Tonight Dre and Bow try to help Pops get over his fear of doctors. Get a sneak peek of black-ish, airing at 9:31pm ET|PT on ABC.
Last week’s episode of black-ish (“Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun“) offered a candid view at gun ownership in America. After a string of robberies in the neighborhood, Dre was determined to protect his family (and sneakers!) with a gun. Though he had an under-counter switchblade, shower machete, and blender nunchucks, Dre obviously needed to enhance their security even further.
Interestingly, the kids were all for having a gun in the home…in fact they were shocked that Dre didn’t already own a piece. (On the other hand, Junior was more concerned about beefing up the family’s cyber-security, the real threat in this day and age.) On the other hand, Bow disagreed. As a doctor, she saw the consequences of gun violence and didn’t want to introduce that risk to the kids. Violence was never the answer.
Similarly, Pops (who had the experience of having his own gun used on him…by Mama Ruby!) believed martial arts was the better defense strategy . He took Zoe under his wing to share the gentle art of karate. Unfortunately, Pops didn’t really know karate and his lessons were all a means of getting Zoe to clean up after him, Karate Kid style.
After the twins threatened to leave, Dre purchased a handgun. During the ten-day waiting period Bow tried to change his mind, even offering him a motorcycle and threatening a sex-boycott. But Dre was strong, and the day the gun arrived, he was feeling good…until that night when there was a break-in. Even Bow told Dre to pull out the gun to defend them all, but he didn’t know how to unpack it from the box, much less fire it. It turned out the burglar was really a drunk Pops, but it was a catalyst for a real conversation between Dre and Bow. He remembered growing up being afraid of neighborhood crime and didn’t want the same for the kids.
Eventually, Dre (with Pops advice) decided to return the gun and first take some gun safety courses.
Tonight’s black-ish offers it’s perspective of another issue within the Black community—distrust of doctors and the healthcare system. In “Dr. Hell No”, written by Gail Lerner and directed by Millicent Shelton:
POPS HAS A STRONG AVERSION TO HEALTHCARE BUT THE FAMILY PERSUADESHIM TO SEE A DOCTOR AFTER A THREAT TO HIS HEALTH—After Dre gets his yearly physical and comes home traumatized, Pops explains his generation’s strong aversion towards healthcare and admits that he hasn’t seen a doctor in years. Shocked by this disclosure, Dre and Bow try to convince Pops to get a check-up and he begrudgingly agrees. When Pops finds out he has a clogged artery and needs a small procedure, the rest of The Johnson family handles the news in different ways. (via ABC)
Take a look at these two clips from the upcoming show. In the first, Dre and Bow try to convinced Pops to see a doctor, to which he eventually agrees. In the second video, after learning he needs a mild angioplasty, Pops refuses to have the procedure when he gets a “second opinion” from his barbershop buddies
#blackish is all new tonight 9:30|8:30c! Pops is strong, but is he strong enough to avoid the doctor? https://t.co/CxOqoCCgxY
— black-ish (@black_ishABC) October 7, 2015
I LOVE it when Pops and Mama Ruby are together…it’s fun to get a more background about the altercation between them that led to Ruby shooting Pops (mentioned in last week’s episode). But yes, we need to be careful with the gin and also make sure all the guns are locked up!
Take a look at 10 images from “Dr. Hell No” that show Pops healthcare scare and various reactions from the Johnsons (including recording his sayings for posterity, LOL!). Tune into ABC to watch “Dr. Hell No” when it airs at 9:31pm ET|PT tonight, and make sure to join us to live tweet the episode.
