(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent The Chi episode will be found below.)
The highs and lows of The Chi are felt heavily in this week’s episode. In episode six of season six, the kids of the South Side are preparing for graduation. We see glorious moments throughout the episode attached to this moment. Whether it be graduation pictures or coming together for graduation or Kevin’s speech to his class, it’s a moment that the kids deserved and should be able to celebrate in peace — and celebrate they do. Kevin, Maisha, Jake, Jemma, Lynae, and Papa as well as Bakari all come together for party towards the end of the episode. It’s one of the last moments they’ll all be together as Kevin has his eyes set on a move to Los Angeles to pursue his video game dreams.
Just like all things in The Chi, we know that the good times can’t last forever. Bakari feels the wrath of his streets after Douda retaliates against him for losing the stolen Lambo he let him use for prom. A bright moment for him comes when he reconnects with his sister Britney for the first time in years. Britney also makes a nice impression on the gang, mostly with Jemma, thanks to a dope freestyle over Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick Push.” Then we have Papa who is at odds with his family over his decision to stay with Kenya despite learning that she has a son. Pastor Jackson forbids Papa from dating Kenya, but Papa says he can’t stop him and walks out of the house. Their last argument seems to truly be their last as it appears that Pastor Jackson is choked to death by someone we assume is an associate of Douda while Papa hangs out at the post-graduation party.
Elsewhere, Victor has to make a decision on what to do in regards to his involvement in Q’s murder as an FBI investigation into it heats up. Emmett makes a move to free himself from Douda, but it results in him getting pistol whipped and threatened, though he’s able to work something out. Victor tells Rob the truth about Q’s death and he now has to figure out how to handle it in order to fulfill his mother’s wishes and get the money for her for he and Tiffany’s marijuana’s business. Jemma and her father continue arguments about her future and Bakari and Lynae’s relationship is at risk after their run in with police.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season six’s sixth episode, “Boys II Men”:
There’s No Fighting Or Running From The Streets
One of the themes in “Boys II Men” is a reminder that running or fighting the streets isn’t easy. We see it with three characters in this episode: Emmett, Victor, and Bakari. Emmett reaches his limit with Douda once he realizes that he’s put his family at risk by working with the crime boss. He retrieves his gun from his dad and heads to Douda to threaten him into breaking ties with him, but Douda isn’t fazed by it as he takes the gun back and pistol whips Emmett. Victor has his past catch up to him when the FBI approaches him about a murder they believe he and Douda are connected to, and rightfully so. He’s left to decide whether or not to confess to the crime and risk everything he’s worked for. Lastly, Bakari faces the aftermath of being pulled over in Douda’s stolen Lamborghini. He’s not allowed to see Lynae, who was in the car with him, he’s brutally punched in the eye by Douda, and he’s caught in the middle of a battle between Douda and Victor and Pastor Jackson.
All cases prove that once connected, it’s hard to outrun or fight the negative of the streets. Victor thought he could with a career in politics, but he now sees that it’s not the case as it’s all caught up to him. Emmett hoped to only deal with Douda’s business side, but that’s not the case as he now sees. Bakari simply wants to make money for himself and be steady with Lynae, but with his connection to Douda, it appears that he can’t have both.
Bakari Really Cares About Lynae
From the moment Bakari laid eyes on Lynae, it’s been clear that his feelings for her have been everything but small. In episode six of this season, we get a closer look at how deep these feelings are. During a car ride with her older brother Jamal, Bakari learns that his relationship with her is at risk. Bakari says he’ll be more careful with her “next time” and Jamal questions why he believes there will be a next time. This leaves Bakari to wonder if Lynae wants to see him again, to which Jamal advises that it’s best if they take a little break. Things seem to be okay later on when Lynae introduces herself to Britney as “Bakari’s girlfriend.” However, in that car ride with Jamal, Bakari puts his tough guy act to the side to show his feelings for Lynae, saying, “she’s all I have to live for.” Without much family around him, Bakari currently lives for a future with Lynae. It’s what keeps him focused on staying out of trouble and more. It’s dangerous being this dependent on someone, but for Bakari, who previously spent time in a foster home, he’s always been independent so a break from it is something he enjoys and doesn’t want to let go of — especially when the love is reciprocated.
Kevin And Papa Simply Want Freedom
Kevin and Papa are both in an up-and-down relationship with their respective parents. Kevin’s lasted a bit longer and resulted in him moving out into his own apartment. Papa’s is more recent as he’s expressed his frustration with his father’s helicopter parenting style. Kevin shared his decision to move to LA to pursue his video game dreams with his mom and stepmom and his mother Nina isn’t thrilled about the move. Being that he’s her youngest, it makes sense that her emotions are all over the place when she hears the news, but at the end of the day, Kevin just wants her to support his dreams and his independence, the latter being something that’s led to numerous rifts between Kevin and Nina.
As for Papa, he’s grown tired of his father’s helicopter parenting style and the tipping point comes when Papa accidentally reveals that Kenya is not only his girl, but that she also has a son. That news leads to Pastor Jackson forbidding his son from being around her. Papa refuses to listen and it eventually leads to him walking out of his family’s house to his father’s disapproval. At the end of the day, the two just want the freedom to go through life as regular kids, free to make mistakes that won’t ruin their lives, but instead, will allow them to gain a new perspective.
Douda Went Too Far And He’ll Learn That Emmett Was Right
As up and down as “Boys II Men” already was, the episode ends on a shocking note. As Pastor Jackson prays for guidance from God in his kitchen, he’s seemingly choked to death as a masked man enters the house and ties a rope around his neck. We can assume that Douda is behind it as he instructed Nuk to “take care of him” back in episode four. Earlier in the episode, long before this happened, Emmett made a great point to Douda. While Emmett is loved in the community, people only work for Douda, so the army that would be willing to fight for Douda, without being forced to, will be smaller than the army willing to fight for Emmett. Now, thanks to Pastor Jackson’s death, Douda might see how difficult things will get for him. He’s had his way previously, but that won’t be the case this time around. They love Emmett in Chicago, and they loved Pastor Jackson there as well. The same can’t be said for Douda, and he’s about to feel it more than ever.
New episodes of ‘The Chi’ are available through the Paramount Plus With Showtime plan on Fridays at 3am EST/ 12 pm PST. Weekly episodes also air Sundays on Showtime at 9pm EST/PST.
