Blindspotting Season 2 Episode 3 Review: N**gaz and Jesus
Blindspotting Season 2 Episode 3, “N**gaz and Jesus,” finds Ashley and Miles teaching their son a lesson after he drops the N-word during a family visit while Rainey struggles with her faith. It’s a powerful outing that sensitively and gracefully handles a topic that seldom gets TV coverage.
“N**gaz and Jesus” boasts two arcs that work well together and can stand independently. It also marks Ashley and Miles’ first time together in the same room without plexiglass between them. Jasmine Cephas Jones and Rafael Casal have sizzling onscreen chemistry, and it crackles with vim and vigor in this episode.
SEAN: What’s Satanic geometry?
MILES: I think you mean systemic inequality.
Their intimate scenes in this episode feel so natural that you almost feel like you’re being intrusive — as if you’re walking in on them sharing a private moment. Performance-wise, everyone kills it in “N**gaz and Jesus,” but Casal, Jones, Helen Hunt, and Atticus Woodward are standouts.
Casal beautifully showcases Miles’ complex emotions, especially when Miles begs Ashley to stay up with him after sex. He displays tenderness and patience when teaching Sean why it’s bad to say the N-word. Jones plays Ashley with equal parts searing vulnerability and ferocity, and she gives it her all.
Another Ashley highlight: when she reunites with Tina. Both appear to be happy until they face forward. The emotional change on a dime from Jones and Katlynn Simone, who plays Tina, is of the highest caliber on the performance front. It’s proof positive that we don’t always see what’s beneath someone’s mask that they wear for the world.
NANCY: Sometimes, it just is what the f**k it is.
Helen Hunt has always been a stable force in Blindspotting, but she shines in “N**gaz and Jesus.” She recites an Ashley-style poetic monologue that’ll induce envy for writers the world over (especially this one). Hunt knocks it out of the park, channeling Rainey’s grief and rage for a gut-punch performance.
Of course, it would be remiss to omit the highlight of this episode: Ashley and Miles’ lyrical deep dive into the historical context surrounding the N-word. Atticus Woodward delivers a poignant performance as a young boy learning about Black history for the first time as Sean watches a gut-wrenching, jaw-dropping dance sequence spanning from slavery to modern police brutality.
Blindspotting dabbles in the surreal in every episode, and we see some of that in “N**gaz and Jesus,” but this dance sequence is all too grounded in reality and history. What a boldly innovative manner of conveying centuries of discrimination, oppression, and bigotry in one scene. This show pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling in exciting ways.
RAINEY: Who puts a mother’s heart behind a jagged wire? Who traps memories in the desert heat? What might evaporate before I get him back, laughing in our kitchen seats?
This scene leaves an indelible mark on all who watch it. Nobody covers these topics with such flair, sensitivity, vulnerability, and biting humor as Blindspotting. “N**gaz and Jesus” deftly balances sharp comedy and profundity while putting its powerhouse cast on display. From Sean’s important lesson to Rainey’s struggle with faith following Miles’ imprisonment, it’s a beautiful meditation on the human condition. It’s an essential, educational episode that everyone should watch.
Blindspotting continues to stand out from its competition regarding its use of sounds, seamless editing, and fluid camerawork, and this episode is no exception. It immerses us in the story as viewers. We feel like we’re there as we laugh and cry along with the characters.
This show is in a league of its own.
Stray Observations:
- I want a Thizzly Bear, but the massive, anthropomorphic version that hangs out with Sean.
- I hope we see Collin in the flesh at some point. We’ve got his mom and his sister appearing regularly on the show — let’s get a bona fide Collin cameo besides hearing his voice in Season 1 Episode 8, “Bride or Die.” What say you, Daveed Diggs?
- That play scene between Ashley, Miles, and Sean is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. They’re precious.
- Miles’ breakfast waffle sandwich looks so tasty. I wanted to reach through my screen and grab one myself.
- I don’t think I breathed during the Black history dance sequence. Absolutely stunning and heartbreaking.
- I love Nancy and Rainey’s friendship. They are, as the kids say, friendship goals.
- I want to note that the group Rainey was attending for mothers of inmates was called “M.O.I.S.T.”
What did you think of this episode of Blindspotting? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Blindspotting streams new episodes every Friday on Starz.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.