There’s spoilers in this recap of episode five of Woke, “Oaktown Get-Down“ so you know, you’ve been warned.
Last time on the comedy inspired by co-creator Keith Knight‘s comix, cartoonist Keef Knight (Lamorne Morris) was “Kanceled” because he made some controversial art advertising Black people for rent.
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This episode’s TL;DR: “Swing dance was invented by Black people during the Harlem Renaissance.”// “Yeah. Everyone knows that.”
We open our episode with Keef standing in front of the Kancel Keef Knight poster. He’s hearing voices again. But this time, it’s his own ringing in his ear: Why is it that we always have to stand for something with our work? Just then Adrienne (Rose McIver) comes up and pulls him out of his stupor. Keef’s in Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! mode. Even still, he’s not down to go swing dancing to take his mind off things.
Sometimes I want to find the rock under which Keef has been living. Swing dancing whiter than true crime podcasts? Good lord, man. I’m not judging Keef for not knowing about the Harlem Renaissance. But I am genuinely curious how it’s possible that he doesn’t know about it. Because at this point, I am not sure that was a joke.
Instead of swing dancing, Adrienne and Keef ride the swing set in her art studio. I’m sorry. It’s not a swing set— it’s an interactive art instillation. Keef realizes too late that this was definitely the whiter choice.
Later, in what might just be one of my favorite Woke scenes to date, Keef calls a house focus group meeting to test out his newest work on Clovis (T. Murph) and Gunther (Blake Anderson). We learn that: Keef is not so good at taking constructive criticism about his talking trashcan piece, a salon is a pretentious as f*ck party, Oakland loves Wakanda and Clovis and Gunther love both Oakland and Wakanda. Keef is in wet blanket mode right now and having none of it. This is his chance to prove his worth as an artist, dang it! Clovis decides to support his friend once he learns Ayana (Sasheer Zamata) is hosting the party. Also, just: “The mystery is why it’s called a salon and I can’t get a fade.” Never change, Clovis, never change.
In Oakland, the salon is a mix between people looking to party and pretentious people saying “art” things. Keef goes to check in and a Paper Bag (Cree Summer) on the table tells him he can’t pass “the paper bag test.” She says he’s gotta be Blacker than her to present at the party. Not in skin tone, but culturally. She asks him to pronounce Black Panther writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’s name. He… can’t. OH COME ON, show.
Meanwhile, two very high people (Shannon Kook and Donna Benedicto) offer mushroom tea to Gunther, our Virgo with a Taurus rising. This is gonna be a sex thing, isn’t it? While that’s happening, Clovis is chilling on a couch when a woman named Maria (Vanessa Richards) comes in and tells him he’d look better if he’d lean back. He’s not quite sure why but goes with it. It’s not so strange considering Maria is the artist of this instillation piece.
Back at the salon… Keef runs into Ayana and tells her her party is hyphy. She knows he’s never used the word because no, it’s not, and two, he’s Keef. That’s just part one of her daily Keef ribbing. Ayana’s shocked Keef even showed up because he’s basically persona non-grata in the Bay right now. She warns him not to back out of showing his work. You know, like he always does. She says it’s because he doesn’t want to upset their host, Darque Noir (Nathan Lee Graham), whose critiques are harsh enough to kill Maya Angelou. Even though Keef’s scared, he must now introduce himself to them. (Yes! That’s a gender-neutral pronoun!)
Next, we check back in with Gunther and his new friends. It’s a hair-touching, pot-smoking, manatee-brother party up in here. Meanwhile, Clovis’s Ayana senses are tingling. He’s making a total fool of himself, and she literally has to shut him up with a “B*tch, I’m gay.” But don’t worry, even if she liked men, he still wouldn’t be her type. Doesn’t matter though, because she’s still pining over her ex.
Over in another part of the house, Keef is trying to impress Darque Noir. Now he’s all “Art art art Netflix social issue pun art art art.” Dark Noir is familiar with Keef’s work, which sets him off into a tizzy. They only send Keef further into Keefness when they mention how tired they are of white faces. Keef runs into the bathroom to alter his drawings of Adrienne. Marker (JB Smoove) does not approve but that doesn’t stop Keef from scribbling over Adrienne’s face in black ink. Oh boy.
Now we’re back with Clovis on his couch. He doesn’t recognize Gunther when he sits down because his hair’s in braids. His mushroom buddies braided his hair. Oh no.
The salon begins with Ayana throwing a lot of shade at her ex. Speaking of soon-to-be exes, Adrienne’s in the audience. She’s surprised to learn Keef is presenting. Keef tries to pretend he’s not. We focus back in on the salon just in time to hear Darque Noir roast critique a presentation.
While that’s going on, Clovis tracks down Ayana. He doesn’t even pretend to care about her existential ennui. He does, however, give her a neat party trick to get over her ex. It’s like retraining her brain to associate her with nasty stuff. Like Full House. Of course he’s gotta be all gross and ask her if she’s still gay.
Over in mushroom land, Gunther’s getting psychotherapy and temple massages and just touched in general. He invites his buddies to keep hanging out after the party.
So, it’s finally Keef’s turn to present. He tries to bail, but Ayana threatens to never run his work again. Okay, so he’s doing this. His first two pieces are very pedestrian attempts at clowning his roomies. Keef tries to wiggle out of showing the piece with Adrienne… but Ayana is not one to let a single thing slide. Darque Noir loves it! They believe the “art-based reasons” Adrienne’s face is so messed up is toxic masculinity and calls it an “excellent portrait of black on black love.” The cartoon is a hit. Not so much with Adrienne or Ayana, though.
RELATED: Read all Woke recaps here!
Join me next time as I recap Woke here on Geek Girl Authority!
Season One of Woke is streaming on Hulu now.
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