What struck me about this show was the fact that the ghetto depicted is quite stark, seemingly realistic, not romanticized. The activities of the people within this ghetto are however "normal", that is they are depicted as possessing inherent dignity (largely revealed through humor) and not somehow pathological, which is usually the norm for shows set in or touching upon the urban ghetto --- the people there are usually depicted as either criminal or drug addicted, or both.
I don't remember all the details, but the striking thing in the series, I think, are the details of everyday life. With this series, Murphy gets the opportunity to play the role of a modern-day Braudel with a computer animation package. He does an admirable job, from the diet of the characters, the vocabulary used, the furniture, everything.
Last night's show featured the story of Murphy's character (forget his name), the "super" of a dilapidated building, winning the respect of a young boy, who decides he want to be a super too. Murphy buys him a toolbelt and initiates him into the life of the super. In a hilarious scene, Murphy fixes a toiled which develops an "F-3" tornado-like vortex. This is important in that it sets the stage for a later encounter with the toilet. The boy later falls from the roof, suspended by a television antenna wire, and Murphy goes to save him. He can't reach the boy from the window, and the boy refuses indignantly to grab ahold of Murphy's tall, greasy afro, so Murphy decides to create a toilet vortex which will pull the boy in through the window. He does so by cramming the toilet full of all sorts of junk, then he notices nothing happening and says "C'mon, gotta think like a tenant". He ponders hard and realizes toilet paper is missing, tears a single sheet from a roll and drops it on the toilet, crammed full. The desired vortex appears, but is the dread "F-5". The boy is sucked in the window and Murphy artfully manages to secure him before the vortex sucks him in. Murphy gets sucked head-first into the toilet but saves himself by expertly wiggling the handle of toilet, just as he had taught the boy earlier. Murphy, head in toilet, struggles to free himself but cannot, and declares that he will just remain there "to savor the moment", which is richly deserved heroism for creative quick-thinking that saved the boy.
The show will air regularly on Tuesdays at 8:30 P. M. (EST). I highly recommend people check this out and that we keep an eye on it and discuss it.
Bill