The Official ‘Love is Blind’ Interactive eBook

eBook Written by Limus Woods

All Rights Reserved © 2016

Table of Contents

Section One

 Episode I: The Setup

 The Character Crill Gates

 Haitian Water

 Episode II: Arrangements

 Why The Character Robert Should Stay Off Facebook

 Real Pakistani Culture in Brooklyn

 Fatimah Being Forced into a Planned Marriage

 Love is Blind Character Rivalries: Meeka vs Linda

 The Dirty Pimp Casper

 Episode III: The Proposal

 The Reality of Cocaine in American Life

 Love is Blind Character Rivalries: Rodney vs Crill Gates

Section Two

 Episode IV: The Shake

 When Arguing Helps

 Fatimah’s Perverted Uncle

 Episode V: The Harassment

 Racial Profiling on Love is Blind

 Love is Blind Character Rivalries: Anna vs Mary

 Episode VI: Mr. Walker

 Another Side of Mr. Walker

 G Money Has a Girlfriend

 Love is Blind Character Rivalries: Mercy vs G

Section Three

 Episode VII: Foot is Still At It

 Foot & Flossy…Always Sippin!

 Episode VIII: The Closet Monster

 Love is Blind Character Rivalries: Robert vs Rodney

 Will Robert Lose His Virginity?

 Is Sexual Immorality Worse than Emotional?

 Episode IX: G Money’s Luck May Have Just Ran Out

 The Beautiful Tai Chi Boxing Scene

 Love is Blind Character Rivalries: Ralphie vs Adolf

Section One

Episode One: The Setup

It seems that when there is money involved, there is a sense of being able to coexist among the characters, at least in the first scene of Love is Blind (2015), the new series from Flo X Films on You Tube at . But, the true colors of people always eventually shine through, like for example when the Mr. Ramon was able to sit and handle business with his associates, many of whom are African- American. But, still, when his daughter wants to buy a nice car with his money shortly after the meeting is dismissed, he said that he didn’t want her bringing any black guys around in it.

The theme of anger continues as a working Haitian nurse and mother is told by her employer, Mr. Matthew, to go home and take the rest of the day off when he returns home and finds that the place is dirty and his father has a fever. She then goes to her place, apparently upset because of getting fussed at, and does the exact same thing to her children.

Anger in America is many times the same. When one person gets hurt they transfer it onto others almost effortlessly in an attempt to relieve the pain that they themselves are experiencing. After watching the first episode of this wonderful new series, Love is Blind (2015), I can’t wait to see what other themes streamline through this brand new drama production, one that is set in modern day Brooklyn, New York, USA, a melting pot of diversity that has an thick undertone of hatred, fear, sadness, and violence (you can catch Episode One here)

There isn’t always a pattern of different races that have something against one another in Brooklyn, or across the nation. Sometimes the same race looks at their own youth and will tell them when they are wrong, as in the store scene which you can watch along with the rest of Episode One, “The Setup”, at the above link. But, the opposing race vibe still is alive in the scene at the store when the two drunken Black men (who got scorned by the mother from before for acting rude and obnoxious) came in and began clowning the Arab immigrant couple. But, without giving too much away, before you see the first episode of Love and Blind (2015) yourself, I want you to pay attention to something as you watch: The way that dramas are setup up today the characters have no depth, but with this new series even the ones that you want to hate sometimes end up doing or saying something that balances them out, and shows that they actually have some good in them. The director and producers give a well-rounded view of these characters, and the real and vivid scenes won’t let you take your eyes off the screen.

This is not an episode critique that I am doing here about Love is Blind (2015). Anybody that knows me knows that I am not a critic. And this is not a request. I am straight out telling you to take you’re a-double-snakes to this link, and enjoy the first episode of what is the best new independent drama that I have seen so far in 2015!

The Character Crill Gates

Crill Gates is one of the most interesting characters on the new YouTube series “Love is Blind” by Director Wanly Florexile. Gates is a hustler by nature, and is the top man on Boss Mercy’s list when it comes to getting that money on the streets, drug money. But Gates seems to balance it out well, doing his street hustle as well as creating music. He seems to be one of the older guys that Mercy has working for him, someone that Mercy trusts, especially when it comes to keeping the books square on his end with street profits.

Gates is a fictional version of a lot of rappers that have gotten in the music game. At first, they couldn’t find work, legal work that is. So, they felt that they had no choice but to hit the street and sell drugs. Crill Gates has his head on straight though, and Mercy values him very much. The boss likes Gates so much that he actually wants him to begin being sort of a mentor to younger guys on his street team. Gates isn’t a big fan of babysitting younger thugs, and is more of a solo minded type of guy. But he couldn’t say no to Mercy when the stocky boss offered him a couple more territories if he could guide one teenage hustler in particular into the right direction and get them to bring in the type of money that Gates does.

Hip Hop fans learn a lot about the drug dealing business just by paying attention to movies and music. For example, even if you never sold cocaine, you would know by listening to certain songs by a character such as Crill Gates the type of moves that are made in the everyday lifestyle of a hustler like him. Like other prominent and successful rappers from Brooklyn, Gates is seemingly trying to eventually not have to sell drugs anymore, and make music for a living instead. Brooklyn rappers such as Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G (R.I.P) or Shawn Carter aka Jay Z have admittedly seen that lifestyle before, and eventually got to the point in their music careers where they didn’t have to do anything illegal to make a dollar.

Rappers always will refer to the drug cocaine in some way, whether he or she is telling about their own life, surroundings, or even a movie. Way before the new 2015 YouTube series “Love is Blind” was released, popular films that Hip Hop fans watched (and still watch) that are closely related to cocaine fueled a lot of the genres lyrics. A few of the most well-known films that undoubtedly influenced the creators of “Love is Blind (2015)” are “New Jack City”(a 1991 film starring Wesley Snipes who plays Nino Brown, a drug lord in New York during the crack epidemic),“Blow” (where Johnny Depp plays George, a weed dealer who eventually starts pushing cocaine), and “Scarface”. In one Huffington Post article entitled “Al Pacino Thanks Rappers for Loving Scarface” the legendary actor who played as the character Tony Montana told reporters: “I don’t think anybody’s ever talked about it as accurately and clearly. I understood it better having heard them talk about it….”

By “them”, Pacino meant Hip Hop artists. And, the character Crill Gates another ill MC/Poet/Rapper from the birthplace of Hip Hop who’s determined to tell his story.

Episode 2: Arrangements

In the first scene in Episode 2 the new series “Love is Blind (2015)”, my man in the shades has all the game in the world! We find out now that he just may be the Black guy Mr. Ramon didn’t want his daughter to bring home in that new corvette the big Boss bought his little princess off of eBay. I don’t want to give away too much, so you will just have to view it for yourself.

The name of the Episode 2 is adequately labeled “Arrangements”, and it seems that many of the characters are setting up some ingrained ones of their own. For example, the girl that the guy is pimping in the first scene actually thinks that he wants to be with her! Not only is the plot always nice in each episode of Love is Blind (2015), but the dialogue is absolutely awesome. You will begin to fall in love with the way the characters from different backgrounds and heritages go back and forth from their native tongues to English as they speak to one another. The young Pakistani daughter hears her mother do it spontaneously during her one on one conversation with the teenage girl, a talk that reveals another arrangement that will change the girl’s life forever in a few weeks. You just have to watch the 2nd Episode of Love is Blind to see.

Funny how many of the parents in the new series “Love is Blind” don’t want their child associating with another race, but the children themselves get along and fall in love with each other. This is true about Mr. Ramon who bought his daughter the car, the Haitian mom who doesn’t want her son to pay so much attention to girls over his schoolwork (especially one who is from Pakistan) , as well as the Pakistani mother of that same girl. It is like that all over America these days, where the older generation makes it so much harder for the younger people to connect. That is why Love is Blind (2015) resonates with so many viewers and fans so far. This real life toned drama is one that reminds me of a modern day Belly (1998) for the new generation. The only difference is that it is currently in show/series form. Check out Episode 2, “Arrangements” here.

We also get to hear a little bit more in Episode 2 out of another of the bosses, Mercy. He lives up to his name when we get to see him in the second episode as he cuts his hustlers on the corner (the young boys who broke into the car in the first episode) some slack. We also get to see his side with women, when he goes back to collect from the girl who is bagging up his cocaine. After the transaction is made, there is another “exchange” that’s gonna make you laugh out loud!

Why Robert Should Stay Off Facebook

In Episode 1, Robert was talking to Fatimah about whether or not she was ashamed of him. It was a little bit after his mother had asked him if he had still been talking to the girl. Again, it seems as if the parents in the new series are more unaccepting of mixed races being together than the children (Robert and Fatimah in particular) being that they are the main characters in the show. The title of the series is what seemingly really drives the actions of the characters. But, the culminating event that topped off Episode 1 in particular is what is driving this very article. The Facebook message that Robert sent to his Pakistani girlfriend whom he has professed to be in love with read:

“Yo…You seventeen. Come on. This is not right. My mother is right…maybe you ashamed of me…”

He’d started to believe what his mother felt, then sent her a Facebook message. The contents of the message in particular are what are disturbing, and also what will likely break them up if it gets to that point. As we all know social media can either hurt or help a relationship. And, if, Robert and Fatimah are to stay together (something we, the audience will not know until we watch the rest of the many episodes of Wanly Florexile’s new drama) they are gonna have to keep their relationship off Facebook.

How do you feel about social media when it comes to relationships? Good? Bad? It can be a little of both at times, but you have the power to make it a cool experience with your lover instead of a heated, jealous one. Think about if Robert saw the guy that Fatimah is to marry on her page and how he would react if Fatimah and this 30-something-year-old man actually went along with the planned marriage that Fatimah’s parents are concentrating on for their daughter. Can you imagine the war that would go on online? Plus, with all of the immediate access to guns and other weapons that Robert actually has direct access to being from Brooklyn (even though he’s a peaceful kid who wouldn’t likely go that route…), what if his love for the young girl escalated into something that could get him locked up, like hurting her husband that was forced upon her because of her family's Pakistani tradition?

As you read this, I know that you understand what I am talking about when it comes to social media and relationships, and that being two young high school teenagers those two love birds could possibly end up in ruins if she or Robert keeps posting things on social media. Once you put something online, I think we all know that if it’s not deleted quickly, it’s repeated quickly. So, if you have an argument with your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife, please, for God’s Sake, keep it to yourselves! All of your Facebook friends do not have to know that you left some panties soaking in the sink, or that he clips his toenails in the living room. Gossip is a relationship destroyer, and on social media sites this is multiplied by 100, especially in a populated place like Brooklyn where Fatimah and Robert are from. Episode 1 of Love is Blind is where you see the post the angry young Haitian boyfriend made.

Real Pakistani Culture in Brooklyn

Back in March of this year, the Pakistani citizens in Brooklyn realized truly that love is blind, when people of many races showed up to the opening of the New Center for Pakistani Culture. The reason that I’m pointing out this event is because arts and culture are what shape our society. All of the people out there who believe that all Pakistani people are bad really need to open their hearts and minds, as we are all members of one race, the human race. That being said, as you view the current day culture in Brooklyn, NY on this new drama, you will realized just what the producers were trying to show their viewers.

The Pakistani characters in the new series see life differently, and the creator of “Love is Blind”, Wanly Florexile, includes into the episodes a lot of what Muslim Pakistani culture practices. For example in the first scene of Episode 1, a show entitled “The Setup”, you see a Pakistani Muslim in prayer in a lovely temple. It is beautifully set, and the background sounds are also fitting. The music that plays is actually titled “Beautiful Islamic – Call to Prayer (Azan)” by Adhane. The director’s awareness makes this, the very first scene, set the tone of religion from the beginning, something that the New Center for Pakistani Culture in Brooklyn is also making aware to the public every day. The music in that episode, by the way, was set up and composed by William “iBeat” Bookman.

The main Pakistani character in the new YouTube series is the youngest one. Her name is Fatimah, and she is a high school student about to graduate. Fatimah is in love with a Haitian young man named Robert, and Robert loves her just as much. As we all know, interracial relationships in America of any kind will always have haters out in society. This is because there are many people out there who believe that one race should only date or marry that same race. Director Florexile shows just how deep Pakistani culture is as he displays Fatimah’s situation to the viewers as the episodes continue. As the shows progress, you wouldn’t believe the hurt and pain the young lady goes through that she simply does not deserve from society.

Robert cares about her and can likely relate to what she is going through with racism being a Haitian American himself. But, the thing he likes the most about her is how unattached to money she is, and how she is always trying to get him to save his. What is one of the most hurtful things Fatimah is going through also stems from Pakistani Muslim culture, planned marriage. Her parents are doing everything they can to make her stop liking Robert and hook up with this much older man whom she doesn’t even know. But, as the title of the new series indicates, Love is Blind, and the younger people of our generation don’t see color or culture as a barrier to happiness.

Love is Blind Character Rivalries: Anna vs Mary One of the things that I like the most about Director Florexile’s Love is Blind is the many different cultures on the show. The main couple is the teen lovebirds Robert and Fatimah, and the show is set around the two of their families not being fans of different races as boyfriend and girlfriend, or getting married. So, even though they have not bumped heads as of yet, I feel that a valid rivalry to point out is the one between Robert’s Haitian mama Mary, and Fatimah’s Pakistani mother Anna. Yes, Fatimah’s father is just as against Robert and Fatimah being together, but it wouldn’t be a fair rivalry if I labeled the sets of parents against each other being that Robert’s father is not around when the teens first get together. So, I felt that Anna and Mary would be better labeled rivals, not because of their wanting to fight or anything, but because of their beliefs. Mary told Robert in the first episode of Love is Blind that she felt that “those people” (Fatimah’s Pakistani parents) don’t like him. And, we also get to see how Anna feels about her daughter dating a Haitian boy. These are older ladies, so a physical altercation would really surprise me. But, I do believe that the fight between them is more of a mental one where they will both do everything they can to make their children not want to be with each other. Mary wants Robert to focus more on his school work and not pay attention to Fatimah so much. And, at the same time, Anna tells Fatimah that she should be focusing on the husband that she and her father are setting her up with instead of being infatuated with young Robert. No matter their parent’s beliefs, the name of the show is Love is Blind, and that is why I think that these two teenagers will stay together. In mean time, though, as you continue to watch the show, keep in mind the tension between the many cultures. There is other racial hatred going on too within other families in the show too, such as Lee (played by Director Florexile) and his brother in law. Keep watching Love is Blind to see them for yourself.

Episode 3: The Proposal

The hustler from the store who cussed at the lady is still hard at work trying to sell those electronic devices in Episode 3 of ‘Love is Blind’ (2015). You know by now that I won’t be telling everything, but I’ll put it like this…if it was you that saw him on the street that day and you got what the guy who gave him just $50 did, you’d be a happy customer. He told him that the device worked really well and had no dysfunctions, but you remember what the girl said in the store about what she bought from him before, so we’ll see!

Mercy is still working those boys hard on the streets, but in Episode 3 we get to see another one of his guys out there getting that money for him. Since the younger guy, Rodney, isn’t doing as well on the books with the money he is turning in to Mercy, the street boss decides to let one of his older guys, Crill Gates, try and put him under his wing . Gates initially isn’t feeling “babysitting” the younger Rodney (Rodney Flames is his rap name), but wait until you hear what territories Mercy promises this way more squared away street hustler and possible mentor Crill Gates. Check it out on Episode 3 here.

At the interview at the radio station, you can tell that Rodney isn’t really liking how Gates is getting all of the calls and recognition, but the young man still plays it humble saying how he is just trying to follow suite behind the older Gates. The radio announcer kinda makes Rodney Flames cringe a little when he says that he resembles old school Bad Boy Rapper Black Rob (He kinda does…) but it hurt more because they had just asked Gates how he considers himself to be a different rapper than all of the other ones who sound alike in Brooklyn.

Gates just says “I’m a breath of fresh air” and the he just wants to “tell his story”. Hopefully as the older mentor, he can eventually do as Mercy requested and not get Rodney too addicted to rap being that the younger guy needs to focus on the money from the streets as well. Because, from the sounds of things, Rodney’s account with Mercy seems to be somewhat delinquent! But the way the DJ’s handled Rodney was wrong at the interviews end… Episode 3 is called “The Proposal” for a reason. Mercy is getting a little pissed that everyone is coming up short. When the owner of the barber shop pays on time but doesn’t have all of his ends, Mercy almost gets the big guy Adolf on him, Mercy’s big homie who looks like he could do some major damage if provoked!

There seems to be another type of proposal going on too, but I can’t quite put my finger on it….you gotta watch to see. Stay tuned to Director Wanly Florexile’s wonderful new drama, “Love is Blind”.

The Reality of Cocaine in American Life Cocaine has been referred to by Hip Hop artists for as long as I can remember. It’s just a harsh reality. When you look at some of the characters in YouTube’s ‘Love is Blind’, such as Crill Gates (an up-and-coming Brooklyn MC), a musical guy who has a street mentality and sells cocaine, you see how transparent the actors on the screen in the new show are to real-life situations.

Still, as a journalist I read too many articles that try to blame Hip-Hop for turning so called “clean cut” kids into crack heads. I’ve never sold drugs myself, and was brought up in a decent home. I listen to Hip Hop frequently, and nothing that an artist says can make me do anything. People need to realize that Hip Hop Culture isn’t the only creative outlet where these young drug experimenters hear, smell, see, touch, or taste reality. Still, the art form almost always gets the blame, since it has the potential of providing what is probably the most clear view of subjects like cocaine, maybe even more so than film since nowadays rappers can record a song faster than ever before. But, when a director comes along like Florexile who creatively combines Hip Hop music into a film production, he takes it to where many filmmakers don’t, a place in real-life America that should never be hidden from the big screen, but instead presented in an artistic format to be understood.

The crack epidemic was at its worst in the 1980’s. Crack possession was punished more severely than having cocaine. Five grams of crack could get you five years. It took five hundred grams of powder to get that same sentence. Some MC’s in the past actually adopted the names of historic real-life drug dealers. For example, Victor Santiago (aka Noreaga, a New York rapper) traced his stage name after Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno, a 1980’s drug lord born in Panama in 1934.

To give you a quick lesson on who he was, at one time Manuel was a valued asset to the CIA and a war ally to the United States’ fight against communism in Latin America. His relationship was shaky with Washington, and the District of Columbia began to think that he was doing business in Colombia South America with the Medallin cocaine cartel. Washington believed Noriega was helping them to get large amounts of it into the U.S. In 1989, George Bush was tired of it and ordered 20,000 troops to invade Panama. Noriega hid inside the Vatican Embassy in Panama City, but turned himself in early January 1990. He was sentenced to forty years in 1992 for drug offenses and racketeering. In December of 2011 the 77-year-old prisoner flew into Panama’s international airport after being held in France since 2010. It was his first visit home since he’d turned himself in.

Many of the characters in YouTube’s Love is Blind also hail from other countries with the intentions of drug distribution, such as the boss of all the street boss on the show, Mr. Ramon. He’s from Colombia. Take a look here at Episode One to see him conduct business with his lower level bosses, the street generals of Brooklyn in the show.

Love is Blind Character Rivalries: Rodney vs Crill Gates As with everybody else on Love is Blind, the street hustlers who work under the street bosses have rivalries too. I’ll admit, at the writing of this article I don’t know if this one will culminate! But I will say this. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and smoke seems to be shooting out of Rodney’s ears because of his jealous nature. We know why Rodney is jealous of Robert (it’s because of him being smart in class and making Rodney and his friends look damn near illiterate). But why is he jealous of Crill? Let me explain. If you haven’t seen it yet, these two characters met because of Mercy. Mercy saw that Crill (who’s a little older than Rodney) was bringing in more money off the streets from the regions he works in. So, since Rodney is younger and could use a little guidance, he decided to ask Crill to sort of mentor Rodney. He figured that some of the moneymaking tactics would rub off of Crill onto Rodney, and ultimately make his pockets fatter as their street boss. Crill is sort of a loner and didn’t like the idea, until Mercy promised him more territory if he did him this mentoring favor to Rodney. So, why is it do I label Rodney and Crill as rivals in the series Love is Blind? Well, Crill needed a way to relate to the younger Rodney, so he asked Mercy if the kid rapped. Mercy said “Yeah, but he ain’t as good as you though…” So, Crill took him to the radio station with him, and the DJs let Crill rap a verse during the interview, but snatched the mic away from lil Rodney just when he was about to spit. Rodney was heated about that shit episodes later let me tell you, and when he saw the DJs in the parking lot sometime after that he let them know how he felt. That parking lot scene almost got ugly, too – you know how Rodney is. But why does Crill maybe have something against the kid? Well, Mercy teamed them up, and later on Rodney’s little secret started to come out. As a rapper and a street hustler, Crill may not want that kind of attention with being around Rodney and his “extracurricular activities” as Mercy put it. Keep watching the Brooklyn set series Love is Blind and enjoy the episodes on YouTube.

Section Two

Episode 4: The Shake

Somebody tried to kill Mercy! He and Adolf were just chilling getting a bite to eat, and all of a sudden the masked assassin busted into the restaurant. Adolf is a good bodyguard, probably the best, being that the killer got really close the two of them. The big guy actually had his back towards the door when the shooter busted in, but when the killer screamed “Mercy!” before pulling the gun out, that was what gave Adolf the opportunity to react. Now, he and Mercy are making stops around the area trying to see who sent this killer. When you see the episode, the potential killers’ demographic will astound you.

Okay, I know that you guys wanna know what’s going on with G Money! You know, G Money, the guy who is always trying to sell electronics, phones, or whatever he can to get that cash! Last episode he got the guy on the sidewalk to buy the DVD player, and we were wondering whether or not it functioned correctly. Well, I’ll put it like this, G Money gets a call while he and his best friend Robert (the high school kid who is in love with the Pakistani girl Fatimah) are sitting at the table politicking about the fact that her parents are trying to make her be the wife in an arranged marriage, to an older guy that she doesn’t even know. G Money didn’t even believe that those types of arrangements still existed, and honestly neither did I as I viewed this, the 4th episode of Love is Blind.

I love this new You Tube series because of moments like this, where the viewers get knowledge about real life situations (such as arranged marriages) that really do still happen today. And, I didn’t know that there was such a thing as Haitian water either. Robert told G Money that was what it was called when his electronic-selling friend said that it tasted good. Oh, and by the way, if you want to see what the guy who got the DVD player told him, you just have to watch the episode! G Money gave his buddy Robert some good advice about his relationship, too, saying that maybe Fatimah should speak up to her parents and say that she is focused on school right now, not getting married. The way the events in this episode of Love is Blind (2015) happen are parallel, being that earlier in the show Fatimah is getting some advice from a friend of hers as well named Tomeka. Tomeka actually told her the same thing basically, that she should confront her parents about this marriage that she is not ready for. Fatimah’s mom actually was on the phone with her mom (Fatimah’s grandma) who is still overseas, and told the older lady that she was stressed because Fatimah was wearing American clothes, etc. She even said that she was thinking about sending the young girl to stay with her grandma. But, seeing as how the conversation between mom and grandma went sort of sour, that doesn’t seem like it will happen. Episode 4 of this amazing series Love is Blind (2015) can be seen here at this link. Enjoy!

When Arguing Helps

When you think of a couple arguing, what’s the first image that comes to mind? Al and Peggy Bundy from “Married with Children”? Ike and Tina Turner? How about the characters in ‘Love is Blind’? It’s important to remember that what may seem or sound like a fight between a couple may actually be something constructive going on that’s healthy for the relationship. There are a few scenes from Episode 5 that back up this point well.

For example, as Rodney and Fatimah walk under an umbrella and talk about the arranged marriage her parents are planning for her, to someone passing by it may seem as though they are in a heated argument, especially when Fatimah smacks him in the chest after he expresses how he disagrees with her family’s traditional ways. He has right to be upset, and without being able to express that fact there is no way that the two of them could be able to see each other’s point of view. He tells her how she should speak up to her folks, and lets her know that being timid and quiet is not helping the situation. By the end of the talk they are laughing and joking again, and the argument actually brought the two teenagers closer.

Couples are going to disagree about some things, that’s a given. What turns a disagreement into an all-out argument (most of the time) is when someone starts yelling at the other. No one likes to be screamed at, no matter if they’re deep in love or not. Fatimah’s parents had a heated argument on their couch about the fact that her mom stays at home while her dad goes out for lots of hours a day working. She begins to scream at him in defense of her everyday activities in Episode 5 of Love is Blind yelling that just because she is at home doesn’t mean that she doesn’t cook, clean, and work just as hard herself.

People should respect their boyfriend or girlfriend (or husband or wife) as a person, and don’t be so loud during a discussion that the neighbors are in their business. If the two of them are talking one on one privately about an issue, then it should stay that way. It’s when nosy outsiders get into it that a couple will grow apart. At the end of the argument on the couch between the older pair, they seemed to have come to a point where they couldn’t even look at each other. That likely wouldn’t have happened if they just would have watched their tone and talked to each other like a married union should.

Remember, relationships are give and take. The younger characters in YouTube’s new series Love is Blind (Fatimah and Robert) seem to get that. But the older couple, Fatimah’s parents, seems like they could actually learn how to love each other better from the teenagers. The young couple, for example, is accepting of small idiosyncrasies and miniscule things about each other (Fatimah playfully teases Rodney about his hair being nappy in the umbrella scene, for example). If you love a person completely and unconditionally, you’ll actually begin to see the beauty in their flaws.

Fatimah’s Perverted Uncle on 'Love is Blind' With a show that revolves around a relationship like Love is Blind does, we can expect to see the ‘protector factor’ come into play at some point. I mean, Robert really loves Fatimah, but he is definitely not in love with the way her culture works. I think all of us got sick in the gut watching her perverted uncle come onto her in the bedroom on the episode “Closet Monster”. If Robert had not been in the house on the sneak tip, he would have, like he told Fatimah after her Uncle left her bedroom, “Washed him up….”

In other words, the otherwise peaceful kid would have kicked her uncle’s ass, and rightfully so. We could tell that the guy was out and about looking for girls in the neighborhood ever since he came on to the bartender some episodes ago, offering her money for sex. He gave all of us in the audience a bad vibe about him when he was overly aggressive towards the young lady, and we were all glad when the bar owner kicked him out. Still, even though we really don’t know how old the young female bartender was, we further notice the twisted mentality of this Pakistani uncle a few scenes later.

He pulls up to a corner where there are hustlers, and waits for a guy to approach his car. The fellow thinks Fatimah’s uncle wants drugs, but when he gets in the car the truth comes out. He asks the guy (who refers to himself as a pimp) if there are any young girls he can “buy”. Even the pimp tells him that this is America, and that he only deals with legally aged girls. Fatimah’s uncle is so perverted that the pimp actually has to further persuade the older man to enter the nearby brothel. Being that the pimp only was willing to offer him girls that were over the legal age, her uncle almost seemed unwilling to go inside.

In Episode 9, Robert reflects on what happened in Fatimah’s bedroom that night. She’d told the young man that, in Pakistan, that kind of behavior was accepted. Robert is visibly upset as the two of them sit in the park and talk about it, as Fatimah tries to get him to forget about the whole thing. He suggests that she maybe go to the police, and is upset with her that she just wants to push the horrible incident out of his mind. It doesn’t seem that Robert will let that scene leave his memory any time soon, or ever, no matter how “normal” that kind of behavior is in her home country.

He really loves and cares about the girl, and has dealt with a lot up to this point in the series. The planned marriage by her parents, the young man from the music school that they met who kind of seemed to be an ex-boyfriend of hers, and now the perverted uncle that Fatimah wants Robert to ignore. How much more can the young Haitian teen take? I guess we have to keep watching to see.

Episode 5: The Harassment

The first scene in this, the 5th episode of Wanly Florexile’s ‘Love is Blind’, is one of the most mysterious ones so far. Ralphie talks in the alley to a Boss Chick who has what appears to be her bodyguard (another shady looking female) about them all recently taking some type of loss. The direction their situation seems to be going in doesn’t look to be in their favor, and by examining their conversation the audience can’t really tell what’s going on. You’ll notice this about Director Florexile’s scene, setting, and dialogue techniques in this hot new drama, and it will become one of the main things to have you looking forward to the next episodes of the show. Episode 5 is one where we also get a closer look into the lives of the main characters, young Haitian Robert and his love the Pakistani girl Fatimah. We finally get to see the results of Robert doing all of that studying, for example. Of course, you remember the episode when Robert and his buddy G Money sat at the table and chit-chatted about he and Fatimah’s relationship. Who was in the front of his laptop concentrating on his homework? Robert’s mom would have been so proud to see her son in action in the classroom in this episode!

The teacher Mr. Walker, walked into a rowdy classroom, one with kids on cell phones, sleeping at their desks, and had written “(blank) the teacher” on the board. For the sake of the family-friendly audience here on Examiner, I will not tell you the curse words that were used – if you want to find out you can view the episode, the awesome new drama by Wanly Florexile. What I will tell you is that Robert does not get the respect he deserves from jealous classmates who are envious because the very smart Haitian young man got the question right that the teacher asked.

The other main character, Fatimah, finally seems as if she I going to eventually speak up to her parents, judging by the way she is expressing herself to Robert about how she feels about being forced into a planned marriage. Her parents, though, sit on the couch in one scene in this episode, and argue about the smallest things. This should prove to them that it doesn’t matter whether or not a couple is of the same race (such as they are), and that there will always be a little arguing in a relationship.

This episode is one where the characters are beginning to round out, and we, the audience, begin to realize what each of them is all about even more. Oh yeah, before I go, remember the two thieves who were harassing the Pakistani couple (who happened to be Fatimah’s parents) in Episode 1? You know, the ones that stole those fly jeans from the store? Oh, man…you are going to cry laughing when you see what happens to them in this, Episode 5.

Racial Profiling on Love is Blind Why is it, really, that there are more Black men in jail than there are in college? In the new series written by Wanly Florexile, YouTube’s Love is Blind, the Haitian teenager in love with the Pakistani girl Fatimah, Robert, seems to be on the right path. His mom encourages him to stay in school, and he does well in class. Still though, the way things are in America along with the rough Brooklyn environment he lives in could easily make him a statistic if he wasn’t so focused already on being a good student, and eventually a good man.

The scenes, characters, and overall vibe of YouTube’s Love is Blind brings to mind many real things in our society that go on each day. And, as an advocate of the series (a show that I think would fit well on a network such a BET) I will take the opportunity to point out many things in our society that reflect what the characters are going through, being that I am a journalist. For example, Jeanne Flavin & Gregg Barak, authors of “Class, Race, Gender, and Crime: The Social Realities of the Justice System in America” (2010, p. 222), took the liberty of quoting an examination of racial profiling by Engel & Calnons (2004, p. 84):

Profiling, as Merriam-Webster defines it, is “the act of suspecting or targeting a person on the basis of observed characteristics or behavior”. When you view the episodes, you will see lots of profiling between races. Too many citizens, police and other members of the criminal justice system engage in what is called “racial profiling” against young African- American men every day in the U.S. The bad part is that while law enforcement officials are staring so hard at a peaceful crew of black guys anxiously trying to find something to charge them with, a store across town could be getting robbed. My point is that the entire community loses when the cops focus their attention in only one direction, as Wanly Florexile’s character Lee told the policeman (who also happens to be his brother in law) as he sat at the bar in Episode 6 after he’d picked up Foot and Flossy for a minor charge.

Many times after a prisoner is released, their status seems as if he or she is not really a citizen. All they really want to do after serving so much time is to start their lives over, but even after paying their debt to society it seems as if they will never be a productive part of it again, especially if they are from low-income families and communities. One of the continuing “invisible punishments” (Flavin & Jeanne p.226) is that they can’t get public housing. It’s hard enough for a man to get this type of assistance anyway, but the fact that they have been convicted of a crime will take away this option completely.

Not only will their living situation be very hard to adjust to when they are released, but it’s heartbreaking that they may be denied for student loans. This would really mess up the character Robert, and luckily he’s a good kid that doesn’t seem to get into a lot of trouble. Still though, how’s an ex-prisoner supposed to move on with their lives if they can’t get an education that will lead to a better career? This is why so many ex-cons go back to doing what they were doing before they got locked up; they can’t really see any other options. The worst ongoing post-prison penalty, though, is that they will probably lose their right to vote depending on the crime. To have your voice cut off from choosing who will be in your own government I imagine is devastating, especially if the person is African-American.

This is what would hurt the character Flossy, being that he’d be dependent upon the vote of people in his community if he was ever running for office. This is because a lot of his peers in Brooklyn (especially if they are Black) may have charges that could possibly keep them from voting in his favor. Flossy was also worried about whether or not him getting picked up by the police would mess up his chances of becoming a governor of Brooklyn one day.

Episode 6: Mr. Walker Episode 6 of the fly new was a trip! First off, it’s the very first time we see a hint of jealousy on the part of Robert, the Haitian teenager who is deeply in love with the Pakistani girl, Fatimah. As they are strolling along chatting on their walk underneath the umbrella (a continuation from the last scene from Episode 5), the young couple runs into an old male friend of Fatimah’s. It’s a young man named Tony, who is a little older than she and Robert, being that he currently studies music at NYU.

As Fatimah says goodbye (quite nervously I might add) after a really brief conversation with Tony, he inquires about whether or not the young girl still sings, except he asked her if she still “rocks the mike”, a vulgar implication in hip-hop slang terms that Robert caught on to immediately. Is this an old boyfriend of Fatimah’s, or simply a friend that graduated a couple of years before where the relationship was completely harmless? Either way, Robert doesn’t seem to like Tony that much at all. When you watch Episode 6, you will definitely pick up on those vibes!

Oh yeah, before I forget, I have let you viewers know what’s going on with the street boss, Mercy, and his bodyguard, the big guy Adolf. They are still trying to figure out who sent that girl to kill Mercy in the restaurant a few episodes ago. They run through a few names, but I don’t want to spoil who they think it is in this article. I will say this, though. I agree with Adolf when he said that the fact that there are a lot of guys who owe Mercy money leaves almost anybody he has done business with in Brooklyn or the bordering territories as a suspect.

Episode 6 also focuses in on the teacher, Mr. Walker. This is the guy who called on Robert in class and asked him the difference between and hypothesis and a theory a few episodes ago. He seems to really care about the students in his class, and is a stand-up guy when it comes to education. This is the type of guy that Robert may look up to, being that he is Black teacher, as well as a good, positive male role model.

Director Wanly Florexile does a good job at acting himself. He plays another positive role model for young Robert as the older-brother like character named Lee. Florexile makes another appearance in the show this time in Episode 6 in a scene where he Lee bumps into the officer that arrested Foot and Flossy, the two thieves who tried to run out on their bill. Lee is the truth-seeking type of character, and lets the policeman know just how he feels about him with no fear. In fact, Lee has so much respect that the cop was the one who actually bought him a beer! Episode 6 is one you don’t want to miss.

Another side of Mr. Walker After seeing Episode 7, we can now understand why he relates to the neighborhood kids so well, and is not afraid of them - he used to live that same life. And, being a teacher in a classroom that is full of young thugs, he still has a lot of the street-smart mentality that he grew up with back in his days out there. The blend of personality with Mr. Walker is one that is balanced enough to realize what to do and not do within his neighborhood.

After viewing this episode, though, there is still no way of knowing whether or not Mercy really knows Mr. Walker’s past…he just wants the young teacher to fear him. Still, after the brave Black high school instructor (who really cares about his students) got approached by the street boss while on his daily jog, you can feel how much he wants to tell Mercy how he really feels about trying to force him to pass Rodney, even though he is failing horribly in class. But, the events that happen after the fact make Mr. Walker fear for his own safety, and keep what he saw Mercy do on the street to the barber that owed him loot to himself.

The barber that owed Mercy money since a few episodes ago, Ralphie, is now paying for not settling his debt with Mercy. Right after Mercy has his words with Mr. Walker, Ralphie happens to walk up on the teacher and the street boss’ conversation. Of course, Mercy asks him about his debt, but what happened in broad daylight would scare even the bravest person away. Remember when Mercy had come into the barbershop a few episodes ago asking for his money? If you do, then you remember how Ralphie was talking smack about Mercy checking on his dough right in the middle of all of the barbers’ customers.

He had told Mercy that he had all kinds of bills, and that was the reason that he hadn’t paid him back yet. Ralphie said that he had to pay the other barbers, make his own house payments, etc. All of those reasons for coming up short are believable things, and Mercy actually was seemingly understanding, although he did warn Ralphie the barber that, if he did not pay him soon, that he was going to send his bodyguard, big Adolf, after him. But the barber was in for a surprise in Episode 6.

Director Wanly Florexile keeps all of the audience guessing, and that is why this Brooklyn drama/crime/love series is so addictive. Remember when Mercy went to see Crill’s girl to pick up that package, and she said to him “I heard you never go anywhere without your bodyguard…” after Mercy entered the apartment alone? He responded “I always got my bodyguard…” then pointed to his pistol. After telling the Ralphie that he’d send Adolf after him, I bet the barber never thought that Mercy would be the one to handle the business on his own. Now, he has a bullet in his foot, and is walking around on crutches. You can see Mr. Walkers recalling the event in Episode 7.

G Money Has a Girlfriend! G Money, the best friend of Robert in YouTube’s Love is Blind (by Director Wanly Florexile) is also becoming more understood by the audience as the episodes come out each Wednesday. Oh yeah, before I go any further, Director Florexile has informed me personally that he will take a break in the coming weeks, so there will be one Wednesday in the near future that an episode will not be shown. I think that short pause is smart seeing, as how some of you fans need a week to catch up on your episodes of his hot new series. The week after, the episodes will pick up immediately where they left off, so don’t worry!

Okay, back to G Money. We all love him, being that he is a street hustler (also is in high school) that is slick enough to sell all these non-working computers, tablets and other gadgets to unsuspecting customers. But, we also see a kind side to him as the episodes continue. For example, I think we all remember how he gave Robert that good advice about how he should tell Fatimah to speak up to her parents and tell them that she is focused on school, not getting married, words that could prolong Robert and Fatimah’s relationship.

But, in this episode it makes us think back to when G Money told Robert in one conversation that he had no idea how complicated being in love with a Pakistani chick could be so complicated. But G Money himself, we recently find out, is actually seeing a girl (who looks to be Pakistani herself) on the low! He is keeping it quiet, only inviting the girl to his parent’s house, but the undercover love is starting to get to the girl.

See, G Money is all about staying on the grind. And, this girl likes him, but wants the world to know about their private relationship. G Money is really hearing it from her, being that Robert posts things online about he and Fatimah going out in public on dates, etc., all over Instagram. She wants G Money to do that to, because she feels that she isn’t the only girl he is seeing. G Money is like “What is up with you wanting us all on Instagram?” She also calls him by his real name in Episode 7, something that he doesn’t like. He tells her that his mom is the only one to call him that.

Character Rivalries Mercy vs G Man, whenever there is lot of money involved in this show Love is Blind, you’ll notice that there is a lot of drama to go with it. I said that to say this…the street bosses may work for the same person, but they don’t get along that well with one another. This would be a good time to go back to episode one and watch that scene from the meeting at the table with Mr. Ramon, the sole leader of all the street gangs. This is where you can see for yourself where Mercy and G really can’t stand one another when it comes down to money.

It would seem like if you are working for the same person that you would get along, but being a street boss is much like any other job if you look at the essential points. I mean, employees fight every day at every kind of organization in the world, so what would make street gangster’s any different? On a regular job, employees fight over limited hours and bicker at each other about who works the hardest. As a street general who sells illegal drugs, it’s the same kind of relationship, except the fights are mainly over either turf or respect from the reigning boss who everybody brings money back to. On the series, that man is Mr. Ramon.

Mercy and G’s relationship on the show is one that makes us viewers feel that they both want the other person killed. Aside from the fact that Mercy has had his life threatened, he can’t rule out the people who are closest to him trying to take his life. The only person he can really trust is Adolf, and Crill is his most trusted street hustler. G seems to only trust his ally Jah, who also works under Mr. Ramon, and doesn’t seem to like Mercy either.

All of this hatred for Mercy comes about because of a reason you may have already guessed…he brings in the most money off the streets to Mr. Ramon, and chances are he will likely move up in the organization (taking Adolf to the top with him of course!) and be in a position to give orders to Jah, G, and all the other street generals. Keep watching Love is Blind episodes to see if they hate Mercy enough to try to take him out of the game permanently.

Section Three

Episode 7: Foot is Still At It Who is your favorite character in Wanly Florexile’s Brooklyn based drama/crime/love series? Honestly I can’t pick just one, but as I continue to examine the episodes here on the new blog for the series, I am seeing them become more rounded out. For example, who would have thought that Foot has a political side about him? In Episode 7, he gets released from jail and is praying out loud as he walks up the street. He is saying that he actually is thinking of taking his recent arrest case to the county legislative office.

Foot is thus far one of the most complex characters on YouTube’s Love is Blind. On the one hand he is a very slick robber, on the other hand he has actual aspirations of becoming the mayor or governor of Brooklyn one day. He is seemingly well-known around the neighborhood, by the young street thugs as well as the police. And, he seems to be interested in helping the youth, like in a few episodes back when he saw the young thug Rodney and his little homey out on the street during school hours, and said to them to stay out of trouble and that they should be in class.

You can’t help but love Foot, especially in Episode 7. It is so funny how he is so manipulative and can talk anyone into anything (which is actually a great trait for a politician to have, when you think about it…), right before he robs them. It’s almost as if he is trying to teach the people he robs a lesson about doing dumb stuff on the streets of Brooklyn, things that can get them easily taken for their stuff.

Foot has one of the quickest come-ups fresh out of jail that I have ever seen. First, he runs into the store manager from the episode of “Love is Blind” that tried to threaten him and Flossy that he was gonna call the cops if the two thieves didn’t stop harassing the Pakistani couple in the store (who we later found out were Fatimah’s parents). Anyway, the store manager in this episode is on his cell phone standing at his car, and kind of recognizes Foot, but can’t quite put his finger on it. Foot had just got his cell phone and wallet taken by the cops, so he talks the guy into handing him his to use for a minute.

Before you know it, Foot shows how fast he is on his feet, and dashes around the corner with the phone, disappearing into thin air when some random guy walks up to talk to the manager out of the blue. The next scene of Foot’s quick come up, though, is so funny…he is so damned slick! He poses at the gas station as a worker willing to pump a man’s gas, but as soon as he walks in the convenience store to buy a soda, Foot jumps behind the wheel and dips!

I won’t reveal in this article whose car is the one that gets jacked by Foot, but I will say that the guy deserved it. And, the guy is closer to Foot than he thinks, even though the future aspiring Mayor of Brooklyn doesn’t realize that the guy he just carjacked has been taking advantage of his young daughter. You probably can guess who his daughter is, but if not, you can view Episode 7 here. You’re gonna really enjoy it!

Foot and Flossy…Always Sippin! You gotta love Foot and Flossy, the two friends from ‘Love is Blind’ who love to rob and clown everyone in sight. One thing about those two I think the kid Rodney said it best when the two were walking out of the store back in Episode 1: “Ya’ll ni**as STAY lit!” As always, everyone watching and reading will not know what all the Hip Hop slang means, so “lit” means “twisted”, “wasted”, “drunk” or any other word that could stand for being heavily under the influence of alcohol.

As they were walking out of the store on that, the initial episode of Love is Blind, Rodney, who is still in high school, asks Foot and Flossy for something to drink seeing that they had a big bottle of brown cognac. Foot said “no” to the kid, and asked “Ain’t you supposed to be in school or something?” A fun fact is that approx. 60% of cognac drinkers are African Americans located in the U.S., and 85% of the total market is made up of four kinds: Courvoisier, Hennessy (the kind Foot and Flossy had), Remy Martin, and Martin & Martell. Cognac itself is frequently referred to as a healing drink, since it's been known to widen veins and reduce headaches. If Rodney and his young friend were in another country, they probably could have actually gotten a drink.

Love is Blind is set in the U.S. But, in some places, alcohol can be enjoyed way before age 21. For example, in Italy the legal age to purchase it is 16. Unlike the teenagers in our country, those young adults actually get to enjoy a little wine at dinner with their parents. In fact, teens in Italy frown on their peers that drink too much. Many people are beginning to believe that this is the right way to do things, and that if teenagers are already used to drinking they won’t be so infatuated with alcohol when they go off to college or hear different brands of it in songs (a University of Pittsburgh and Dartmouth study shows that teenagers hear at least three references to alcohol every hour they listen to Hip Hop).

Do I drink? Yes, I'm 32 years old. But I realize that alcohol itself is a depressant that doesn't allow you to waste time thinking about what you want to say, you just say it. When someone's drinking and has an idea, they don't go through the normal thought process before speaking that they usually do when they're sober. It's like Mobb Deep said on their song “Got It Twisted”: “That liquor's up in ya, you charged/That truth comes out when you drunk...” That’s probably why Foot and Flossy were clowning Fatimah’s parents for being Pakistani on the way out of the store on that episode. Foot was the worst, talking about “Watch out man, watch out…let the terrorists get their things…”

Even though they just got in a fight some episodes ago, I’m sure Foot and Flossy will be drinking and clowning more folks together as the season continues. Stay tuned to YouTube’s Love is Blind for more of their funny antics.

Episode 8: Closet Monster

In Episode 8, Director Wanly Florexile touches on one of the biggest issues in our society today, being comfortable with your own sexuality. The character Rodney doesn’t seem comfortable with his own, and he seems to actually be gay looking at his reactions. I believe that the tough guy image he portrays is sort of a cover up to who he actually is. Other characters in the show see it too, notably one of our favorites, Crill Gates.

Crill stands on the block in that scene of Episode 8, and confronts Rodney as he passes by. The older street hustler/rapper informs him that Mercy had been telling him a few things about the high school kid, but doesn’t really say anything about Rodney being gay. Crill, being an older guy, probably realizes what most of us do in everyday life, that a guilty person, nine times out of ten, will tell on themselves if you just wait and let them keep talking. In Rodney’s case, this is exactly what happened. Before Crill said anything about what he’d heard, the kid got defensive: “Oh…he (Mercy) said that I was on some gay sh*t huh?!!...I’m sick of these ni**as messing up my name!!”

Whenever a person gets that mad over something (especially something as sensitive as their own sexuality) it may seem suspicious to the person inquiring, as it did Crill. As Rodney walked away, you could see Crill run his hand across his chin in a thinking mode, as if he was starting to believe the rumors about Rodney. He even seems to mumble something as the kid walks away. It sounds like he said “Man, I think that ni**a funny…” or something like that. But, it wasn’t that scene that solidified to us, the audience, that Rodney was gay. I don’t want to give away all the details, but you can watch the episode here.

I will say this in closing, though. As you know from reading this blog so far, I always enjoy analyzing what Director Florexile relates to real world situations into his characters. I’d like to say that I am myself a fully straight man, but I have nothing against anybody who isn’t. Still, everybody in our society is not like me, and they judge people for what they practice sexually. That is not right, and it makes young people (such as the character Rodney) feel that they have to hide who they are from society. That’s where the phrase “coming out of the closet” comes from, I think.

For example, The Women and Children’s Health Network has a section on their website entitled “Why Come Out?” In it, they state that a person’s sexuality is actually a part of their identity. And, if a person has to hide their identity, then it can lead to emotional distress. With a character such as Rodney, a livewire type of kid who will do anything to prove that he isn’t gay (for example, he told Crill he was gonna “handle the folks talking about him and flashed his gun…), it would be better for him to just be honest about himself before he actually gets mad enough about the rumors to shoot somebody.

Character Rivalries: Robert vs Rodney

Since the beginning, episodes of Love is Blind, Robert and Rodney have seemed to be at odds with each other. I mean there are rivalries in the show, but these two enemies seem to stand out the most. I think it written this way because Robert has the leading relationship in the series, and it seems as if he and Fatimah’s relationship are what the show itself is mostly based upon. As far as these two teenagers being enemies, let’s take a little recap on how they have gotten along so far.

If you have been watching you remember the scene from the classroom a few episodes ago earlier in the season. If so, then you know that these two have a rivalry that really probably couldn’t have been avoided when you look at both of their personalities. Rodney is the jealous type that always wants attention. Robert is the more humble kid, and can stand being out of the spotlight. He isn’t jealous of anything about Rodney, but Rodney can’t stand the fact that Robert gets attention without even trying to, by answering questions in class, etc.

Rodney is just not the type of person to try hard at anything. It’s evident in everything he does. He won’t study hard in school, and sells drugs to make money because he feels it’s better and easier. Robert on the other hand, has a job. He walks around on an honest hustle delivering newspapers. The funny part in one episode is he actually found out about Rodney’s little secret while he was running his paper route. This would have been a good opportunity for him to get Rodney back for punching him in the hallway at school, but Rodney threatened his life.

That’s another reason why these two characters are rivals in the show. Robert is the type of person who is comfortable about who he is and not insecure as a person. He doesn’t hide anything from anyone, and is honest about life. Rodney, on the other hand, doesn’t want anyone to know about his little secret, and actually threatened to kill Robert if he talked about it at school. If you have been watching the show you know what I’m talking about. If not, tune in and see the crazy events unfold for yourself!

Will Robert Lose His Virginity? On Episode 8 of Love is Blind, sexuality seems to be a running theme in the show. For example, the teen couple who the show is centered around (the Haitian kid Robert and the Pakistani teen Fatimah), are about to get some time alone to themselves. How did they manage to get privacy with both of their parents and Pakistani people in the community criticizing them so badly? Well, Fatimah’s parents are going out of town, and are leaving her and her little brother alone. As many teenagers do, the two love birds are trying to take advantage of the opportunity, especially Robert, being that it will be his first time.

Yep. Robert is a virgin, at least for now. Who knows? Maybe he and Fatimah will hook up in the next episode. Director Florexile keeps surprising us, so you’ll just have to watch it and see. But, for now, Wanly is still playing the part of the older character Lee on the show, who is kind of like a big brother to young Robert. Still, Lee was even surprised when the kid told him he was a virgin. But that just goes to show that there are some kids who do have sense enough to wait a while before having sex, a rarity in 2015.

This episode touches a lot of familiar things that go on in high schools across the country all the time. For example, what a kid seems like can quite possibly be the direct opposite of what he or she really is inside, whether they mean to give off that vibe or not. It is almost impossible to know exactly what our teens are doing nowadays just by looking at them, and in most cases we cannot judge a book by its cover when analyzing the way they walk, talk, interact, and present themselves overall. If you have been reading this blog and following the show (which has been increasing in views in the last few weeks by the way!), you’ll see how the Robert is a pretty cool kid around the neighborhood. He has a girlfriend, cool homeboys like G Money, and is popular in class. He has a job delivering newspapers, makes good grades, and is an overall good kid. You’d think that, with his swag and personality, that he would not be a virgin. But he surprises us all when he tell his mentor, Lee, the truth.

But Lee impresses me in this episode, and really does the best thing that a big brother figure can do for a young man expecting to have sex for the first time. As the two of them, he and Robert, sit at the basketball court, the Haitian teenager is expressing how excited he is about him and Fatimah about to make that major step in their relationship. Lee is not his father, and even if he was he’d be like many parents are these days - they have to simply trust their kids to make the right decision. He gives the young man a condom, some light instructions (telling him “make sure it don’t bust!” lol), and lets the young man be.

I thought that scene was a good example of how we all should handle a situation like that, one where we would have had the chance to make a positive impression on a kid’s life, especially when safe sex is involved. You can watch the episode here. Enjoy!

Is Sexual Immorality Worse than Emotional? As you know very well if you’ve been watching the new series by Wanly Florexile, Robert and Fatimah are in what many of us refer to as young love. You remember how it was when you were a teenager. You met a girl, or if you’re a female you met a guy, and, for some reason, you found yourself infatuated with them. As a teen you likely fell in lust before you actually fell in love. But that doesn’t seem to be the case for Robert and Fatimah. For example, he has openly said how he feels like Fatimah is really a good girl, being that she looks out for him and advises him to actually save his money. We all know that, in our society that is just not the case many times, especially with younger women who may be sometimes materialistic and immature.

But Robert feels as if she isn’t one of them, and is a young lady that will be true to him. But the way he acted when Fatimah saw that guy from her past back in Episode 5 you can tell that he can be somewhat suspicious of her past male friends. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be her protector when he needs to be, especially after seeing his facial expression when Fatimah’s perverted uncle came onto her in Episode 8. That episode, by the way, had somewhat of a double meaning, being that Robert looked like a monster about to come out and kill Fatimah’s uncle from her closet, and because of the fact that during that episode the audience got to see that the kid Rodney was “in the closet” sexually, and was mean or monster-like when someone ever accused him of being gay.

But, getting back to Robert’s reactions when he saw the old male friend of Fatimah’s. It raised a question that I want to end this article on: Do people feel worse when they are cheated on physically rather than emotionally? If a person is really in love like Robert and Fatimah are, then either type of infidelity would hurt them greatly. The effects that result from such matters of the heart can be hard to measure precisely. But recently, researchers have dived into the subject to find out real evidence.

Science Daily published an article in early 2015 that contained remarks from David Fredrick, Ph. D., a professor at Chapman University. He led a study that examined 64,000 Americans (of all genders and sexual orientations) and how they honestly would feel about both types of cheating. Dr. Fredrick said that heterosexual men were the group that stood out the most, noting that they were the ones to get more jealous over sexual than emotional cheating. I guess we’ll just have to see what Director Florexile has in store for us when or if Robert and Fatimah go to the club that the young man (who seemed to have eyes for Fatimah) invited them to.

Episode 9: G Money’s Luck May Have Just Run Out Episode 9 Florexile is full of surprises. One of them happens to be the fact that things are finally catching up to people. For example Foot got confronted by his homeboy Flossy and sucker punched for leaving him in jail, and Casper has to explain why the corvette got stolen to Mr. Ramon’s daughter. But, what is probably the most potent case of someone reaping what they sow is G Money and his electronics he sells people that don’t ever work.

Remember a few articles ago when I let ya’ll know that G Money had a girlfriend, and how she was so upset with him about not wanting to go out? She was comparing her relationship to Robert and Fatimah’s, and was mad because G Money didn’t wanna put up his and her pictures together on Instagram. Anyway, now I kind of see why G Money didn’t wanna leave the house so much, or be exposed much. I think he may be being cautious about who is walking around the area, and who he has sold faulty items to.

G Money is what we call a “Booster” and it only takes seeing a few episodes to figure him out. He sells stolen stuff. Or if it’s not stolen, it’s broken, and only works long enough to get the money from someone, let them get home, and that’s when they find out that the electronic device doesn’t work. I remember when he tried to sell Robert a phone or a tablet in the hallway a few episodes ago. You know Robert is his friend and all, but he knows what G Money is up to. Robert is smart, and if he would have bought that from him and it didn’t work, then it would have messed up their friendship because G Money doesn’t pay anybody back.

“Man, you always trying to sell somebody something,” Robert said.

“I gotta eat, man,” G Money responded.

True indeed. We all gotta eat. But at what expense? Te worst feeling in the world is when you have to worry about where your money is coming from. You never have any peace when you have to keep looking over your back all the time, and that is the type of life G Money seems to live. One time in an earlier episode, he got a phone call from an angry customer at Robert’s house. G Money told him not to call him anymore and hung up. Big mistake.

There are two things in this world you don’t play with, a person’s money or their mama – if you do, you WANT drama. G Money has been selling bad equipment for a while now. And, even though he is just a kid in high school who thinks that it won’t come back on him, when you do something over and over again and you KNOW it’s wrong, eventually it will. Watch the full Episode 9, and you’ll see what I mean.

The Beautiful Tai Chi Boxing Scene

One of the things I enjoy the most about Director Wanly Florexile’s new series is the fact that he incorporates so many aspects of real life into the show, and shows a lot of different cultures and traditions as well. Two of them in Episode 9 are boxing and Tai Chi. In one wonderful scene, Wanly goes back and forth between the two, where the camera rests on an older Asian woman practicing Tai Chi in a peaceful park for a few moments, then it switches to the street boss Mercy and his friend Adolf during a boxing workout in the park.

I was wondering what the connection was between Tai Chi and boxing, being that it was a lovely set scene on Episode 9. So, as a journalist, naturally I did some research on the subject. Jake Mace has a Kung Fu and Tai Chi School and last year he did a comparison/demonstration video with boxer Eric Delgato. In it, he broke down the comparison that I believe Director Florexile was making in that nice scene on Love is Blind.

“Tai Chi and Boxing share a lot of principles,” said Mace. “In fact, Tai Chi is a part of Chinese Kung Fu, and that could be called Chinese Boxing. The Chinese have been “boxing” for thousands of years. So, a lot of the same movements and defense is in Tai Chi already.”

I thought that was pretty cool, but let me get back to the scene itself and what Mercy and Adolf were talking about. The two of them were still pondering about who actually sent that hit girl at Mercy trying to kill him in the restaurant. Mercy is thinking about a few people, mainly G and Jah, two of the other street bosses. He doesn’t really know for sure, but he tells Adolf that he cancels out Ralph the barber. He doesn’t feel that Ralph is smart enough to hire someone to kill him, but if you have been watching the show thus far you know just how smart Ralph is. Mercy says plainly, “All that dude knows how to do is cut hair…” but when you watch the episode you’ll see what I’m talking about when I say Ralph the barber has a lot of brains.

If Mercy is smart, he’ll listen to Adolf, that’s all I’ll say. I mean, he really does owe Adolf his life, being that if the big guy wasn’t in the restaurant that day, we might be speaking of Mercy in the past tense right now. Adolf is a smart hitman, a sharp shooter, and has a keen mind, being that he is closer to being right about who tried to kill Mercy at the moment. Mercy has so many people that owe him money that he doesn’t seem to be thinking straight right now.

Character Rivalries: Ralphie vs Adolf

These two right here, man…oh my god. What’s crazy about their rivalry on Wanly Florexile’s new series Love is Blind is that Ralphie’s initial conflict is really is not with Adolf per say. Their whole relationship revolves around the money Ralphie owes Mercy. You may be asking yourself why, then, I am labeling Ralphie and big Adolf as enemies. Well, I say that because it’s Adolf’s job to be Ralphie’s enemy - he’s Mercy’s bodyguard. Even though Mercy has said that he doesn’t have a quote unquote “bodyguard”, and that his protection is really his gun, I think we all know that Mercy wouldn’t be able to survive without big Adolf by his side.

Mercy doesn’t take Ralphie as seriously as he should. I mean, just because he’s a barber it doesn’t mean that the man isn’t dangerous. If you have been watching the show, you know what I’m talking about, with how Ralphie is plotting really heavily on Mercy. I’m just saying that Adolf would be more of Ralphie’s enemy because he seems to have a sixth sense about what the slick barber is up to. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but he knows that something is up.

It seems at this point that Adolf will protect Mercy until the day he dies, but these two friends just don’t think alike in many ways. Adolf has that good suspicious nature about himself, while Mercy is so cocky that sometimes we the audience look at him like he thinks he can’t be touched. Come on, now. It’s just like Adolf told him, when you have that many people that owe you money in Brooklyn, you always have those grimy ones thinking about reaching out and touching you in the worst way.

This series Love is Blind has a way of reflecting real life in Brooklyn like no other series can. This rivalry between Adolf the Bodyguard and Ralph the Barber starts to get really heated in later episodes. There is no denying that this bitterness between the two if faaarrr from over.

Stay tuned, and keep enjoying the series!

Limus Woods, Author of “The Official ‘Love is Blind’ Interactive eBook”, is a Professional Freelance Writer, and can be easily reached at [email protected].