew up together and he decides to enlist.

[00:32:50] And I, I like, we just got the little tidbits at the dinner.

[00:32:53] Like, um, they're like, we need to go in, like Jewish people are over here are trying

[00:32:58] to figure out what they can do to oppose Hitler over there for war or two.

[00:33:02] And they're like, it needs to stop.

[00:33:03] And it's very interesting.

[00:33:05] It made me think, like, I don't know that many stories about what American Jews and Jews

[00:33:10] and other like, um, like countries did to help like combat the, like the Holocaust.

[00:33:17] Like, I would love to know what, what that was, but anyways.

[00:33:20] Um, so he, and you could tell there's a little flirtation, but he's off to join the war.

[00:33:26] Now this part was kind of like, he left and then they're like, oh, he did.

[00:33:30] I was like, wait, what?

[00:33:31] Right.

[00:33:32] Right.

[00:33:32] We kind of saw him die first.

[00:33:34] Like before the movie even gets going good, he kind of dies.

[00:33:37] Like we see his, his plane getting shot down and then we see.

[00:33:40] Yes.

[00:33:40] I didn't realize that until it took me a minute.

[00:33:43] And his letter is like bloodied and stained, but it's like, he's got to get this letter

[00:33:47] to someone.

[00:33:48] And we don't know who that someone is.

[00:33:49] And then we get our flashback that takes us to, you know, him meeting Lena or him being

[00:33:54] with Lena and them being basically this rambunctious interracial couple, uh, in Philly.

[00:33:59] And people were like, wait, yeah.

[00:34:00] People were like, no, no, no, not on my watch.

[00:34:02] Uh, but it was frowned upon, but it seemed like they still had a lot of chemistry.

[00:34:07] They was in love.

[00:34:08] These kids, I guess they had known each other their whole lives.

[00:34:10] Uh, and so she was very sad to see him go.

[00:34:12] And when he doesn't, when he doesn't come back, uh, she doesn't hear from him until she

[00:34:17] gets the letter that, uh, is telling her the worst.

[00:34:20] And, um, we see her have to deal with grief throughout the entire film.

[00:34:24] Like by the end, she is still mourning the loss of this man.

[00:34:27] Yeah.

[00:34:28] It was, it was very interesting.

[00:34:29] Like what we're shown is basically that the only mail that does get delivered are the

[00:34:36] death notices, you know?

[00:34:38] Um, and they come whenever.

[00:34:41] Yeah.

[00:34:42] Yeah.

[00:34:43] Oh, right.

[00:34:44] They come whenever.

[00:34:44] Cause that's the thing.

[00:34:45] Like you get the death notice, but like it doesn't know, you don't know when they died.

[00:34:49] You just get the death.

[00:34:50] Cause it was a few years, right?

[00:34:52] Yeah.

[00:34:53] They had been waiting to hear back from this man.

[00:34:55] Yeah.

[00:34:56] And like, so they didn't know when he was dead.

[00:34:59] They just know, you know, the letter got there eventually.

[00:35:01] She actually had a letter that was supposed to be coming to her and it's the letter we're

[00:35:05] tracking throughout the film.

[00:35:06] She never even gets it, you know?

[00:35:08] Um, but, uh, yeah, she, they were informed.

[00:35:10] Well, she does end up in it.

[00:35:11] The one.

[00:35:12] Oh yeah.

[00:35:12] She ends up getting it at the end.

[00:35:13] Well, yeah.

[00:35:13] At the end.

[00:35:14] She had to basically join the military and sift through the mail herself.

[00:35:17] Herself.

[00:35:18] Literally.

[00:35:18] Yeah.

[00:35:19] She had to go over there to get her mail.

[00:35:21] F it.

[00:35:21] I'll do it myself.

[00:35:22] Black women.

[00:35:23] Yeah.

[00:35:23] Black women.

[00:35:25] Um, so yes, she enlists to join the military and much to the chagrin of her parents or her,

[00:35:32] her mom and her aunts, because her daddy is God knows where, uh, he went to the grocery

[00:35:36] store and never came back.

[00:35:37] It seems.

[00:35:37] Um, but she goes and she ends up on the train to go and she meets this other, uh, the other

[00:35:44] group of black women that she will be, uh, in the same platoon as, uh, and so that's

[00:35:50] what we see.

[00:35:50] Uh, we meet Shanice Williams as Johnny May, um, Dolores Washington, uh, which is Sarah

[00:35:54] Jeffrey in that role, uh, and several others.

[00:35:58] And this becomes like the family that she has away from home as she's trying to, to make

[00:36:05] something of herself.

[00:36:06] It's just like, we got like a long military montage of them going through basic training

[00:36:09] because they, they think they're going to war.

[00:36:12] Okay.

[00:36:13] Um, later on, they find out that they're not exactly going to war.

[00:36:17] In fact, they're just going to Georgia and they're going to keep training as if they

[00:36:20] they're going to war, but with no real intention to send them to battle.

[00:36:24] Yeah.

[00:36:25] Yeah.

[00:36:26] Basically.

[00:36:26] And this is where we meet charity and they're basically, they're preparing, they're getting

[00:36:34] their bodies right.

[00:36:35] They're doing all this stuff.

[00:36:36] And charity is like begging for orders.

[00:36:39] Like she can't get orders anywhere.

[00:36:42] And it literally takes the act of the white house in order to get them some orders right

[00:36:50] before the war ends.

[00:36:52] Mm-hmm.

[00:36:52] Some, some, so some one woman who has lost two, uh, two of her kids to the war.

[00:36:56] I won't say they have died, but she ain't got no mail.

[00:36:58] And you know, look, if they ain't going to do nothing else, they're going to talk to the

[00:37:02] manager, you know?

[00:37:03] So she, she went to go talk to the manager.

[00:37:05] She marched right up to the white house and stood outside in the rain and to Eleanor

[00:37:09] Roosevelt came outside.

[00:37:11] Eleanor Roosevelt.

[00:37:12] Yeah.

[00:37:12] Girl, you need some help.

[00:37:13] And, um,

[00:37:14] Is that how he feels?

[00:37:16] Uh, as Eleanor Roosevelt.

[00:37:17] Yeah.

[00:37:18] Who's, who's playing?

[00:37:19] Was it?

[00:37:20] Uh, that was Susan Sarandon.

[00:37:21] That's what I meant.

[00:37:22] That's what I meant.

[00:37:23] Susan Sarandon.

[00:37:24] All right.

[00:37:24] But that's what I'm thinking.

[00:37:25] Legendary actress.

[00:37:26] Legendary actress Susan Sarandon as Eleanor Roosevelt.

[00:37:29] She comes out.

[00:37:30] Amazing hero.

[00:37:31] Mm-hmm.

[00:37:31] Yeah.

[00:37:31] And she pretty much shows up and like, all right, we got to get this figured out.

[00:37:35] And I need backup because these men don't understand how necessary it is to bring

[00:37:40] in these letters.

[00:37:41] So we got to break glass in case of emergency.

[00:37:44] Mari, we need Oprah.

[00:37:46] Oprah.

[00:37:49] Like, I get, I, TP just, I, it don't matter.

[00:37:53] Oprah, come play this small role as Mary McLeod Bethune for me.

[00:37:57] Okay.

[00:37:58] Annie Rowland is one of the biggest black women figures of all time.

[00:38:01] Like, yeah.

[00:38:01] Exactly.

[00:38:02] I mean, she was only in there for like five minutes.

[00:38:05] Yeah.

[00:38:06] But one of the, yeah, it's one of the most well-known women.

[00:38:09] But even, even this, again, there are, there's a, uh, a building on Howard's campus named

[00:38:17] after this lady.

[00:38:18] Mm-hmm.

[00:38:19] Did not know this.

[00:38:22] You know, a whole, whole HBCU named after this woman.

[00:38:26] Yes.

[00:38:26] Bethune Cookman.

[00:38:28] Yes.

[00:38:28] I wanted, did y'all know this?

[00:38:29] You know what I'm saying?

[00:38:31] I want to ask somebody, right?

[00:38:33] Yeah, you went to Bethune Cookman, right?

[00:38:34] Y'all know this?

[00:38:35] Um, yeah.

[00:38:36] Mary McLeod Bethune, uh, played by Oprah Winfrey in this.

[00:38:40] We know her and TP go way back.

[00:38:42] Uh, and, um, philanthropists, humanitarian, uh, you know, womanists, civil rights activists,

[00:38:48] you name it.

[00:38:49] Uh, Ms. Mary took care of it.

[00:38:51] Okay.

[00:38:51] And so she goes to the White House and basically says, nah, I know some people who can fix this

[00:38:57] mailing situation.

[00:38:58] Right.

[00:38:59] And, um, people are like, what, what?

[00:39:02] No, this is impossible.

[00:39:03] There's so many letters.

[00:39:04] It's impossible to find these people.

[00:39:06] It's World War II.

[00:39:07] We don't know where these people are.

[00:39:08] Their tags are all getting mixed up.

[00:39:10] Like we can't find their locators.

[00:39:12] The mail is getting destroyed in the war efforts.

[00:39:14] There's animals, vermin, literally eating the mail.

[00:39:17] Nobody can figure this out.

[00:39:18] She's like, nah, I got it.

[00:39:19] I know who can do this.

[00:39:21] Call the 6888.

[00:39:23] Give me, give me Colonel Charity Adams on the phone.

[00:39:29] Yep.

[00:39:30] Yeah.

[00:39:30] And, uh, so you make the call.

[00:39:33] And so now they're getting shipped off to Europe to go handle this, like to what they

[00:39:38] think is the war.

[00:39:39] They think, all right, we're going in to make this happen.

[00:39:41] They find out in a route that, um, they're being ordered to go and, uh, sort the mail.

[00:39:48] And at first they're like, you just sort them.

[00:39:50] We can sort the mail.

[00:39:51] What are you doing?

[00:39:52] All right.

[00:39:52] We got six months to sort the mail.

[00:39:54] Then they get there.

[00:39:55] Mm-hmm.

[00:39:57] And they figure out, it's a lot of mail.

[00:39:59] Yeah.

[00:40:00] Yeah.

[00:40:00] It's a lot of mail.

[00:40:01] You know, it's honest, honestly, they, they, they kind of took their hand in the movie

[00:40:04] because, um, you know, Colonel Charity, I mean, I don't know what her role at the time

[00:40:09] was.

[00:40:09] It was, uh, I think she was Colonel at the time, but she is like, captain, I think she, yeah,

[00:40:14] captain to Colonel or whatever.

[00:40:16] Like she's moving up the ranks.

[00:40:17] But she got, she's very intuitive as well.

[00:40:20] Right.

[00:40:20] She's very smart.

[00:40:21] We know she's got the three degrees, including the Latin degree, which is, I don't know.

[00:40:24] She just, I was just bored.

[00:40:26] Um, but she, um, she realizes that they said, oh yeah, it should take you six, six, uh, six

[00:40:33] months.

[00:40:34] And she was like, yeah, okay.

[00:40:35] Six months to source the mail.

[00:40:37] That sounds generous.

[00:40:38] And then the wheels start turning.

[00:40:40] These white folks, they never made nothing easy for me.

[00:40:42] Not one day in my life.

[00:40:43] So why would they start today?

[00:40:44] This must not be something that could be easily done in six months.

[00:40:48] They open up multiple hangers full of mail.

[00:40:52] I'm talking about millions, not thousands, 17 million pieces, 17 million pieces of mail.

[00:41:00] And they want them to sift through them in six months and get them to people.

[00:41:04] And if they don't get them to people, obviously it's going to look like a massive failure on

[00:41:07] the Negro, uh, on the black folks from the black women.

[00:41:11] And look at us.

[00:41:12] We black folks can't do nothing.

[00:41:13] Right.

[00:41:13] It was that time.

[00:41:14] They were just cameras on them, waiting on them to fail.

[00:41:18] Mind you, I think this was in February of 1945.

[00:41:23] War ended in September.

[00:41:26] This month, this literally, we've been at war at that point for almost six years.

[00:41:32] Did they deliver any mail?

[00:41:35] At that time?

[00:41:36] Just, just, just them mailing out letters to say, hey, they died.

[00:41:39] You know, like they died.

[00:41:41] They died.

[00:41:41] At some point.

[00:41:42] Yeah.

[00:41:43] They died.

[00:41:43] Like, just so you know.

[00:41:45] So yeah.

[00:41:46] They, uh, they brought in the 6888 to organize the mail.

[00:41:50] And, uh, it was supposed to take six months.

[00:41:52] Mario, they did it in three.

[00:41:54] They did it in 90 days.

[00:41:55] 90 days!

[00:41:57] Because what?

[00:41:58] Black women.

[00:41:59] Yes.

[00:42:00] Yeah.

[00:42:01] Um, and also, other things they were able to accomplish in that 90 days.

[00:42:04] They came up with a whole entire sorting system, including, including, uh, building and refurbishing,

[00:42:11] basically, this entire, like, school that they were, like, housed in.

[00:42:15] It didn't have no beds.

[00:42:16] Edward school.

[00:42:16] I wonder if that's still, like.

[00:42:19] Oh, you think we could go there?

[00:42:20] I want to go there.

[00:42:21] I know.

[00:42:23] I don't know.

[00:42:24] It might have.

[00:42:25] Keep talking.

[00:42:25] I'm already Googling.

[00:42:27] Yeah.

[00:42:28] Um, but yeah.

[00:42:29] They ended up, like, um, having, like, to stay in this King Edward school.

[00:42:33] And it's run down.

[00:42:35] There's a vermin.

[00:42:36] There's no heat.

[00:42:38] It's February in Germany.

[00:42:40] It's gotta be all of, like, two degrees there.

[00:42:42] And they're in there, and they are.

[00:42:45] As in Scotland.

[00:42:47] Glasgow.

[00:42:48] Glasgow.

[00:42:48] Okay.

[00:42:49] So, it's two degrees in Scotland.

[00:42:51] And so, um, it's cold.

[00:42:54] It's cold as hell.

[00:42:55] And they have to do all of this work while dealing with rats, other vermin, um, with bombs

[00:43:00] falling in the distance.

[00:43:01] You know, there were several times where, I mean, there was a time when we were

[00:43:03] where they had to hide from the bombs.

[00:43:05] And with these white folks sabotaging them, their own military was trying to make them

[00:43:11] fail at this job, just to prove a point.

[00:43:13] To say, like, nobody can do this.

[00:43:14] We said nobody can do this.

[00:43:15] It looks like they got a little something, something going on.

[00:43:17] We need to shake it up.

[00:43:19] And so, um, we see them show up.

[00:43:22] They send, um, General Halt, I believe his name is, Hank from Breaking Bad is what he's

[00:43:27] called in my notes.

[00:43:28] Um, but he shows up and he sucks.

[00:43:31] This man is just like, nah, I want them to, I want them to fail so bad.

[00:43:35] He even sent in a chaplain, Mari, to sabotage them.

[00:43:38] And I just felt like that's low.

[00:43:39] Why you bring a man of God into this?

[00:43:41] Very low.

[00:43:41] Very, very low.

[00:43:42] Like, that dude was a dick.

[00:43:44] Like, stupid.

[00:43:46] It was just, it was literally them trying to do their job and then just white people

[00:43:50] showing up to get in the way and to berate them.

[00:43:53] Mm-hmm.

[00:43:54] It was, that annoyed the hell out of me.

[00:43:57] Yeah.

[00:43:58] Especially when you find out they're doing 24-hour shifts.

[00:44:00] When she said that, my mouth was on the ground.

[00:44:03] I was like, what do you mean?

[00:44:06] So what, how much, how much sleep are y'all getting?

[00:44:07] You know?

[00:44:08] Cause they like rotating, you know?

[00:44:10] Mm-hmm.

[00:44:10] Like, bath, shower, hair, paper, you know, mail, bath, shower, mail, hair, paper, like,

[00:44:17] the rotation, the system, and then the innovation that they used in order to make sure this mail

[00:44:23] was sorted was incredible.

[00:44:26] Because for a minute, it looks like it can't be done, right?

[00:44:29] It looks like, you know, with all the interference, with the dangers of war, we see two people

[00:44:35] who are actually, well, two people who are actually murdered in war as well.

[00:44:40] You know, by an explosive while trying to deliver mail.

[00:44:46] It just, there's just so many obstacles in their way that it's looking like it's not going

[00:44:50] to be done.

[00:44:50] And they have this cool moment where the women start talking about what are the actual pitfalls

[00:44:57] in front of us?

[00:44:58] Like, from a macro level, yeah, of course you need to be organized.

[00:45:01] Of course you need to have a system.

[00:45:02] You have to have the people working.

[00:45:03] They need to have structure.

[00:45:04] From a micro level, what are some of the issues that are keeping this from being smoother?

[00:45:08] And they talk about how cold it is.

[00:45:10] Like, it's hard to do this.

[00:45:11] It takes dexterity.

[00:45:12] And I got gloves on.

[00:45:14] The rats are chewing through the letters.

[00:45:16] You know, like, we can't read them.

[00:45:18] We can't read the envelopes because the vermin are eating them.

[00:45:22] Some of them are, like, smudged, not legible.

[00:45:25] The numbers aren't clear.

[00:45:27] Some of them are addressed to nicknames, Mari.

[00:45:30] How am I going to find Bubba in World War II?

[00:45:32] I am telling you.

[00:45:34] Because what?

[00:45:35] What?

[00:45:36] You ain't got no sense?

[00:45:39] You think you're going to find a Bobby Smith?

[00:45:42] Yeah.

[00:45:43] Robert Smith was crazy.

[00:45:45] Because you're like, there's like 7,500 Robert Smiths in this ball.

[00:45:49] Bro, you got to do better than that.

[00:45:52] But, you know, they were working with such little information.

[00:45:55] And then they went and got extra information.

[00:45:57] This lady said, I used to work in a fabric store.

[00:46:00] And some of them were closed with fabric.

[00:46:02] And I can match the fabric.

[00:46:03] I was like, all right.

[00:46:04] All right.

[00:46:05] You know what I'm saying?

[00:46:06] I was like, Black Girl Magic.

[00:46:07] Like, that's Black World Warcraft at that point.

[00:46:09] What are you doing?

[00:46:09] Well, they had the perfumes.

[00:46:11] They had the perfumes.

[00:46:13] So some people, some of the women who sent letters would spray the stuff with perfume.

[00:46:18] So then they started matching.

[00:46:20] They sent in the letter, matched it to the perfume.

[00:46:23] Then found out where that perfume was manufactured to try and figure out where

[00:46:27] the letter originated from.

[00:46:29] I was like, are you serious right now?

[00:46:32] This is.

[00:46:33] No computers.

[00:46:34] This is in 1945, y'all.

[00:46:36] Like, dictionaries?

[00:46:39] Do they have those back then?

[00:46:40] How did they do this research?

[00:46:42] They did it.

[00:46:43] And they all had skills.

[00:46:44] One woman's like, I'm a mortician.

[00:46:46] You know, like, you know, am I not a mortician?

[00:46:48] Okay, well, girl, okay.

[00:46:50] That's going to help us.

[00:46:50] I'm not right.

[00:46:52] How is that going to help?

[00:46:54] She's like, you know, I didn't say what I'm going to say.

[00:46:58] You know, it very much gave the same energy of like, was it Whitney Houston?

[00:47:07] And like, if two of y'all went out, then one of you is really cheap because I saw you.

[00:47:13] It's like, how are you putting all these pieces together like this?

[00:47:17] Y'all are using these talents for evil now, Mari.

[00:47:20] Back in the day, y'all used to save the war.

[00:47:22] Now look at you.

[00:47:24] Look at us.

[00:47:25] Facebook stalking folks.

[00:47:27] You know what I'm saying?

[00:47:28] In the comment section.

[00:47:29] Running a month.

[00:47:30] Now we got so many more tools to do it with.

[00:47:32] Oh my God.

[00:47:33] You know, and that reminded me of Hidden Figures so much.

[00:47:36] You know, like they didn't have calculators.

[00:47:38] So they went and got Black women to just be calculators.

[00:47:41] They're calculators, yep.

[00:47:42] Yeah.

[00:47:43] Crazy.

[00:47:44] Crazy.

[00:47:45] Eventually, they do realize that they're being sabotaged.

[00:47:48] And there is this iconic meeting.

[00:47:50] And I think this is probably the high point of the film.

[00:47:55] Like, it finally happens.

[00:47:58] Major Adams knows.

[00:48:01] You got to humble yourself in the military because it's all about protocol, right?

[00:48:05] Like, you can't talk to anybody who outranks you any kind of way.

[00:48:09] It just doesn't happen that way.

[00:48:11] Even though, as a Black woman, the rules don't apply to her all the time.

[00:48:14] Like, people are, like, completely ignoring her rank when they want to talk crazy to her

[00:48:19] and getting away with it.

[00:48:20] But when the general shows up and yells at them about what they've been doing and basically

[00:48:26] spits in their face and says, like, all of these shifts, these 24 hours of, like,

[00:48:32] shifts, these amenities that y'all have created out of thin air, all of that stuff.

[00:48:37] Even having to deal with the loss of these people, it doesn't matter.

[00:48:42] I'm still going to go back and say that you all are not doing your job.

[00:48:47] And he basically said, I'm going to have you replaced with a white man.

[00:48:50] And he's going to come and get you niggas in check.

[00:48:53] And she told him, over my dead body.

[00:48:57] And Mari, I looked it up.

[00:48:58] This really happened.

[00:48:59] Like, she really said that.

[00:49:01] I love that.

[00:49:01] I freaking love that.

[00:49:02] I'm so glad.

[00:49:04] Because what?

[00:49:05] No.

[00:49:06] Get out of here, sir.

[00:49:07] Like, you just here to just be here.

[00:49:09] Like, you're not about to come in here, fire me, get some overseer in here.

[00:49:14] And then when our system actually starts working, probably give him the credit.

[00:49:18] No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[00:49:19] Get up out of here.

[00:49:21] So that actually happened?

[00:49:22] Yeah.

[00:49:23] It says on this article I found in the newsroom, the Wounded Warrior Project, they give a little

[00:49:28] information about it and the infamous encounter.

[00:49:32] And so, yeah, over my dead body is what she said.

[00:49:37] I love that.

[00:49:38] Oh, my God.

[00:49:39] Yeah.

[00:49:40] The chaplain thing also kind of happened as well.

[00:49:43] Wow.

[00:49:44] Yeah.

[00:49:44] Because he interrupted operations.

[00:49:46] And I think it says the women of the 688 were required to report to him for counseling,

[00:49:50] which caused absence without leave for several.

[00:49:53] So they were basically getting AWOL for going to counseling with the chaplain.

[00:49:58] So just left and right, you know, left and right.

[00:50:03] But eventually we will see before they are able to get shut down, the mail goes out.

[00:50:08] The mail goes out earlier than anybody ever expected.

[00:50:13] Despite the like ridiculous backlog of stuff that they had to do.

[00:50:18] And so, yeah, they ended up getting their appreciation.

[00:50:22] I think they were called upon in France as well with a three-year-old mail backlog and ended

[00:50:28] up successfully processing that.

[00:50:30] So, yeah, they were out here doing the Lord's work and keeping the morale high during this

[00:50:37] World War.

[00:50:38] And eventually we will see that they did, you know, get their flowers in a way, you know,

[00:50:44] like we would love to have to see, be able to say they got their flowers while they could

[00:50:47] smell them.

[00:50:48] But it does look like a lot of them were not here for the recognition they'd be getting

[00:50:52] in recent years.

[00:50:53] Like we said, Lena's character in the film, she's 100 years old and she's actually in

[00:50:58] the film reading, looks like her memoirs maybe.

[00:51:01] It looked like something.

[00:51:03] I wasn't sure, but I'm on IMDb right now.

[00:51:06] And we have to give it up to Tyler Perry.

[00:51:10] He actually filmed this, this movie very quickly in, in order to be able to show Lena in, in,

[00:51:22] like he wanted to show her the final cut of her story before she passed away.

[00:51:26] And so he was able to do it.

[00:51:29] And Kerry Washington said she marveled at Perry's efficiency and brisk pace.

[00:51:33] He's a well-oiled machine.

[00:51:35] She's had a well-oiled machine.

[00:51:37] She doesn't even begin to describe how well they were able to do it so well.

[00:51:45] But he did, he, he traveled to the Las Vegas home of Mrs. Lena Derricotte Belle King.

[00:51:53] Yeah.

[00:51:54] And showed her the movie on his iPad before she died January 18th, 2024 at age 100.

[00:52:02] So, yeah.

[00:52:04] Yeah.

[00:52:05] Yeah.

[00:52:06] We do got some pictures here.

[00:52:07] This is from womenofthe688.org.

[00:52:12] So 6888.org where you can go in and see photos of the women that we were just talking about.

[00:52:19] Well, the real life version of the women that we're talking about.

[00:52:23] And so please check that out.

[00:52:25] I'll try to include the link in the show notes because look at the bags, Mari.

[00:52:29] Like, I mean, it's pretty accurate based on what we saw in the movie.

[00:52:33] I don't think so.

[00:52:34] Yeah.

[00:52:35] What did you think about them being able to host the men for the weekend, even though it was a setup?

[00:52:43] I mean, you know, that, that's not, that wasn't uncommon in the white battalions as well.

[00:52:50] So I'm glad that they were able to mingle and, you know, unwind.

[00:52:55] Like, yeah, it was a little bit of a setup, but they were able to host like weekends with other African-American troops.

[00:53:01] That is, that's like a well-known thing.

[00:53:03] So, I mean, Lena found her, her, her, her husband that she actually did marry Hugh Bell in like the, the, the, the second.

[00:53:13] Is it technically the secondary love story?

[00:53:16] Um, it is because the main love story is definitely Lena and, uh, and April.

[00:53:21] She's, she's over the moon for that man.

[00:53:24] In her defense, Hugh Bell is married or engaged at the very least when she moved to.

[00:53:30] When I tell you, I was, when he said, I'm engaged to be married, but I'm not going to, I was like, if you don't go, go on.

[00:53:38] Where's your wife, Chasta?

[00:53:40] Where's your wife?

[00:53:42] I was so mad.

[00:53:44] Just as mad as Lena was.

[00:53:45] You don't get up, get up out of my face.

[00:53:48] Yeah.

[00:53:48] She's get on, go on, get, get out of here.

[00:53:52] Um, yeah, she, he was engaged to be married, but he saw something that he liked.

[00:53:58] He said, nah, I saw you and it made me question everything.

[00:54:00] And so, uh, you know, whoever that woman was, she just, but yeah, but don't let your fiance stop you from eating the love of your life.

[00:54:08] Amen.

[00:54:09] Amen.

[00:54:09] Um, ladies and gentlemen, the six triple a Mari.

[00:54:14] That was good.

[00:54:15] I enjoyed it.

[00:54:17] I enjoyed it.

[00:54:18] Um, I, I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

[00:54:20] I am.

[00:54:21] I am like, I don't, I don't cry at sad things, but I, I get really happy.

[00:54:26] I get really happy and I kind of felt my allergies.

[00:54:28] I was like, Oh my, what is, Oh my God.

[00:54:30] My allergies is acting up a little bit.

[00:54:31] I might be feeling this one a little bit.

[00:54:32] Just okay.

[00:54:34] I ain't crying.

[00:54:35] Nothing like that.

[00:54:35] But my, you know, I'm sweating.

[00:54:37] Uh, you know, I'm sweating a little bit, you know what I'm saying?

[00:54:41] I, you know, you can have one thug tear, but you can't let it hit the ground because that was it.

[00:54:49] Um, yeah, I really enjoyed it.

[00:54:52] And I really hope that if you are, we're listening to this, that you at least have watched it.

[00:54:55] If not, that's our, that's our quick review of it.

[00:54:58] And, uh, go check it out because it was good.

[00:55:01] Yeah.

[00:55:01] The acting was superb.

[00:55:02] I think for a lot of the cast, a lot of people that I was not really familiar with in the cast that I think like showed up and I'll be looking for them and other things.

[00:55:09] And then, uh, you know, I have to give my official kudos to Tyler Perry because I really enjoyed that.

[00:55:14] What about you, Mark?

[00:55:15] Yeah.

[00:55:15] Yeah.

[00:55:16] Shout out to him.

[00:55:16] He actually did.

[00:55:17] He actually did a really good job here.

[00:55:19] Didn't feel like over explaining things.

[00:55:22] It felt, it felt really nice.

[00:55:25] The flow was really good.

[00:55:26] The end was kind of abrupt.

[00:55:28] Did you really like, I was like, oh, she just had this conversation with a guy.

[00:55:31] And then all of a sudden it was like, boom, we're done.

[00:55:34] Also, we're going somewhere else.

[00:55:35] And now we're, everybody loves us.

[00:55:37] I was like, oh, okay, cool.

[00:55:39] But it felt a little abrupt.

[00:55:41] But other than that, it was really good.

[00:55:42] I, I'm so glad we watched it.

[00:55:44] And I, I really encourage, uh, everybody to go watch it too.

[00:55:48] Show it to your kids this black history.

[00:55:50] So they'll learn something other than the I Have a Dream speech.

[00:55:54] Right.

[00:55:54] Cause February is coming up, y'all.

[00:55:56] So it's time.

[00:55:56] It's time.

[00:55:57] Maybe we'll highlight some black history stuff here on Recap Kickback.

[00:56:00] We got all month to figure it out.

[00:56:01] Maybe we could do the top five black history movies, uh, or something like that.

[00:56:05] Let us know what you think in the comments here on this YouTube video.

[00:56:09] I remember the Titans.

[00:56:12] Okay.

[00:56:13] I just feel like we should discuss it.

[00:56:15] I just think it should be in the conversation.

[00:56:17] That's all.

[00:56:17] But that's a story for another time.

[00:56:20] Until next time, Mari, where can the people find you?

[00:56:22] And what are you working on?

[00:56:24] You can find me over on Crime Scene.

[00:56:26] Me and Sarah Carradine are bringing true crime, uh, to your ear holes.

[00:56:30] Uh, go to CrimeScenePod.com in order to subscribe.

[00:56:35] Uh, you can subscribe anywhere you get your podcast.

[00:56:37] Just type in Crime Scene.

[00:56:39] That's Crime S-E-E-N.

[00:56:41] Uh, and you can catch us on Blue Sky at Crime Scene Pod.

[00:56:44] You can catch me over on Blue Sky at Mari Talks Too Much.

[00:56:47] That's the only place I'm at.

[00:56:48] I'm not at the other place.

[00:56:49] That's, uh, that's dead.

[00:56:51] It's done.

[00:56:51] It's canceled.

[00:56:51] It's gone.

[00:56:52] So, um, yeah.

[00:56:53] Follow me on Blue Sky.

[00:56:55] Um, doing a lot of stuff over on RHAP.

[00:56:58] I'm going to be doing some Big Brother coverage.

[00:57:00] I just did some Traders coverage.

[00:57:03] So, just make sure you're following me in order to know what I'm up to.

[00:57:08] Yeah.

[00:57:09] And, uh, we'll be looking for more Mari content here in future.

[00:57:12] And, of course, bringing in this year with Mari, as I would like to do with no one else.

[00:57:17] Everybody else is invited, but Mari gotta be here.

[00:57:19] It's in my contract.

[00:57:20] Uh, as far as me, um, catch me on the Nothing But Netflix podcast at Nothing But RHAP, where

[00:57:26] we are talking about, um, you know, Netflix shows.

[00:57:29] Uh, we did a lot of Netflix content, some winter content.

[00:57:32] We gave you Squid Game.

[00:57:33] Seven days of Squid Game content on RHAP.

[00:57:37] Um, just straight from Nothing But Netflix.

[00:57:39] So, check that out.

[00:57:40] Subscribe to Nothing But Netflix.

[00:57:41] Make sure you follow me on Twitch.

[00:57:43] Twitch.tv slash, uh, Chappelle's underscore show, where, uh, I will be hopefully Twitch streaming

[00:57:48] again, I kind of had to, something I had to give y'all, and it was that.

[00:57:52] So, I hadn't been on in a while, but it's coming back in 2025.

[00:57:55] Check that out.

[00:57:56] Uh, make sure you keep up with all of that and more.

[00:57:59] And then you can catch me in the various locations that I am in as well.

[00:58:03] Um, Mari, aren't you talking about Big Brother this week?

[00:58:06] Yes, I am.

[00:58:07] I will be doing the Memory Wall podcast, talking about Big Brother 2.

[00:58:11] So, that's going to be so fun.

[00:58:13] Can't wait.

[00:58:14] And I will be following Mari to talk about Big Brother 3 next week.

[00:58:17] Uh, so make sure you check that out.

[00:58:19] All on the WeKnowRealityTV.com or WeKnowBigBrother.com.

[00:58:25] I think it'll be on both of those sites, if that's a thing.

[00:58:28] Uh, so be sure you check that out.

[00:58:30] Check me out on WeKnowScriptedTV, talking about sex lives of college girls.

[00:58:34] And Abbott Elementary is back, baby!

[00:58:37] And so, Gia and I will be back to talk about it, including the crossover episode for It's

[00:58:42] Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

[00:58:43] And we will be bringing in some special guests to discuss that, too.

[00:58:46] But you have to keep up with all of that and more by subscribing.

[00:58:49] RecapKickback.com slash subscribe or follow on Recap Kickback on all social media platforms.

[00:58:54] But that is about it for today.

[00:58:57] Uh, stay tuned next week for all the stuff we have coming.

[00:59:00] And until next time, you ain't gotta go home, but you definitely gotta get the hell up out

[00:59:03] of here.

[00:59:03] Happy New Year!

[00:59:04] We look forward to a year of content coming your way here for Recap Kickback.

[00:59:08] Peace!

[00:59:09] Way on life, I wanna hold my wrist.

[00:59:11] I'ma get in my goddamn self.

[00:59:14] Peace!