TV Review: "Our Kind of People" Disrespects the History of Oak Bluffs
It is safe to say that not many people know that Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, has a wealthy and thriving Black community. Known as a prominent tourist destination in Martha's Vineyard, Oak Bluffs was one of the few island towns that accepted Black patrons due to its long and storied history with freed and enslaved West Africans. Former and current Black residents include revered intellectual Henry Louis Gates, Jr., former senior advisor to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett, and celebrated documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson. Even The Obama family vacationed on the isle and visited many Oak Bluffs establishments like Nancy's Restaurant and the Farm Neck Golf Club. Unfortunately, very few movies and television shows capture the essence of Oak Bluffs despite its importance in American history. The first two episodes of Our Kind of People attempt to remedy this issue by focusing its story on the seaside town. But the nighttime soap fails at depicting the story of Oak Bluffs due to its dated premise, didactic writing, and dull characterizations.
Set in Oak Bluffs, Our Kind of People follows Black single mother Angela (Yaya DaCosta) as she moves her small family from Boston into a converted boarding house that belonged to her recently deceased mother. Eager for a fresh start, Angela decides to honor her mother Eve (performing in flashbacks as Ashley Nicole Blake) by opening a small business that caters to Black hair called "Eve's Crown." As Angela settles into her new life, she uncovers a mystery about her mother that pits her against one of Oak Bluffs' most elite and corrupt Black families, the Franklins. Now the young woman must keep her wits while businessman Teddy (the great Joe Morton) and his daughter Leah (Nadine Ellis) scheme to take her down. Thankfully, Angela has the support of her loving but troubled daughter Nikki (Alana Kay Bright), her streetwise aunt Patricia (Debbi Morgan), and budding love interest, Tyrique (Lance Gross), to help her rise in Oak Bluffs and figure out her mother's dark connections with the Franklins.
Our Kind of People aspires to be the next Empire or Scandal. Yet, its storylines are more suitable for an era of television that does not exist anymore. The show covers every soap opera cliché, including but not limited to shocking paternity tests, petty catfights, business takeovers, and attempted murders. Though these tropes are familiar in soap operas and have the potential to entertain, the show's dependency on these plotlines makes the show a drag to watch. For instance, Leah's discovery and immediate disapproval of her daughter's romantic relationship with her female classmate are worth telling since homophobia is still an issue in the Black community. Look at the way Dave Chappelle punches down at the transgender community in his recent special or Da Baby's offensive comments about people with HIV/AIDS. Given these examples, showrunner Karin Gist can depict these issues with nuance and care. Yet, she plays this storyline for shock value.
As much as Our Kind of People wants to be a primetime soap opera with something important to say about Black wealth, it is hard to take the show seriously because its dialogue is too didactic. As with all terrible scriptwriting, the characters do not have real conversations. Instead, they have speeches, lectures, and clap backs with one another. Characters deliver ridiculous lines like, "This organization has worked too hard to earn our 40 acres that were promised and never delivered." Even the reigning champion of dramatic monologues, Morton cannot drag the script out of the hole it continues to dig for itself. His lines sound like it belongs in the first draft of a Scandal episode. For example, as Franklin marvels at his oversized conference table in his office, the CEO tells his daughter in evil businessman fashion, "You can keep your seat at the foot of this table. Just never forget who sits at the head of it, little girl." With lines like that, it is best no one sits at that table.
The performances do not help the show either, especially DaCosta's role as Angela. Unlike her contemporaries Kerry Washington and Taraji Henson, the actor lacks the skills to carry a melodrama like Our Kind of People. Interestingly, DaCosta does have a history of working in daytime soap operas like the long-running All My Children, so she knows how to perform in these types of shows. However, to make an over-the-top show like Our Kind of People work, you need to make the performances believable. Unfortunately, the performer's problem is that she emotes from one extreme to the next, with little subtly in between. She goes from frolicking in the ocean to dramatically crying about her dead mother in a matter of seconds. With that said, DaCosta does have the "look" that soap opera requires. She's telegenic, has a winning smile, and the camera captures her well. She just needs to work on her performance more.
Nadine Ellis fairs slightly better as the wealthy businesswoman Leah, yet her character does not do the actor's performance justice. Even though there are moments where Ellis sheds her Real Housewives of Atlanta skin for a more relatable character, the show reduces Leah to a catty businesswoman who proudly "gaslight, gatekeep, girl boss" her way to the top. She spends the first two episodes clapping back at Angela for just existing in her upper-class world, reprimanding her daughter for not living up to the Franklin family name, and blackmailing her father to giving her the family's holding company. Not only are these actions predictable, but there are plenty of shows that portray villainess characters like Leah better, particularly self-aware shows like OG Gossip Girl.
There is a possibility that Our Kind of People can improve if they give Leah – and even Angela – an iota of character development, but the likelihood of that happening is slim. Just like the leading ladies, the remaining cast members are cardboard cutouts of stock soap opera characters. Morton plays Teddy, a generic power-hungry CEO who refuses to pass his holdings company to his daughter. Morris Chestnut is Leah's fine but secretive husband, Raymond, who spends most of his as his wife's arm candy. Like Ellis, Morgan does alright as Angela's aunt Patricia, but she teeters close to parroting a stereotypical older Black woman from the hood. And all the children of the rich and fabulous try and fail to give their best CW teen impressions.
Like fictional and real towns, such as Stars Hollow, Pawnee, and Scranton, Oak Bluffs is a quirky town that can work well as a backdrop in a television show. The island town has a rich history, unique architecture, and noteworthy residents from the past and present. Sadly, Our Kind of People fails at showing what makes Oak Bluffs great because the nighttime soap opera focuses too much on melodrama. The only positive thing about the television show is that it puts a spotlight on the wealthy Black enclave near the sea. Perhaps this show can motivate another creator to visit Oak Bluffs and craft something just as worthy as the town.
