(The Root) — The award-winning Web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl is back with a vengeance, and what appears to be a lot more money. Co-creator Issa Rae returns in the second season as J, the awkward black girl, making her way through life one awkward step at a time. The usual suspects are all there: CeCe (Sujata Jay), her hip-hop-dancing co-worker and confidant; J's nemesis, Nina (Tracy Oliver), who puts the "b" in the "b-word"; J's hovering failed hookup, A (Andrew Allan James); and J's former semi-flame, Fred (Madison T. Shockley III), whom she dumped for White Jay (Lyman Johnson).
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If the relationships sound awkward and complicated, it's because they are absolutely awkward and complicated. Rae and co-creator Oliver have managed to pull together life's most awkward moments and weave them into a story that resonates with anyone who has ever felt out of place.
In this season's premiere, "The Sleepover," J is still the odd woman out at work (pun intended), being forced to partner with her nemesis on a work project and misidentified as a lesbian by co-worker and series newcomer Logan (Giselle Ramirez) based on her androgynous attire. J is also already feeling awkward about her "three-week-iversary" with White Jay, whom she has yet to bed, much to CeCe's chagrin. If that weren't enough angst, J must contend with what looks like the budding friendship of her "exes" A and Fred. Can you say "awkward"?
Not much has changed, including J's life soundtrack, which she describes as "still ratchet" and is interlaced with a copious amount of cusswords and slurs. J is "NSFW," as indicated by her bright-red T-shirt in the opening scene. Her dry, self-deprecating humor is constant, and her life at work is still as drab as her boss-mandated black-and-gray dress code.
J and CeCe's chemistry is undeniable as they hate on Nina, aka "the Kinky Twisted Kraken," with CeCe suggesting that they "scratch her scalp and put a perm on it." Gone is J's clueless, über-happy boss lady, who has been replaced by the overzealous Jesus, who drops sniglets like "teffort" — a combination of "team" and "effort" — as his way of motivating the staff.
Also new about the series are its production values, which seem to have a better look and sound. The writing is raunchier and sometimes makes you wonder if J is awkward or just a mean girl in disguise.
Rae and Oliver have partnered with super-producer Pharrell Williams' YouTube channel I Am OTHER, which is now hosting the series. Viewers will have to wait until July 12 for the next episode to see if J consummates her relationship with White Jay. If the premiere — with its improved writing, direction, production and overall performances — is any indication, the second episode might be worth the wait.
Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., is editor-at-large for The Root. Follow her on Twitter.
Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., a media scholar, is digital editor in chief at Grady Newsource and a faculty member of the Cox Institute of Journalism, Innovation, Management & Leadership at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. She is founder and editor in chief of the award-winning news blog the Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter here or here.
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