TV Review - Colin in Black and White

Colin Kaepernick probably needs no introduction at this point, but, he's the former NFL player who became the source of a lot of news headlines in 2016 when he decided to protest racial injustice, police brutality and systematic oppression by kneeling during the national anthem during a professional, preseason game, while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. He essentially became a part of the Black Lives Matter Movement, which was at its height at that time. His non-violent protest caught global attention. People supported him, but there was also a very harsh backlash that caused a firestorm that even reached the level of President Donald Trump criticizing Kaepernick and other NFL players who took a knee.

Kaepernick became a free agent not that long after, but, in the five years since, Kaepernick has never been signed to another NFL team. Some think that this is due to Kaepernick's protest. Kaepernick even filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its owners, accusing them of colluding to keep him out of the league. The case would have gone to trial, but, in early 2019, the NFL reached a confidential settlement, causing Kaepernick to drop the case. When this TV series was announced, it was a wonder if Kaepernick would explore those years, giving us insight on what he experienced and what his point-of-view was as it was happening. Unfortunately, maybe due to the confidential settlement or other legal hurdles, this series is not about that time from 2016 to 2019, that time period that has now made Kaepernick an icon or infamous, depending on who's looking at him.

Jaden Michael (Vampires vs. the Bronx and The Get Down) stars as Colin Kaepernick, as a teenager. The series starts in 2001 when he was still in middle school and follows him to 2006 when he eventually graduated from high school and left to go to college. The majority of the series focuses on his athletic pursuits. Colin played basketball, football and baseball. His dream is to become a quarterback, meaning his passion is football. However, he was also a really good baseball player and was a fast pitcher, having a really great arm.

The real-life Colin Kaepernick is also present in this series. He's the narrator here. He tells what he was thinking and feeling through his teenage experiences. He also provides context for what are the racial issues that were involved in those experiences. It's not totally clear until the final episode, but this series is essentially a letter that Kaepernick is writing to his younger self, which is ultimately meant to be an inspirational affirmation about perseverance and personal pride. He repeats, "Trust your power and love your Blackness." In a way, it's not far flung from Hill Harper's book Letters to a Younger Brother (2006) or even Kobe Bryant's Dear Basketball (2017).

Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds and Angels in America) co-stars as Teresa Kaepernick, the adopted, white mother to Colin. Most people didn't know that Colin is mixed race. He identifies as African-American, but he was adopted and raised by two white parents. What it's like being raised in a mixed-race household is a compelling subject and not just an interracial couple, but a white parent or more adopting a Black child or children. It doesn't happen often.

Diff'rent Strokes (1978) was the first TV series that I recall tackling it. The film Losing Isaiah (1995) is probably one of the most powerful examples of mixed-race adoption. The most recent and prime example is NBC's This Is Us, which is largely about a white couple adopting a Black child, as well as how that Black child grew up to be a teenager and man, living his life. That series has become about the psychological effects that can be brought upon that Black man over time. It's more nuanced and has more range. Here, Kaepernick and producer-director Ava DuVernay (Queen Sugar and When They See Us) aren't as nuanced. There's also not a lot of drilling down into the nitty gritty.

Nick Offerman (Devs and Parks and Recreation) also co-stars as Rick Kaepernick, the adopted, white father to Colin. He's also the husband to Teresa. There isn't much nuance to him, as there is to Teresa. They're both rather one-note. They're both supportive parents, but they're both almost blissfully unaware of the racial issues, plaguing their son. It's not exactly clear as to why. This series also has no interest in examining them as people. It's perhaps assumed that they're Republicans and it's easy to dismiss them as that, but neither Rick nor Teresa rise above the level of caricature or sketch in terms of their characters.

There was potential for them to do so, even in the first episode, which is probably the best of the six. If one remembers the Oscar-winning short film Hair Love (2019), which is about a parent of a Black child having to contend with managing that hair, then the first episode entitled "Cornrows" is an interesting assay of that film but with a tense, racial element thrown into the mix. With recent news headlines regarding potential laws in various states called The Crown Act, this episode was also perfectly topical. In the episode, Teresa and Rick, but mostly Teresa, have to contend with managing Colin's hair, which he has grown out into an Afro. It was a brilliant episode as it was about discovering and confronting Black culture at the same time, as we see both Colin and Teresa's reactions to what is seemingly a whole new world.

However, there is no further examination of Teresa to understand her reactions or to get a better idea of her inner life. In This Is Us, there is some examination of the white family members and their racial biases or prejudices. We get little to nothing about Teresa and Rick's backstory or any kind of conversation between the two about having a Black child. At one point, Teresa calls Colin a "thug" and there's no reckoning of that. In the third episode, Colin is freaked out when he's pulled over by a police officer with his parents in the car. The parents don't recognize or even acknowledge his fear and anxiety. They're just this comically ignorant couple that don't see the racial microaggressions affecting their son, which would be fine, if there was a better pay-off here.

At least in The Blind Side (2009), there is a better pay-off. There is a reckoning between the Black child and his white parent. This series simply wants to culminate in a triumphant ending that sees Colin achieving his dream of becoming a quarterback. Yet, watching a young Black man pursue athletic goals are a dime-a-dozen. The Blind Side is just one of many examples. One of the most prime examples is Hoop Dreams (1994). I don't think this series gives us anything more compelling than that highly acclaimed documentary.

This series had the potential to do so. If the series had focused on Kaepernick's kneeling protest, that could have been extraordinary. That potential is evident in the first episode where we see the series compare the NFL combine to chattel slavery. It's a powerful piece of imagery that set an incredible tone. The series is at its strongest when it's critiquing these institutions. Kaepernick points out a damning statistic about the lack of African-American quarterbacks. Kaepernick sits in a screening room and delivers these kinds of statistics. I would have preferred if the whole thing had been the real Kaepernick giving a monologue for the whole thing. The dramatized scenes of his teenage life simply don't offer anything new.

Rated TV-14 for language and smoking.
Running Time: 30 mins. / 6 eps.

Available on Netflix.