Disclaimer: Spoilers for this episode of Jerrod Carmichael and NBC's "The Carmichael Show" after the jump! If you haven't seen it, do not click any further (until you've seen it, then definitely read)! Thank you to NBC for the images.
"It is not the problems that arise, but the grace in which you suppress them."
This week The Carmichael Show tackles the age old issue: substance abuse. In what shouldn't be so funny, but kind of is, Bobby comes home with sunglasses on because Nekeisha's been drinking a lot lately and hit him. After he's ridiculed by Joe, Nekeisha comes in to find out that Bobby snitched on her. When they get into the situation a little more, it's revealed that she didn't hit him because she was drinking. She hit him because he poured out two bottles of her alcohol. The entire Carmichael family turns on Bobby for being wasteful, and after he apologizes to her, Maxine point out that he shouldn't have to because Bobby pouring out her alcohol isn't the root of the issue. It's Nekeisha's drinking.
Nekeisha reveals that she' recently had to take in her nephew, after her sister went to jail, and she has a whole bunch of other family things going on. Instead of "burdening" anyone with her problems, she drinks to cope with all of her issues. Maxine tells her that yoga is good for handling stress but when they begin doing it, they find out that Maxine takes Xanax. Even after she tells them that it's been medically prescribed for her anxiety, they call her a pill popper and Nekeisha will only agree to stop drinking if Maxine stops taking the drugs. Maxine tries to deal without her Xanax pills, but she's unable to. She's overly anxious, overanalyzing everything and keeping Jerrod up at all hours of the night. Maxine caves and gets her pills back from Nekeisha, and the episode kind of just stops there.
"Use substances, don't abuse substances."
What I inferred by the end of the episode is that it's not bad to use whatever you use to cope with the stress of your life. As long as it's handled responsibly, there's no reason you shouldn't not be able to hit a joint, have a glass or two of wine (or Hennessy, in Nekeisha's case), or pop a medically prescribed pill if it's for the right reasons. Not only did I infer this, but Jerrod flat out says it in a hilarious, post-episode "The More You Know" segment.
There are absolutely no words for how much I love this brilliant cast. Every line they deliver is just bathed in the perfect amount of absurdity. The comedic timing of everyone just warms my heart. From Joe's proud moment of teaching everyone was IPI (Intervention Prevention, Intervention) is, to the look on Cynthia's face when Maxine tells her that she probably didn't even read that quote anywhere. Cynthia kept that sour look on her face for about thirty seconds into the next topic they started to discuss and I fell out of my seat watching her. Nekeisha telling everyone that women should really be fighting/marching to drink more and Jerrod's sublime "alright, peace out, y'all" after Maxine storms out of the apartment were baptized in skill. I'm just going to say it once, and not make it a habit, but I'm going to miss this cast together so much. So, so much.
EPISODE GRADE: B+
This episode was hilarious, while opening the discussion on substance abuse. Everybody thinks someone is abusing a substance. Maxine, and everyone else (for about five minutes), thinks Nekeisha is drinking too much. Nekeisha and Bobby think Maxine should practice what she preaches. It's a classic Carmichael example of everybody being able to have their own point of view while staying true to the issue of the week, and not being too preachy with any POV. It was also a good episode for the character development of Maxine. She, like many people from this generation, like the praise themselves for being open minded to new things but when she's challenged she usually doesn't try to see it from the other person's perspective. Refusing to admit she needed the Xanax to cope was, in and of itself, a problem. I'm hoping, based on where she was mentally at the end of the episode, she learned that not all problems are so black and white. My only issue this week is that there was no conclusion. It kind of just...ended.
Stray notes:
Joe moments:
-"Lying about landing on the moon is so American but actually doing the work and going there is kind of Japanese when you think about it."
-His proud face every time he says "Intervention Prevention, Intervention"
-His happiness when he finds out Nekeisha's bottling everything inside of her.
-IPIC: Intervention Prevention, Intervention....Celebration.
-"Cynthia bought this bottle for when Hillary won the presidency, but I guess a woman being promoted at the TSA will have to do."
Cynthia moments:
-"We gon' have to put some more bruises on you if we want these charges to stick."
-"You aren't leaving this house without my rape whistle."
-"Had I known, I would have never said those things about you...out loud."
-Cynthia telling Maxine she's arrogant and unlikable.
-"The TSA promoted you, Nekeisha? AHHHHHH"
-Also, Cynthia's FACE WHEN MAXINE TOLD HER SHE DIDN'T READ THAT QUOTE ANYWHERE. UNMATCHED, AUNTIE LORETTA. YOU ARE UNMATCHED.
Cynthia and Joe glad there are only eight genocides. "You guys do know what genocide is, right?"
Nekeisha moments:
-"Bobby you snitched? You snitch ass hoe."
-Maxine: "The healthy guidelines say no more than two drinks a night for women, three for a man." Nekeisha: "That's just sexist. That's what women need to be marching about." Bitch, the passion behind that line!
-"This won't affect my sexual orientation, will it?"
-Jerrod has to smoke weed to deal with an anxious Maxine
-"Terry, would you stop going through people's stuff? See, that's why you ain't going to find any love at home."
-Even though it was kind of mostly about Maxine, it was great to see an episode with so much Nekeisha in it!
