‘Woke’ and the Superpower of Comedy

A hilarious, odd, and intelligent show that combines the multiple powers of story to touch on the experience of what it looks like to be black in society, and expose the absurdities of our upside reality.

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6 months into this pandemic, we have all stood witness to more tragedy than we could’ve ever expected. And as the longevity of the coronavirus continues to sink into our slow brains, people have been forced to find ways resume life, adapt, and re-adapt to the ever changing elements. But our shared difficulty in finding a footing in the madness has brought a sort of unity, understanding, and expression in ways we’ve never encountered before (it’s the ability to feel closeness to someone, whether they live 15 minutes or 16 hours away)

This era of interconnectivity has more opportunity to discuss social issues and functions than ever, which is why I decided review Hulu’s newest comedy series on injustice, Woke. Co-written and created by veteran cartoonist and social activist Keith Knight and Marshall Todd (writer for Barbershop), this show is a weird semi-autobiographical hybrid adaption of Knight’s life as as black cartoonist in the 90s, also pulling inspiration from the comedic predicaments from Knight's acclaimed comic strip series, The K Chronicles. The pilot episode was more than enough to draw me in for the shows 8 episodes. Let’s dig in!

Story.

We jump into this fun humored story by meeting Keef Knight (the alter-ego character of Knight played by Lamorne Morris), a black comic strip artist who, after years of toils and doodles, is finally walking into the mainstream success of his dreams. But while he mentally preps to sell himself and his breakfast-themed comic strip to the corporate world, Knight feels the call of another “allegiance".

Frenemy Ayana (Sasheer Zamata), and others, continue to stoke and instigate Keef to consider using his newfound pedestal to speak out on social issues of the current. But Keef continues to live in the belief that he can exist peacefully and creatively without needing to attach the blackness of his skin, and its social implications, to everything.

That is until one day when Knight himself has a violent encounter with the cops, and is slammed to the ground in a racial profile. After the police realize they’ve falsely identified the suspect, Keef tries to just snap back from the event, but he can’t. Not anymore. He is now woke. And as if the traumatic encounter wasn’t startling enough, an animated legion of everyday objects suddenly gain the ability to speak (figures). And the talking sharpie pen (voiced by JB Smoove) Keef first assumed part of a psychotic break, turns out to a be sassy little voice that opens his eyes even further to see his art and the world around him. So at the risk of erasing his entire career, Keef sets out with his roommates (played by Blake Anderson and T. Murph) to make his real voice heard, and choose what type of mark he leaves on the world. 

The Take.

On a simple first note, this series is just so fun, creative, and engaging (I think I also just described a Dora the Explorer)! The hilarious writing throughout is breed feels very rooted in an emotionally intelligent worldview, also in relation to what topics the show deals with. The showrunners bring so much from the social sphere into discussion, whether it is police brutality, race, morality, sexuality, romance, or class. It is just a real fantastic spectacle that cracks up, educates, and connects people of all different backgrounds. This is a show that is, perhaps, relevant now more than ever (the timing just couldn’t have been better), though not for the reasons you might think.

Cartoonist and co-creator/co-writer of the show, Keith Knight, bases this wacky series on his experiences navigating the city of San Francisco as an artist in early-90s (really a social unicorn in a field inhabited by a vast white majority). Knight funnels some crazy stories from his own life into the series, so technically they’ve become spoilers (sorry, not sorry) The 54 year-old cartoonist, social activist, and rapper (a man of many talents) takes the pilot off on a thought-provoking first step by spinning the classic “true story” pre-film disclaimer a bit, having it read “Inspired by one experience……shared by many”. Without being obvious, it’s a catching line that sets a fitting tone for the rest of the show. 

I’ll note that, as a non-black writer, I’m not gonna even try to go off about 'how this show affected me’, or 'how it relates to my life'. I don’t believe that’s the point here. While this show truly offers something for everyone, note, this show is based on the experience of what it’s like to live as a black individual in America (so my “insight" only reaches so far). The show carries a tone that’s just funny and weird (in a way that’s hard to summarize for people in 5 seconds), but the role humor plays in the story is enhancer rather than enabler. The brilliance of the show, like many others, is that it finds new and exciting ways to talk about vital issues much older than any of us. And in a year where a lot has happened surrounding the fighting call against police brutality and racial profiling, I wouldn’t say this show comes to the public at a perfect time (to acknowledge the much longer history of these events is important). But it seems a particle of fate lies somewhere in this series of 2020.

Now for a quick look at our character, Keef Knight. In his life, Knight carries this happy-go-lucky kinda attitude, and is against racism and police brutality based on principle. Though, without ever being faced with severe prejudice, outside of the daily macro-levels he has become accustomed to, he seeks to sell apolitical joy in a passive and non-confrontational way. But after his jarring run-in with the cops, our nerdy protagonist starts to recognize the vapid nature of his artwork, and reflects on the outlook that allowed this to happen in the first place. 

Keef finds that he had become comfortable with being the "token black artist" in the room. And he never denounced his race, but in his silence, he had allowed others to scrub part of his 'blackness' by staying neutral on a crucial subject, because it "sells better”. And by gaining this new side of consciousness, Keef finally sees the diverse community of people just like him, in The Bay, and across the country, who carry this burden of 'race' on their shoulders. ____ With the hysterical guidance of talking trash cans and mouthy paper bags, Keef clumsily, but surely, tries to make things right and use his talents for much more than empty puns. 

And finally to look at the man of the hour, Lamorne Morris (New Girl, Barbershop: Next Cut, Game Night) lends his awkward charm to play our cynical protagonist. The 37-year old actor perfectly utilizes this opportunity to showcase talent, for both silliness and drama. And except for his character's being constantly mistaken for cartoonist Aaron McGruder, (creator of The Boondocks), Morris was able to connect with the character of Knight in a pretty cathartic way. 

In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Morris talked about how he, like Knight, was rather passive when it came to holding any conversation about race, until some confrontation with cops brought him to an unavoidable place of ‘wokeness'. Speaking of the show’s script, Morris said Knight’s story really “mirrors my life, but in a different medium. [Keith’s] medium being art, mine being acting.” Morris’ journey to find a project after New Girl that said "something" 

Morris is supported by one of the most talented and zany casts I’ve seen this year. The chemistries being thrown around at each other are just magnetizing. Funny faces including SNL alum Sasheer Zamata, Workaholics star Blake Anderson, semi-suave comic T. Murph, and iZombie’s Rose McIver, followed by a laundry list of other cameo talents, litter this show with hilarious voices and fresh commentary of varying relevance and truth (just a super sized treat for comedy nerds….and general nerds too).

And like everything else in this show, the production itself is one that is colorful, moody, sharp and packed with awesome beats! The music picked for this series really just fits the fluctuating moods throughout, with each episode ending on that killer song that makes you wanna jig (jig? Really? Jig. Anyway, point being I have to go back and make myself an unofficial Woke soundtrack). 

And I don’t know why I almost forgot the huge factor animation plays in this show! It’s not every day a salty bottle of beer tears your ego to shreds. I loved this aspect and really just got into the whole setting. One might even say ‘I felt at home’. But that’s a lie, and I just wanted to express my love for the animated and eyeballed city thingamabobs.

The wardrobe is pretty spectacular! I would buy articles from every outfit, no doubt. But one of the things I just really fell for was the cinematography. The colors, the lighting, and the close ups, they all illustrated the emotions of the characters in fresh and new ways. Visual is just as important as written narrative. 

I don't know why watching this show reminds me of a dancing bowl of fruit salad (don’t ask). The great city of San Fransisco and its average objects would deserve no less of an unconventional and unique portrayal. But it just incites that odd sort of excitement and focus, to the point where nothing else will matter…..except of course this show. I’d really just kiss every person from every department on the mouth at this point in the review. Anyway, the good intentions are there. 

I hear some claim that Woke deals too lightheartedly with the main topic of racial injustice (.*cough cough*...Vanity Fair *ahem*). And I can definitely see the point. I mean of course. This is an extremely sensitive topic among people, and those who actually live with racism in their day to day lives have a right to speak their opinions on the subject, more than anyone (this show also comes 4 months after the police murder of George Floyd, which sparked a radical new step for the cries of the Black Lives Matter movement of 7 years now).

But, mind you, the portrayals of social issues and events in cinema are things that have been vexing viewers since forever, with people drawing all manner of conclusions; some are just, and others are just ignorant. I mean just take for example the time one filmmaker decided to create a feel good Nazi-POV satire surrounding the tragic events of WWII. I'm speaking of Taika Waititi’s [Oscar-winning] Jojo Rabbit from last year, where imaginary friend to the boy protagonist, Adolf Hitler (played by Waititi), elicits countless chuckles from the audience, even amidst a scene of war and death (Great film! Check out the trailer).

Anyway, both Woke and Jojo Rabbit deal with issues — racism and genocide — that can hard to address in film, or in any medium for that matter. These are incredibly painful topics to talk about, especially for the people who actually have to live with these truths on and off screen. Whether that’s existing in an undying racist system, or coping with a horrifically stained heritage, it just hurts. So the people even considering to bring these sorts of stories onto the big screen need to make sure they plant their ass down to do some dutiful research (though one problem that can stem from this outlook is when, for example, a white writer might work solo on story about what it’s like to be black in America. With the exception maybe of Trey Edwards Shults’ gripping drama Waves from last year, these stories require a voice with experience. Anyway I’d love to talk writing and smart solutions, but back on track I go).

In a year where so much has gone completely upside down, people aren’t as "turned on” by stories of daring and tragedy (admit to the slight fascination you get to hear of a celebrity injury, or some freak accident in a random place). In many ways, we have even less interest in switching on CNN than ever. Instead we prefer to stay informed by the late-night comics and talk show hosts who hilariously riff on tragedy in mystic ways we love being surprised and refreshed by. 

While stating the hard and bitter facts of the situation has its solid place, like newscasts and/or drama films, I believe stories that find a way to mine comedy naturally present in these truths are nothing short of pure genius. Comedy holds that very distinct power to bring people together in most any situation through laughter at things fear or ponder ourselves. By some magic even the worst bits of info can be presented in ways that leave you howling on the floor. And that ability to find the joke in the muck and tears is something I find much more enjoyable and exhilarating. I’ll go as far as to say it holds equal, if not greater, potential to inform us the way we need in 2020. 

When we’ve been hit with so many bricks and sticks and stones, just getting through the months is the subsequent struggle for us all. So comedy, is just a smarter and more lively way to help the medicine go down, while still continuing to have those uncomfortable discussions this year reminds us to schedule. 

Conclusion.

I procrastinated writing this review, enough to where I was able to catch both the 2020 Emmy Awards Show, as well as the first Presidential Debate between Trump and Biden (god, don’t even get me started). The correlation between these two events? Not much really, except for a single trajectory of thought. Forever leading up to my point, the Emmys emphasized the essential role TV has played in all of our quarantines, while yesterday’s debate perfectly showcased the level desperation our country faces. And not only have TV shows helped distract us from the this daunting fiber of our lives, but it also has had the potential to inform us on the topics we fear to examine together. 

While I could list many shows that follow this blueprint (Ramy, Atlanta, Master of None, Fleabag, etc… your welcome), I’ll skip right to this wonderful tele-child of Hulu. 

Woke is a lot of things, honestly. As mentioned before, this show reserves a bit of itself for almost every type of person, most sorts of social situations, even tackling the nuances of having a bi-racial romance….. and a threesome. It was just really inspiring to see a show be so successfully multi-faceted. Like a masterful pirouette  of social articulation. 

But above even these things shouts the message of respect and equity that America has, and may always have, trouble finding. But the moral success story of Keith Knight is one that I know will encourage the black community, artists, writers, filmmakers, and more all around to continue standing up against the powers of white supremacy bigotry in a variety of new ways. Peaceful ways. 

I think the more we can all learn more about each other’s experiences and extinguish the ignorance and needless lies that hurt us so (whether it’s through great TV shows, books, and/or especially face-to-face talks), the more we can learn to empathize and care about one another enough to join on the topics the really matter. 

This show brings just a glimpse of the craziness of this world to our screens, some parts loathsome, and others beautiful. Thanks to Keith Knight, we now have a another pretty remarkable show that opens up a new discussion about some deep-seated affairs, while still spending ample to time to explore and celebrate the beauty of black culture and identity. This also probably marks the very first and last time I will hear a talking Sharpie with eyes rant—— I think I’ll stop at talking Sharpie with eyes! Season 2 pretty please.

Woke is currently streaming on Hulu.