May 29, 2025

Netflix’s Forever Hurt On Purpose

Netflix's Forever is Mara Brock Akil doing Judy Blume for a different room. Keisha and Justin, high school seniors, suburban Atlanta, 2018 on purpose. Black joy, Black awkwardness, the whole first-love mess.

I did not need it to teach me a lesson about letting go. I needed it to tell the truth about how loud the leaving is. It did.

Akil made Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane. She knows how we talk at home. The series sits in that. Sweet, then restless, then you are on the couch wondering why you feel 17.

It is not perfect. Teen shows rarely are. I still thought about a hoodie I should have washed years ago. That is as much review as I have.

Moody Studios

Jasmine. Austin. Live music, Black culture, and whatever I actually sat through. I write like I was in the room because I was.

More from the desk

Church to Club and Back

Sunday morning and Saturday night use the same voice. I never thought that was a contradiction.

Ticketmaster Math

A cheap floor seat is never cheap. Houston, Austin, and Dallas will all take their cut. I still buy them.

The Afters Problem

The venue dumps you at 11. The night is not over. Where it actually goes depends on the city.