This season’s Blackish and what Black Love making it work means to the community

If you’ve been watching ABC’s Black•ish lately, you may have been in need of answers, a resolution, maybe a hug from loved ones. The husband and wife team on the show, Dre and Rainbow “Bow” Johnson have been at odds arguing and decided to take a break and live separately, both unsure of where to go from there.

In this week’s episode called “Collateral Damage,” Junior (their second oldest of five), graduated high school and in his speech he brought up commitment and love in family. The kids are not themselves and the Dre and Bow’s differences in parenting show. Their arguments and verbal jabs at each other were so heated that they forgot the whole family was literally watching them.

But what brought a ray of hope within this episode was through a trip to the jewelry store. Dre and Bow visit to see about a watch they are gifting to Junior when they are treated cheerfully by Linda, a sales clerk who has worked with the Johnsons before. So much so, that she names their marriage “Black Love at it’s finest.”

I was immediately reminded of what we do here on B•L•I•S•S•, sharing #BlackLove and #BlackExcellence.

Linda went on to tell the Johnsons that she’s waiting for her own “Prince Dre,” her own Black Love story, but her prince is just not at her church. Her comments on their inspiring marriage nudged the couple to “get back to us” and we see them walk out of the jewelry store hand in arm.

“Even though things were hard, Bow and I decided to try to find our way back to each other. For our kids, for ourselves, for Linda,” Dre narrates.

I found myself in Linda’s role in this episode, even more so than I could relate to the kids. She’s saved, single and extra about love (ding ding ding), so that brief but hopeful scene showed me that Black Love is not only influential on the family, but for the couple’s community, those they interact with on a regular basis.

I have married couples in my life too, and as their friend, I play a part in honoring their marriage by praying for them or encouraging them in some capacity. We will at times need the people in our circles and communities to remind us of how blessed we are, even in the midst of differences with our spouses. Seeing any marriage, let alone a Black Love marriage, work gives us hope for our own futures in many ways. I pray that you will have a Linda type person in your life!

Show creator Kenya Barris and crew know they are playing with our emotions heavily as we close on season 4 of Black•ish. Will Dre and Bow make their marriage work? Find out in the season finale is on Tuesday, May 15th on ABC.

Do you watch  Black•ish? What do you think of this season so far?