Twenties 2×01 Review: One Night Only?

Lena Waithe’s Twenties came back for a second season this week. The premiere episode, ‘One Night Only?’, positioned Hattie, Nia, and Marie for what’s to come in their personal and professional lives.

I really enjoyed covering the first season of Twenties last year. So, I’m glad to see the series return. ‘One Night Only?’ basically picked up from where the first season left our three lead women. Hattie (Jonica T. Gibbs) got to realize she and Ida B (Sophina Brown) might not be on the same page when it came to their new relationship. Marie’s (Christina Elmore) not feeling her upcoming wedding with Chuck. And Nia’s (Gabrielle Graham) more than ready to take on Hollywood.

The moment Hattie got all emotional with Ida B in bed and started talking about one day seeing her as a bride, I knew tensions were going to rise. Ida’s clearly confused about her feelings for Hattie. She’s a successful woman in Hollywood while Hattie’s still looking for some kind of direction in life and is also homeless. Ida B’s got a brand to protect and she can’t be seen around in public with Hattie.

I have to say that the writing team surprised me with how they handled Hattie and Ida B’s relationship. In a sense, Hattie’s got a way to slowly bring down the walls Ida B’s formed around her. I think she’s intrigued by Hattie’s perspective in life. There’s a level of freedom in Hattie that Ida B doesn’t have due to the type of businesswoman she’s worked hard to become.

Even though Ida B’s unsure about things working out between them, I’m definitely here to see them try. I think being with Ida B also gave Hattie a boost to do better in her professional life. I liked how Hattie declined Marie’s offer to come back and stay in her house. It’s time for Hattie to find her own place and be able to afford rent.

As for Marie, she really needs to talk to her fiancé, Chuck (Jevon McFerrin). The fact that she’s suspicious of Chuck possibly being queer isn’t something she should keep to herself. Marie needs to bring the topic up and have a sincere conversation with Chuck – not wait for him to address it. Also, I have my fingers crossed the writers don’t make Chuck a cheater and have Marie find out about him being queer by catching him in the act with another dude.

On the subject of spouses-to-be bringing up important topics, I really hope Chuck decides to talk to Marie about their upcoming wedding. She’s hesitant, and I’m not sure if Chuck noticed and was ignoring the signs. Marie’s hesitation might not be over Chuck being queer at all. It could be about how she doesn’t want to marry yet. She also seems to have a crush on her boss. The point being, Chuck and Marie need to have several conversations!

Another scene I enjoyed in ‘One Night Only?’ involved Marie having a discussion with Ben (Alex Akpobome) about what kind of pitches can be currently accepted in media. The two had a little back-and-forth about the types of narratives Black people wanted to see. As Ben put it, the Black community, if you went by what showed up on Twitter, didn’t want Black stories to be all about trauma and pain. They wanted stories showing triumph and Black excellence.

Marie, on the other hand, was of the opinion that Black narratives should have some kind of a trial or a test for characters to overcome. Why should White people get to have such type of representation? Why can’t hard-hitting stories about the Black community continue to be told?

Ben and Marie don’t really come to a conclusion after their little discussion. But I think the scene brought up some good points that linked to certain opinions you get to see online when content like Queen & Slim and Them is created.

As for Nia, she’s all about self-healing and focusing on her acting career. I enjoyed seeing her impress everyone, including Ida B, during the table read. I wish her all the best!

What did you think of ‘One Night Only?’

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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