Black-ish Review: Please Don’t Feed the Animals (Season 4 Episode 7)

In typical Black-ish fashion, Black-ish Season 4 Episode 7, “Please Don’t Feed the Animals” opens by dropping some cold hard facts. This episode’s topic of discussion? America’s prison system.

Dre: 2.2 Million Americans are behind bars, a 500% increase over the last 40 years. Black people make up 13% of the American population, but 35% of the prison’s population.

“Please Don’t Feed the Animals” takes a look at the way that we treat people who are in prison, and who have previously been in prison. More specifically it takes a look at the way that all too often prison is used as a system of racial oppression.

Dre’s god-brother, Omar has been in prison for nearly 10 years and Dre and Bow have very different opinions on how they should interact with him, both before and after he gets released.

I understand where both of them are coming from on all counts. While Omar has been in prison, Bow has made sure to keep in touch with him over the phone, sending him money and food. On the other hand, Dre feels as though they should keep their distance while he’s in prison.

When it comes out that Omar is actually innocent, Bow and Dre trade positions on how they should treat him.

Both of their perspectives are valid and fairly easy to understand, which also makes it understandable that they’d come to a disagreement on what to do next.

Bow feels that it’s only right to give him human connection while he’s in prison, and because he’s contained in prison she feels safe enough to do those things.

Once he’s being released it’s Dre who immediately feels the need to be there for him. Dre’s sense of obligation makes sense because he had turn his back on Omar while he was in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

And Bow’s apprehension about having Omar in their home is understandable as well. She doesn’t judge Omar because she thinks he’s a criminal, but she fears that prison may have changed who he is as a person.

The prison system is so broken that it can and does destroy the lives of innocent people, so just because Omar went in an innocent man, he may not be the same person now that he’s free.

Because both Dre and Bow make good points it’s hard to decide what they should do after Omar is released. They should absolutely help out their friend who went away for a crime he didn’t commit, but should that mean they should bring him into their home? What would you do if it was someone you knew?

Black-ish’s main plot in “Please Don’t Feed the Animals” ends on a cliff-hanger as Bow and Dre wait for Omar and we’ll have to check out the next episode to see how this discussion continues.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

• I love Charlie’s fascination with seeing Bow in a swimsuit, it’s somehow strange and endearing and relatable all at once.
• The twins desire not to be replaced by newer twins at their school seems out of place in this episode, it doesn’t mesh as well with the other storylines.
• I love that we finally get to see footage of Ruby blowing up Pop’s boat, that might be the funniest moment of the entire episode.
• Dre’s workplace highlights the stark difference in the way that white people are sentenced and the way that black people are sentenced for the same crimes, while also keeping things light and humorous. Well done.

The way that Black-ish reveals the dual nature of Bow’s phone calls with Omar is really clever, and I appreciate that storytelling style of showing that things aren’t always as simple as they seem.

 

What did you think of this episode of Black-ish? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Black-ish airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

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