That’s a beautiful sentiment, but Bow worries that she’s failed her kids anyway. It’s just a cool, refreshing drink made from love, which is what she can share to combat the hatred around her. Bow’s frustration with Zoey’s seeming apathy finally forces Zoey to explain why she’s concentrating so much on such a mundane task: She isn’t making liberal lemonade or conservative lemonade. Instead, she just wants to focus on making the best lemonade possible for the healing rally. She offers to make donations in Zoey’s name, but Zoey’s not interested. While Junior practices his speech, Bow turns her concern to Zoey, who doesn’t seem to care as much as she should about the election outcome. The family tends to pick on Junior for his nerdiness, so it’s especially touching to see Pops tell Junior to remain fully himself. Pops doesn’t want Junior to be angry like he or Dre is, and it’s quite lovely to see him encouraging his grandson to hold onto his own way of looking at the world while also preparing him to confront opposing viewpoints. I loved this recognition of Junior as an open person, particularly in this age of artists like Chance the Rapper and the celebration of #blackboyjoy. Yes, we should all fight, but we have to remember why we’re fighting and not lose sight of our goals. Pops doesn’t want Junior to be another angry black man, especially since his grandson has such an optimistic, bright way of looking at the world. Recognizing the speech as a battle cry, Junior gets a little too woke and starts dressing in all black, but Pops convinces him to dial it back.

King, he explains, had more Malcolm X in him than people realize. the white man) want to pacify black people, which is why the rest of the speech isn’t taught. Pops tells Junior there is much more to the “I Have a Dream” speech than that catchphrase, and soon after that revelation, Junior becomes “woke.” Pops stresses that “they” (a.k.a. The school hopes the rally will help curtail such hate, and asks Junior to recite the “I Have a Dream” portion of Dr. After a Latina teacher reprimanded a white student, he began a chant, “Send her back,” claiming they won’t have to listen to her anymore. Meanwhile, much to Dre’s annoyance, the kids are missing two days of school for a day of reflection and a healing rally. Bow tries to cope by donating to multiple charities that will combat potential policy changes, and she proudly wears every bit of swag she receives for her contributions. The election was not a smooth process for the Johnsons, and post-election, stark political divisions have spread into the kids’ school and Dre’s workplace. It wouldn’t be a family sitcom without a little sappiness, but much like last season’s episode about police brutality, “Lemons” captures a particularly charged moment in American history in an honest, thought-provoking, and accessible way.Įight weeks after the presidential election, the Johnson family and Dre’s colleagues must work through their emotions about the results and Donald Trump’s impending inauguration. “Lemons” is no exception to that pattern. It’s no secret that Black-ish excels at handling heavy subjects with humor and nuance. Tracee Ellis Ross as Bow, Anthony Anderson as Dre, Marsai Martin as Diane, Laurence Fishburne as Pops.

Black ish season 2 episode 12