Divine’s Choice
Back for another week, the Wu-Tang saga continues with another progressive episode, one that sees more character growth for Divine and a choice made that’ll change his destiny forever. With more music and hard hitting rapping, Wu-Tang marks its journey to the halfway point of this 13 episode series with much more urgency toward the emerging musical careers of these young men. Wu-Tang: An American Saga begins with a deeper exploration of Divine’s character as he’s released on parole but forced to serve 8 months of rehab. As the judge wishes him a Merry Christmas, the family breathe a sigh of relief that he’s out. After being shown around the rehab centre, he learns there’s a strict curfew and he needs to get a job as a mandatory requirement. Meanwhile, Bobby heads to the record store and hears his song being played on the speakers. Outside, he talks to Ason who’s impressed with Bobby’s beats and discusses Divinre’s release with him and what it means for the street hierarchy. As he returns home, Bobby tells Divine that they’re completely paid up but he grills into his brother, especially after losing his money in the fire, and tells Bobby he has plans to expand their drug empire. As they stare each other down, Bobby reminds Divine that he needs to head back to rehab, leaving unresolved tensions between them. Killa’s record is the hot new trend and it’s here we see a slick graphic depicting D-Lover’s tape being passed around – delivering a slick and competently produced record that ignites the streets. While Divine struggles with his newfound responsibilities, he receives a gift from his girlfriend; a watch to help him look more professional for his job interviews. Shurrie is given a gift of her own too, a night out with Dennis courtesy of Linda’s sister who returns with a suspicious amount of money. As she leaves their life as quickly as she arrived, Paxti and the other two gangsters show up at their house and confront the family. Here, they play an antagonistic track demeaning black people on the tape player before mentioning stolen cash, demanding to see Linda’s sister. Unfortunately it turns out she’s in debt and the family are being held to ransom. Unable to deal with his newfound position in the family, Divine tries to buy back into the drug trade but Ason refuses, telling him he’s only just got out and all eyes will be on him. As he heads outside, he runs into his girlfriend again who refuses to support him if he goes down this route, driving away and leaving him with a big choice to make. We don’t get long to see what this is either, as Divine rushes back home and just about makes his curfew, with 20 seconds to spare. As he heads inside, we get a glimpse of his past and in particular, buying a house for his Mum. Cutting back to present day, Divine sits on his bed and sighs, pulling out a bag of cocaine from his rucksack. Following the same style as the previous episode, Wu-Tang zeroes in on a specific character and weaves a distinct narrative around them whilst progressing the plot. It’s a really clever idea too, and helps to flesh out each of these characters whilst giving them enough room to breathe and learn about their backstory. The constant switching between past and present works well too and this week there’s a return of the slick visuals, this time in the form of D-Lover’s tape. With more beats and rapping this time around, Wu-Tang continues its musical journey with another solid episode, one that dives deep into Divine’s character and offers a good dose of characterisation along the way.
