Our society has come a long way from the days of gender and racial discrimination, but there are still some gaps that make it appear like prejudice on the basis of race and gender still runs in our DNA. No matter how hard you try, your mind clings to some preconceptions. An entire race has been so traumatized by years of oppression that they wish to isolate themselves. Transcending racial, gender, and religious boundaries to live in peace by stepping outside of this isolation has been addressed in various cinematic portrayals. Among them is the 2021 comedy/drama “Harlem,” which is available on Amazon Prime. Through “Harlem,” we see some psycho-social nuances of these four female leads in the story. Let’s go through the ups and downs in their lives to see if they could come out of the isolation and live by their choices.
“Harlem” doesn’t offer anything particularly unique or extraordinary; rather, it talks about love, emotion, self-discovery, and confusion about choosing the right thing to do. But in between, we see these women of color struggling to succeed in their careers and lives. They speak on behalf of their community and promote gender equality, but in trying to make this happen and make the right decision, they found themselves engrossed in discovering unfamiliar emotions.
“Harlem” begins with Camille (Meagan Good) lecturing on the Mosuo tribe, a group of strong, independent women who have the freedom to choose their spouses and walk away from those partnerships whenever they want. But she didn’t just teach about it; she also aspired to act and make decisions like them. Both Camille and her friends were strong, independent women who relied only on themselves for both their emotional and financial needs. While Camille was a lecturer at a university, her friends Quinn (Grace Byers) ran her own design shop, Angie (Shoniqua Shandai) was a struggling singer, and Tye (Jerrie Johnson) was the creator of a dating platform for queer people of color.
The four of these ladies were powerful and determined, yet they were unable to resolve their interpersonal conflicts. Quinn struggled to find a partner and even to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Camille was still trapped in her ex-relationship with Ian. Tye claimed to be a macho lady but was afraid of being judged by her own community. Angie was somewhat rebellious and outspoken; thus, it was challenging for her to commit to one project or employment.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Harlem’ Season 1: Ending Explained – Did Camille And Ian Give Themselves A Second Chance?
Being the only child of an unavailable single mother, Camille was raised entirely on her own. After completing her Ph.D., she accepted a position as an adjunct lecturer at a university in Colombia. Camille was the favorite of Professor Robin, who wanted to hire her as an assistant professor, but the moment Camille felt happy for that and thought she could take control of her life, she was confronted with her past once more. She came across Ian, her ex-boyfriend, with whom she was still in love. Although she thought she had moved on, it didn’t seem to be the case. Nevertheless, when Robin was fired from the institute, Camille’s career also suffered significantly. Camille’s hopes of securing a permanent position at the university was dashed. Dr. Pruitt, Camille’s role model, took over as Robin’s replacement, but she wasn’t much help for Camille to get promoted. Pruitt claims that Camille spent more time being active on social media than involved in the current cultural upheaval. She instead chose another black man for the assistant professorship who, in her opinion, had more experience in that field than just being active on social media. Camille was disappointed as Pruitt was discrediting her efforts and capacity to prove herself. But she was unrepentant and patiently waited for the appropriate moment to respond to Pruitt. Her perplexing love life caused her to get confused in the meantime. Although she met Jameson, who was almost ideal for her, she couldn’t help but think of Ian. Ian and Camille crossed paths frequently, and Camille even assisted Ian with his restaurant’s art décor. One day, they were unexpectedly abducted by an Uber driver as they were returning from an art gallery. As a result, Ian and Camille had some time to themselves, during which Ian told her he still loved her. It completely destroyed Camille’s gradual progress with moving on. She was even asked to move in with her current boyfriend, Jameson, in Chicago, but she declined because she had previously broken up with Ian because he had wanted her to move in with him in Paris. Back when Ian and Camille were together, they made the decision to start anew in Paris, but Camille felt that she was stifling her own desires for Ian’s aspirations; thus, she had to end their relationship. But she was unaware that Ian was ready to make a propose to her. Camille binge-drunk with Quinn the night before Ian and his fiancée Mira were about to get married. She first got to Pruitt’s house and unapologetically said she was proud of how she appeared on social media because it brought her and her students closer together and allowed them to come to her with their problems. She added that she wouldn’t change who she was just because Pruitt didn’t like it. She informed Pruitt that she would quit her job. Thereafter, she ended up at Mira’s wedding venue. She ran into Ian once more and told him how she felt. Finally, Ian told her that he had intended to propose to her the day they had broken up. They ended up sharing a kiss, and Mira saw them. It seemed like they were about to give themselves a second chance and see how that would work out. Harlem’s first season ended on a cliffhanger, so it’s safe to assume that in season 2, Ian and Mira will surely call off their wedding, and if they don’t, Camille won’t find it so simple to handle.
What Happened To Tye’s Husband?
Tye, who gave off the impression of being a super successful and strong woman, nevertheless concealed some of her weaknesses. She’d married a man after college since she wasn’t completely conscious of her sexuality, but soon after she learned she wasn’t straight, she left her husband and relocated to Harlem to pursue her career and further her sexual exploration. Her mind was somewhat influenced by the worry that she would be judged by her community, despite the fact that she was liberal and free of prejudice. She worried that dating a white woman would be a hypocritical choice simply because her app was designed for people of color. She chose not to validate her own emotion out of fear of being judged by her community. She ultimately recognized her mistake, but her relationship with her partner was marred by her tendency to be rather egotistical and selfish. She was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst, and when it ruptured, she had to have emergency surgery, and for that, she ran into her husband once more. When she passed out on a train from pain, her husband Brandon took her to the hospital, but instead of thanking him, she continued to distrust him. When Tye continuously asked Brandon to sign divorce papers, and he continued putting it off, she was led to believe that Brandon wouldn’t leave her for her money. However, Brandon didn’t want their relationship to come to an end, as he was still in love with her, but Tye wanted to run away from the marriage as if it had never happened in the first place. It got worse for Brandon when she brought up the money situation throughout their conversation. Without signing the paperwork, Brandon left the apartment. Because of the history of males abusing women, Tye was outraged and terrified; as a result, she exhibited her fragility in front of Brandon, making herself appear evil, which she wasn’t. Due to her fear of criticism, she was unable to truly take control of her life. In season 2, let’s see if she eventually succeeds in taking a risk.
Did Quinn Propose To Isabella?
Quinn wanted to be a successful fashion designer, but she needed assistance to build her own brand. She was hesitant to approach her mother for money because her mother wasn’t very supportive of her becoming a designer in the first place. Quinn refused to let her mother intervene in her life and make decisions for her. She chose to open a boutique, but her design career lacked sufficient recognition. She frequently dated playboys who were the wrong choice, but when she met Shawn, a handsome stripper, she started to feel butterflies in her stomach. Quinn enjoyed spending time with him, but she wasn’t prepared to look after his little son. She was still getting used to things when she met Isabella, who appeared like the ideal kind of partner for her. She dared to ask Isabella out even though she wasn’t sure whether to take the risky step to explore the other side of her sexuality. She asked her out on a date the evening before Ian’s wedding and showed up with Camille at Mira’s wedding venue to deliver Mira’s wedding dress that she had designed. In between, we didn’t catch a glimpse of whether Quinn had broken up with Shawn. She might have told him already, or in the next season, we can be sure to see how she would break up with him.
What Happened To Angie?
Angie may be the most opinionated and dangerous of these four. A struggling singer, Angie was quite outspoken about her needs and desires. After her music career failed, she lived at Quinn’s house rent-free, which also contributed to some misunderstandings between the two of them, but they were always able to work things out. Angie finally had the opportunity to work on the ‘Get Out’ musical, but things didn’t go as planned, as the musical was another failure. She did, however, meet a man at the performance and, even though he might not be her dream partner, she enjoyed being around him. Angie was the type of girl who had always expressed her disapproval if she thought her culture was being harmed in any way. She never pretended to admire anyone, which is the part of the reason why her career had been a problematic one. We may learn a lot about Angie and her flourishing musical career in the upcoming season, as well as who would be her potential future partner.
With all these stunning and successful women of color, “Harlem” depicts a story of equality. These women speak out about their demands and work arduously to achieve their goals. However, real life isn’t as shiny and bright as their clothes were in the series, but we believe it isn’t a major concern as cinematic representation worked as a giant media for expressing fashion. We sometimes learn about the characters’ personalities through their sense of style. We hope that rather than just emphasizing their multiple relationships and emotional turmoil, Harlem season 2 will place more of an emphasis on how these women will conquer their position in society and unapologetically succeed in their own ways, showing the middle finger to the critical mentality on the basis of gender, race, and color.