3.16, “One Girl’s Trash” - AsianThe show dug into issues of race once a season, but this was my favo

3.16, “One Girl’s Trash” - AsianThe show dug into issues of race once a season, but this was my favorite version of how they explored it.I did actually think the storyline about Buffy’s hair in “It’s Not About You” was fascinating.There’s a whole cultural discussion to be had about natural hair and it’s surprising in a cool way to see it come up in a kids’ show. Hopefully, it allowed a window into the topic for some kids who’ve never had to consider that sort of thing. The plot itself is subtle and somewhat sad, especially when Buffy wishes she could talk to her mom about the situation, but, unfortunately, it’s also kinda wrapped up in a not wholly satisfying way. The kid who complained about Buffy’s hair is someone we’ve never met and never will and he’s a liar, so don’t worry about it. The heroes didn’t really have to do anything, they just had to wait for everyone to remember the liar was a liar.“I Wanna Hold Your Wristband“ had a good message about privilege, which spans a wide range of things, but definitely includes race as a big one amongst them. I personally found the whole thing a little too on the nose, though. That’s not to say it was bad, it was probably great for the intended audience. It’s just that I’m not the intended audience, so moments like the reveal at the end about what the experiment was about fell a little flat for me.But this episode’s storyline, about stereotypes, comes together just right.First, doing it about stereotypes is clever because it’s so universal. Most people watching, from kids to adults, have experienced stereotyping in some way. Perhaps about your race, or your ethnicity, or your gender, or your sexual orientation. Even if you don’t relate to the exact stereotypes being thrust upon Andi here, you can empathize because you may have been, at some point, on the receiving end of similar behavior and felt equally as dehumanized.And if someone watching hasn’t been on the receiving end, then perhaps this storyline might make them stop and think: have they ever engaged in stereotyping, intentionally or accidentally? Have they ever hurt someone by doing so? It’s hard to not feel for Andi after seeing how the instance in the classroom affected her and so, hopefully, people watching would see that and think, “I wouldn’t want to make anyone feel that way.” Hopefully.I love that Andi uses the word “Asian.” It’s powerful to put it into words instead of just hint at it. It’s part of her identity. It’s been used against her. It makes the issue clear and real, for both the characters and the audience.And I think wrapping this whole story up by incorporating Andi’s artistic skills is an excellent way to resolve things. The project is very clever. The use of layers to represent depth. The need to view things from a different angle to get the whole picture. It was a fantastic way to tie up what was a great episode. -- source link

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