1 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha. I don't welcome to 2 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: stuff I've never told your production of I Heart Radio, 3 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 1: and welcome to our sub sub segment Fictional Women around 4 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: the World. Very popular sub sub segment. I'm going to say, 5 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: even though I have to back up, I agree. Thank you. 6 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: Since this falls in Pride Month, I wanted to highlight 7 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: a black queer woman in the fictional world, so we're 8 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: going with Black Lightnings a Nissa Pierce a k Black Thunder, 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: and briefly Blackbird played by Nefessa Williams, widely regarded as 10 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: the first black lesbian superhero on network television and disclaimer, 11 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: I'm not super familiar with Black Lightning, though they did. 12 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: They used to film on My Street pretty regularly and 13 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: that was always really cool. But it seems like something 14 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: I'd be super into. I just don't they have TV anymore, 15 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: so I gotta find stuff on the online. It's on Netflix. Yes, 16 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: I think it's about to leave Netflix though, or either 17 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: the fourth season is about to come. I saw some 18 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: Netflix news about it. Those are two opposite things, an'ty. 19 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: I know. I can't remember which it was, but it 20 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: was one of them. And we are going to mainly 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: focus on the show here, but we'll have some comics 22 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: stuff in there. I was toying with doing Black Widow, 23 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: but we already talked about her in our Female Assassins 24 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: episode because the movie is about to come out as 25 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: we record this or Riley from the last vez, but 26 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: I figured I should mix it up a bit because 27 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 1: we've only had I think four of these and two 28 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: have been the last. So you love what you love 29 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: in this fine I do, thank you. So. Blacklining is 30 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: a c W show based on the d C comics 31 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,559 Speaker 1: of the same name that is part of the Arrow Verse. 32 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: And of all those shows, I've only seen Arrow and 33 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: the Flash, I will say that it first aired in 34 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: eighteen and ended in one and takes place in Freeland, Georgia. 35 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: The through its tenure, it received critical acclaim and yeah, 36 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: they haven't gotten a lot of accolades. I think it 37 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: follows Jefferson, Anissa and Jenna prepares Dr Lynne Stewart and 38 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: Gambi as they navigate social justice issues and superpowers. There 39 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: are themes of family organizing, male privileged, white feminism, racism, 40 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: police brutality, and black women as courageous leaders. Anissa is 41 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: the oldest daughter of Jefferson Pearce and Lynn Stewart, and 42 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:36,239 Speaker 1: sister to Jennifer. She is a medical student, teacher, activist, lesbian, 43 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: and nerd on top of being I Met a human 44 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: and a superhero. She's smart, justice oriented, determined to help others, strong, competent, 45 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: on wavering and her beliefs As she develops her powers 46 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: of invulnerability, strength, stomp, shock waves, which are awesome. I 47 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: saw some of those, thunderclap, accelerated healing, and an ability 48 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: to increase her density. She's at first and aware that 49 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: herd add is a superhero um, and she discovers her 50 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: grandfather had been investigating side effects of a vaccine called 51 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: Green a Light that resulted in some people getting powers. 52 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:15,679 Speaker 1: Very reminiscent of Tuskegee, she whips up a temporary superhero 53 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: get up, something that later gets updated to her official 54 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: thunder suit. She works on her powers as her sister 55 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 1: shies away from her own powers, at least at first 56 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: so in the comic, her father wanted to keep her 57 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: from the superhero life, and he made her promise to 58 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: graduate college before deciding whether or not that was a 59 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: life she wanted to pursue. The night of her graduation, 60 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: she puts on the suit in the persona of Thunder. 61 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: She joined a superhero team where she met Grace, someone 62 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: she seemed to clash with. Oh However, as these things 63 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: go with time, they learned to respect and even like 64 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: each other, and yes, obviously eventually they started a relationship 65 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: with each other. Her father tried to get her to 66 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: quit the team, but she refused, and after a mishap 67 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: with Batman and Bad Girl that led the team into 68 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: a booby trap and it has suffered brain damage and 69 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: fell into a coma. So interesting when all these comic characters. Yeah, 70 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: I'm like, so that's one of the things about the 71 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: Arrow Verse. I don't watch, like I said, any of 72 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: them really, except for the Flashes, my go to, Like, 73 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: I still loved the Flash, I couldn't get into the 74 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 1: Arrow after a certain amount of time, was like, all right, 75 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: I'm kind of done with this one. But they had 76 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 1: the whole multiverse in the show where they all crossed over. 77 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:33,919 Speaker 1: So I'm really confused about this now because I don't 78 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: watch Black Lightning. But now I'm like, but wait, that 79 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:40,919 Speaker 1: world was killed off. I don't understand. So now I'm like, yeah, 80 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 1: that happened to me with a Star Wars something you 81 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,679 Speaker 1: wouldn't believe that, I'm sure, but I was like, Okay, 82 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 1: I think I have to go and watch this other 83 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: show for this to make sense. Right. I'm like, I'm 84 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: gonna have to go check this one out because this 85 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: is not making sense to me right now. Right. Um So, 86 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: while and this is father believes they should fight within 87 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 1: the system, and this that disagreases him, something that curs 88 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: throughout the series. When he doesn't agree with her, sometimes 89 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,479 Speaker 1: she ditches the suit and takes manners into her own hands. Eventually, 90 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: her father, Black Lightning Slash Jefferson, comes around to her 91 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:13,359 Speaker 1: side of things, and when she calls him out for 92 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,119 Speaker 1: male privilege, he is mad about it, but ultimately takes 93 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:20,679 Speaker 1: her advice, which saves the day. So he learned something 94 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: from her, which I think is really cool. She sticks 95 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:25,799 Speaker 1: to her beliefs and acts on them. Throughout the series. 96 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: She gets arrested protesting a Confederate statue, fights and steals 97 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:32,799 Speaker 1: from drug dealers and gangsters things like that. She faces 98 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,600 Speaker 1: some harassment as a queer black woman, but as a 99 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 1: superhero shuts it down very very quickly. There are some 100 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: interpretations that the superhero storyline parallels the lesbian storyline and 101 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: identity that many have felt or feel has to be 102 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: kept secret. Her family was very supportive of her when 103 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: she came out, however, So she's in a steady relationship 104 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 1: with Grace, a woman of color and a shape shifter 105 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: dealing with some serious rama and PTSD. They're both caring 106 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: and devoted to each other, and they end up getting married. 107 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: Viewers got to see and it's a change from a 108 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: very cautious lover to someone who was entirely open and 109 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: in love. Quote and I think this is one of 110 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: her lines. I don't care that you're a leopard or 111 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 1: an old man or a shape sister. I love you. 112 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: I know that reading was not great, but all in 113 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: a very dramatic fight a Nissa had to knock out 114 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: a mind controlled Grace and put her in a coma. 115 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: My gosh. Lots of people in Comma's yeah yeah, and 116 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: this when I was researching this online, young people and 117 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:38,359 Speaker 1: black people and Greeer people and any intersection therein felt 118 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: like this was such a powerful story for them that 119 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 1: they hadn't seen and that they had this relationship between Grace, 120 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: who was also a woman of color and a Nissa 121 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: who's a lesbian and seeing that growth and seeing them 122 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: stay together that it was very beautiful and moving. And yes, 123 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: this character is one of a very annoyingly small handful 124 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 1: of black career characters on broadcast. He a number that 125 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:05,359 Speaker 1: is actually going down according to a twenty seventeen GLAD survey. 126 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: So we need more characters like this. Yeah, we've we've 127 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: talked about the power of representation, how important it is. 128 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: And when I was thinking about this and I was 129 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: trying to come up with the black queer characters, I know, 130 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: almost all of them came from like three shows, Like 131 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: I know there are more, but those were just the 132 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: ones that came to my mind. And then when you're 133 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: talking about like superheroes in this world and the fact 134 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: that she's like the first black lesbian superhero and it's 135 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: you know, as we're talking about this earlier when the 136 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:43,679 Speaker 1: show came out, but yeah, we need more than that. Yeah. 137 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:45,559 Speaker 1: I think what's so funny is that they do seem 138 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: to have this awful level of like tokenism in which 139 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: they just have a handful though you can't exceed this 140 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: because that's excessive, and that exceeding is like one per 141 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: cent of the entirety if if that, and they're like, 142 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: now we did it, it's fine, everything's fine, and literally 143 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: patting themselves on the bag about how it does such 144 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: a good job in representation. And don't get me wrong, 145 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: I think DC has done a better job than Marvel 146 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: in this manner, like they're bringing in more and more 147 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: and actually featuring them as opposed to what's happened with 148 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: a lot of the Marvel stuff, which they barely I 149 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: guess they do have one, and they just introduced Monica Rambo. 150 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: I don't know she's queer though, is she did they 151 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: say whether or not she was, They don't say. And 152 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: I don't recall her being queer in the conflicts, but 153 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean she wasn't. It's right A long time 154 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: and being those things change all the time. It does. 155 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 1: But desac that they finally introduced one. But it's gotten 156 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:43,319 Speaker 1: to this year. Can we go? We go? I mean 157 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: that aus they're tokenizing is seemingly Hopefully it's not and 158 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: hopefully they will grow and it is bigger and that's 159 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: just correcting mistakes and we'll seem more and she won't 160 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,319 Speaker 1: be the token for the universe. But yeah, it's sad 161 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 1: it is, it is, but yeah, here's hoping for progress 162 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: and more progress in this in this realm. If there's 163 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 1: someone you want to cover in this sub sub segment, 164 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: please listeners let us know. You can email us at 165 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:14,959 Speaker 1: stuff in Your Mom, Stuff That I Hurted meia dot com. 166 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast 167 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: or on Instagram and Stuff I Never Told You. Thanks. 168 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: It's always to a sup producer, Christina, thank you and 169 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: thanks to you for listening Stuff I Never Told You 170 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:26,839 Speaker 1: His protection of I Heart Radio for more podcast or 171 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 1: my Heart Radio visit I Hear Radio, ap Apple podcast 172 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: or where you listen to your favorite shows