[This story contains spoilers from season two, episode five of UnPrisoned.]
In season two of UnPrisoned, Paige (Kerry Washington) and Edwin (Delroy Lindo) mending the wounds of their still-shaky father-daughter relationship takes a backseat to their concerns about Finn (Faly Rakotohavana) and how being the son of a mother whose father was incarcerated for most of her life —and who has had no relationship with his own biological father — has affected him.
“I think that maybe the perception last year was that it was a show about a single woman whose father had spent the bulk of her life in prison, and a lot of the narrative did fuel that. But it is a show about a woman, her father and his grandson,” showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It is a multi-generational family, and we have a multi-generational story.”
With that comes the possibility of generational curses, the fear of which prompts Paige to not only let her father move back in with her and Finn, but to also begin family therapy facilitated by her psychotherapeutic nemesis Murphy, played by John Stamos.
It’s in episode five, “Trigger Happy,” the family unit has a breakthrough of sorts when Nadine (Brenda Strong), Edwin’s girlfriend who raised — or simply watched, depending on who you ask — Paige when her father was in prison joins a session. Witnessing the immediate tension between Paige and Nadine, Murphy quips, “we’re going to have to really wrestle through some emotions today,” ushering in a fantasy “smackdown” sequence in which the Alexander family goes toe-to-toe with one another in the ring.
“I love the entire series of episodes we so painstakingly crafted this season, but this episode stands out as a favorite not only for its creativity but for its execution and potential impact,” says Bowser. “We wanted to find a fun, clever way to externalize therapy, especially for those who may be unfamiliar with the process. After going back and forth on different pitches, we landed on professional wrestling since it’s inherently heightened, theatrical and, quite frankly, un-serious. By depicting this family in the real work of therapy, we’re providing cover, or a safe space. We’re opening up the conversation for everyone to explore things about themselves and their families that they might not have otherwise.”
The episode is also a crucial emotional pivot point for the family, Bowser adds. “The Alexander Family Smackdown sees our family getting to the core of their issues. We delve deep into family dynamics and how they ripple across generations. We take a closer look at how family dysfunction impacts Finn’s social anxiety, how Paige’s relationship insecurities impact her son and how Edwin’s absence impacted them all. Ultimately, the issues we’ve explored across the season come to a head — and as a result, our family will never be the same.”
Below, Bowser chats with THR about the episode, the current television landscape and why, “Bottom line, if we can depict and talk about what ails us more freely, then we can be free.”
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What made you say yes to UnPrisoned?
I was approached by ABC Signature, which is the studio I’m on an overall deal with, because Tara Duncan, whose brainchild is Onyx, knew that I had the skill set to run an effective show, because I launched Dear White People with her at Netflix and she knew that I had some emotional proximity to the subject matter. My father, too, is a career criminal, although he never spent time in prison because his running gag is that he was too smart to get caught. But she is very much a charming, wonderful, brilliant, compassionate human like Edwin. My father’s name is James Edward Lee, so he had all kinds of nicknames — Eddie, Edwin, Jim, Jimmy, Fast Eddie. He was that kind of guy, and his exploits ran the gamut.
Is that why Delroy Lindo’s character’s name is Edwin?
That is not. That is a coincidence. The character is very much inspired by Tracy’s [McMillan, creator] father and informed by all of our complex fathers.
The comedic tone of the series is a key differentiator from other shows that tap into the heaviness of incarceration and the family issues it spawns. How do you continue to strike the right balance in the writers room?
I think by leaning into authenticity, because life is funny. We pride ourselves in being a dramedy, and leaning as much into the comic aspects of life as possible because humor helps us heal. I also think that humor helps us reveal our humanity to those who might not see us as human at all times. I really embrace the ability and the opportunity to tell our stories in an authentic way with a big dose of humor.
Eva Longoria recently told THR she finds much of TV today to be depressing. What are your thoughts on the television landscape overall right now?
I believe the television landscape could use a lot more humor. I think we’re lacking levity. I think we need to kind of refresh ourselves on how laughter can heal us, and also have us not take ourselves so seriously in the world. I think that’s really where we are, kind of at this inflection point where people are so polarized because they’ve forgotten how to laugh at themselves and their foibles and their foes, and once you have the ability to do that and not take everything so seriously it’s a lot easier to move through it. There’s going to be challenges, but it’s a lot easier. One of the things that makes UnPrisoned and the tone of it so special is that we’re really focusing on having the audience see themselves and laugh, but never at the sake of authenticity and the truth.
Jordyn McIntosh and Kerry Washington during The Alexander Family Smackdown.
Disney/Kelsey McNeal
How did you feel about the response to the premiere season? Were there any reactions in particular that stuck out to you?
I believe we got precisely the reaction we were hoping to get, which is that people saw themselves. That we really did widen the lens on the human experience and on what a nuclear family could look like, and does look like in this day and age. And that’s always, again, just a wonderful feeling, and it’s been a great opportunity to continue to do that throughout my career. I am here to amplify the voices of the unheard and to help cultivate and shift the culture.
When did you find out about the renewal for season two and were you expecting it?
Would it be inappropriate to say I felt that we had earned it? We were hoping to get the pickup before the strike, but unfortunately it didn’t come until after the strike. so we sat there, kind of marinating in our hope that we would come back to tell more stories through Paige and Edwin and Finn et al, and we were overjoyed and excited when we did get that call. We were the most-watched show on Hulu when we launched the first quarter of last year. And I also think it’s really important that we continue to kind of feed the pipeline and give the audience what they want, which was more. The audience was asking for more. I’m so glad that the network decided to give them more and to not have it be two years in between seasons, even though there was a strike. I think it helps the momentum of the storyline and the relationship that the audience has with the characters when we’re able to come back in a shorter window, so I feel really fortunate that we were able to do that
You shared during last year’s press run that progress is being made regarding Black storytelling. There’s still only been a handful of Black women showrunners, particularly at the helm of long-running series. How do you feel about opportunities in that realm?
I feel like the opportunities are there, but we have to keep pressing for them. And I do feel like if there’s a dearth of representation on screen, there’s a direct correlation to the dearth of representation in those executive ranks and in writers rooms and it is our responsibility to see ourselves there, to put ourselves there, and to hold the door open for those who would like to find themselves there going forward. I have made that a big part of my purpose and my journey. It’s one of the reasons why I’m still doing it. It’s one of the reasons why I keep telling myself to keep going. I’m here to amplify the voices of others as well as hold the door open because I’ve been on the inside for a while. Part of the responsibility of being on the inside is to let others in. And they don’t need to come through the back door or window the way I did.
UnPrisoned releases new episodes Wednesdays on Hulu.