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• Niq & Jess • Episode 10

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Supercell plunges into the lives of five South Londoners who gain extraordinary powers tied to their identities and struggles, shedding light on familial bonds and tough choices. The episode examines Michael's race against time to save his fiancée Dion and Sabrina's complex dynamics with her irresponsible sister Char amidst newfound powers, raising profound questions about love, agency, and responsibility.

• Discussion on Michael's character and his desire to save Dion 
• Exploration of Sabrina's telekinesis and her role as an older sister 
• Analysis of the relationships among the characters and their superpowers 
• Commentary on the integration of sickle cell disease into the narrative 
• Reflection on moral dilemmas around knowledge and choice in relationships

Contact Niq & Jess

Niq:

Hi friends, welcome back to our next episode with Niq and Jess, and today I'm super excited because we're going to be discussing Supercell. Yes, absolutely Great show I'm excited because I'm a sci-fi fantasy girly and so this is like our first like sci-fi show, so it's in my wheelhouse, really really excited. Of course, I loved the show. You know what we have not missed in choosing shows so far? They have all been awesome, very different from each other, absolutely, but really good.

Jess:

It's some good tea right now.

Niq:

Yeah, I'm excited, okay. So Jessica, our synopsis queen, please give us a synopsis of Supercell, all right?

Jess:

So Supercell is about five South Londoners who all of a sudden develop a different superpower Out of the blue. They find each other, they connect and they try to navigate both having the superpower and the different agencies that are coming after them. Because they have a superpower, everybody in the series is Black. They eventually learn that it's called supercell and it is a derivative of the sickle cell gene, which primarily targets African people. Of uh targets african people, african descended people yeah yeah, which is not mutated into a superpower you know what is so funny?

Niq:

do you know what I thought about? Do you remember in the summer when, like there was like some sort of astrological event and white people thought we were all getting superpowers?

Jess:

in december. It was in December a couple years ago during the pandemic.

Niq:

Was it during the pandemic? Was it like a red sun or something?

Jess:

I can't remember what the thing was, but we were supposed to get our superpowers December 21st.

Niq:

That's what it made me think of. I'm like, oh okay, this is how we're going to get our superpowers, because I definitely am a sickle cell carrier.

Niq:

I don't have it yeah, I'm a carrier, my sister's a carrier, my mom is a carrier and so, yeah. So I was like, oh, does that mean I'm going to get my? This is the way that I'm going to get my powers? I'll take it. I'll take it Because sickle cell is very serious.

Niq:

We had to test my husband to make sure that he wasn't a carrier because I'm a carrier just to find out if there was a chance of our child having sickle cell. But it turns out he's not a carrier, which is hilarious to me because I was the first person to ever ask him to get tested. He has four other children and no one has ever asked him to get tested before, and I'm like, well, maybe they weren't sickle cell carriers. He was like I have no idea, I've never heard of people getting tested and I just knew. I knew I was a carrier even before the genetic testing, because my mom and my sister were carrier. And I knew I was a carrier even before the genetic testing because my mom and my sister were a carrier. I told my doctor I'm like I'm going to be a carrier, like you can test me, I already know I'm going to be a carrier.

Jess:

And.

Niq:

I was right, I was a carrier. So yeah, sickle cell is quite, quite serious. So I want to get into the characters in the show because the show takes place in a small area. It all it takes place in south london. But the lives that each character leads very, very different, very different.

Niq:

Yes, so I think that there is. They did a really good job with creating, um, like a world you know, like, and so I love, I love, I love world building. So the first person I want to talk about is let's call him, I guess, kind of the, the leader of the group, and his name is michael.

Jess:

Okay, okay I really liked michael. I do so. Michael is yeah, he's. He's the focus of the first episode. Each episode is named after a different character and then the last episode is named Supercell, because we kind of figure out what it is. Michael is just an upstanding young guy. He's a delivery man. He is about to propose to his fiance when all this kind of happens and he finds out he's got a superpower and it just completely disrupts and derails his life because he figures out that he can travel to the future and he can teleport. Teleportation by far is the best superpower to have. And then in the future he finds out that his fiance is going to die in five months.

Niq:

And so here's the thing that I want to discuss, and so I might as well ask the question now Do you think that their superpower correlates with who they are as a person?

Jess:

I do. I didn't like, until we kind of talked about a pregame I didn't really think about it. But yeah, now that you said something I absolutely do, because so what Michael has run up against is time and that's what he can affect. He's got only five months, or at least it appears that way, with his fiance and so he can kind of move through time he can also. I don't know how the teleport necessarily connects, but it's just a cool superpower to have. But yeah, the time travel definitely seems to kind of go with. Well, his situation. I don't know about his personality, but his situation.

Niq:

Yeah. So I feel like that Michael's focus is building a life with his girlfriend, dion, and he wants forever with her. So, yeah, I think his, his power, manifests in in trying to create a forever with her. So I think, like he can teleport so that he can be where he needs to be, he can stop time also, and he can. He can teleport so that he can be where he needs to be. He can stop time also, and he can time travel and I think that's all in service of he's trying to move his life forward, he's trying to create this life with Dion. So, yeah, I think that's why his power manifested the way that it did.

Niq:

And I agree that in this instance, his power is the most powerful Because whenever he's in a life-threatening situation, like he got stabbed, he was able to go back in time to relive that moment, to do it again. He's been able to, like, stop a bullet. So, as far as preservation of his own personal life, he is extremely, extremely powerful. And I agree with you that he is a good guy, and he's not a good guy in the normal good guy tropes, no, he's just actually a good person. He's one man that loves one woman. Yes, he works and he doesn't have like the flashiest job, but he has a good job that is consistent. He like takes care of his girlfriend, she works, they take care of each other. They have a loving relationship.

Jess:

I'm like, oh my god, it's amazing, it's beautiful, they are so cute together.

Niq:

But if you really think about it, you hardly ever see men like Michael on TV. You really don't men like Michael on.

Jess:

TV? You really don't, but agreed also on TV.

Niq:

Like he is, just literally. He's like he's a good guy who's not trying to use the fact that he's a good guy as a weapon or as a way to control. I really like him. I really like him and I'm going to tell you the only thing that I hold against him is when he goes to the future and he finds out Dion, who he just proposed to, is going to die when he comes back to the present.

Niq:

He does not tell her immediately. He waits till the very last possible second to tell her. And I understand his reasoning. You know, it's not that I don't understand his reasoning, but I don't think it's fair to take away her agency. You know, I feel like you know, her future is not in his hands solely, it's in their hands. Ok, his hands. Solely it's in their hands. Okay, you know.

Niq:

And so if he would have talked to her immediately, I feel like they could have came up with more of a game plan, because, in his desire to save her, I feel like he actually put her in more danger. Okay, how did he put her in more danger? Because, if you think about it, he's like going out and he's looking for the people, because he feels like, if he can get the other supers together, he can save her life. But to her, because she doesn't know what's going on, he is like being distant, he's having secrets, he's being shady and she knows he has powers. She doesn't know what's going on with the power, so she starts her own investigation, and now she keeps ending up in these dangerous situations. Because she doesn't know what's going on with the power, so she starts her own investigation, and now she keeps ending up in these dangerous situations because she doesn't know what's going on and she's trying to figure it out.

Jess:

If they had more transparency, I feel like she would have been better protected okay and that makes sense and and just go along with him being a good guy. It seems abnormal for their relationship like they seem like the couple that's usually close, share everything, talk about everything, and I get it. He's going through. You just decided that you I'm not decided, you just found out you had these powers and now you're trying to cope with that, as well as cope with the fact that you might lose this person that is so important to you, been in your life for a long time.

Jess:

But y'all, I don't know they're planning, like them, trying to talk about the powers, like they just were never on the same page and it just felt like so unlike them. But what y'all can imagine, sometimes when you have this crazy crisis happen, yeah, it throws you off and I think that's what was kind of going on with them as well. But I didn't do that with them because I'm like, oh, y'all are so adorable and and that's why she kind of goes into her own investigation. So I get that, I do get that. But at the same time, I keep trying to think would I want to know? And I can't really get a clear answer Like would I want to know?

Niq:

it was my last five months hey, what details did you find out? Where was I? I'm trying to avoid it. I'm definitely not running headfirst into danger. I'm like, okay, well, do I need to move? I'm going to go see my cousins in Africa. I'll be back in a year.

Jess:

I'm definitely going to be ghost the whole month of July. July 9th is when she's supposed to die the whole month of July. I'm done, but did him. Finding out and trying to find the other speed up her timeline I think so once again.

Niq:

I don't know in this world how it works. I don't know if he can actually affect the timeline that drastically, like if saving her was ever possible. I don't know. But what I definitely know is the way that he handled it. Sped up her death. It did. It definitely sped up her death.

Jess:

The first season and it's months before she was supposed to die and it's still in the hands of the people that were supposed to kill her Right and here's the before she was supposed to die.

Niq:

And it's still in the hands of the people that were supposed to kill her Right. And here's the thing I I even though I don't agree with how he handled the situation, it does not take away from how I feel about him as a character. I still think he's a great guy. I you know he's in a terrible situation. What a different choice than what I would have wanted to be made for me and what choice I would have made. But I don't hold it against him. I'm just so sad for them because they were such a great couple and.

Niq:

I'm like, is there some way in season 2 that we're going to get her back?

Jess:

I don't know we are. I just need to believe that. What do you know? I don't know anything. I'm not ready to let go of her as a character In my mind. She's coming back, he's going to figure out something, he's going to learn how to work these powers better, but I'm not ready to let go of her. I can't even deal with it.

Niq:

I don't I can't, I can't even deal with it and I don't know. But I feel like he said that he was like that he was like he wasn't going to go back and try to save her. But maybe that was just like in the moment, just deep sorrow.

Jess:

I don't know.

Niq:

Like yeah, but that.

Jess:

He said he was going to the future for more information. So once you get that information, you've got more power. Listen, this is not the last time we're going to see this woman. Okay, I'm not ready to let her go yet, and it may be two or three seasons before I finally be like, okay, fine, she's not coming back, but I'm not ready at this point.

Niq:

Which is amazing, that this show was six episodes but they were able to make us care so deeply about them, like the pacing on this show was so good. It was like to tell the story that they told in six episodes is really amazing, because here's the thing they could have gave me 10. They could have gave me 12. They could have gave me 20. I was going to be tuned in. Do you hear me? The story was on point Every episode. I'm like, like you know, it was a great, great show but honestly, being able to tell a story in that short amount of time is an elite skill that a lot of people don't. They don't have kudos to rap man, who created this show. Kudos to you, okay.

Niq:

So the next character I want to discuss. I feel like we're going to probably talk more about Michael as we start to talk more about the characters, because they start to interact with each other. The other characters are a part of Michael's story, also because Michael's goal is to save Dion and his future self told him in order to save Dion, he had to gather these other supers together, so that became his goal and he doesn't know any of these people, like he only gets their first names and even though he's like met a couple of them, he did not know who they were when he met them. So once again, he's just trying to whack-a-mole. They would pop up and then they would disappear. He was running around in the same place, but not realizing it.

Niq:

I'm like okay, who do you want to talk about next?

Jess:

Who are you going to say?

Niq:

I interrupted you, actually, I'm sorry, I was going to give you a choice. I'm going to say do you want to talk about Andre or do you want to talk about Sabrina? Sabrina, okay. So Sabrina is the only girl in the group and she is a nurse, and I don't know how old Sabrina is. You know, she's like just a beautiful Black woman, late 20s early 30s is what I think. She's a nurse, which means and she's a black woman.

Jess:

She could be anywhere between 21 and 50, because we don't age but no, the reason why I say late 20s, early 30s is because she's the oldest. Her sister is old enough to not to be in graduate school, so she's not like the sister is not early 20s and that we know she's older than her.

Niq:

So say late 20s, early 30s, at the oldest 30s, okay so Sabrina, like I said is, is a nurse, um, and she loves her job. She's highly motivated, she's working really hard, she's like trying to get like a promotion and, as you said, she's the oldest sister and I guess their parents have gone back home to whatever their home country is, it sounds like so she lives with her younger sister, who is not that young. I feel like her sister behaves like a teenager and, as you said, that woman is in graduate school she's in graduate school, she's doing her dissertation, but you still act like a child when it suits you.

Niq:

Absolutely, Absolutely.

Jess:

She definitely does Full disclosure we so babied our little sister that she's got kids and she will still jump back into their role if she wants to.

Niq:

That is very true. She will always and forever be baby girl. She will. But the difference is is that her sister, charlene, is irresponsible in every way possible, like our baby sister, just likes to be spoiled and made to feel special. But, charlene, I don't understand her. You are in graduate school, but the decisions that you make in your life are crazy. Like she's dating a drug dealer. She's trading a kingpin, the major kingpin.

Jess:

She's dating a kingpin? Yes, and you in graduate school. It doesn't make any sense. You're about to get a doctorate. Where are you going to take him? You can't take crazy to none of these dinner parties, or nothing.

Niq:

Right, his name is Craig, but he goes by the nomer crazy and he is every bit of the word. He's also physically and emotionally abusive to her. Why is her doctorate in? I can't figure it out. What could she be studying? Being a bird is the only thing that I could think of, because I'm like why are you with this? He has nothing going for him.

Jess:

Nothing. He offers you nothing. Nothing, I mean he fine, but that shouldn't be enough for you at this point in life.

Niq:

I agree, because his personality is trash and no amount of being handsome can fix your personality If your personality is trash.

Jess:

That's a mistake you make in your teens and early 20s. That is not a 26, 28 year old mistake.

Niq:

So because Sabrina feels like she is responsible for her as the oldest daughter, she kind of mothers her in a lot of ways. Yeah, and she's very yes, she does. She like she has made it her responsibility to make sure that her sister is OK and her sister has decided that she is going to do everything she can to put herself in compromising positions, including dating a drug dealer. But going to the club and being all up on another man who actually ends up trying to assault her, deciding that she wants to go to like the biggest trap house I've ever seen to buy drugs. She just makes poor decisions. Do you remember that club in Atlanta?

Jess:

The compound that had different music in different rooms. It's like the trap house version of that. They got different drugs in different rooms and it is just huge. It is the hugest trap house ever. And she takes Char gets on my nerves. Char is a sister. Char gets on my nerves because she so takes advantage of Sabrina. She knows the fact that Sabrina's going to come in and save her and so she just makes horrible decisions. But even before she learns that Sabrina has a superpower, I feel like you've been doing this. You've been doing this as irresponsible as possible. You know your big sister's coming to save you and it's completely unfair and uncalled for.

Niq:

Yeah, I don't understand their relationship and I understand sisterly dynamic, but I don't understand. I don't understand. Her sister's too old to act the way that she acts, and Sabrina honestly needs to let her fall on her face a bit more, because that is the only thing that's going to snap her out of the situation, and so Sabrina's in that situation. So the powers that Sabrina has is that she has the power of telekinesis, so she can move things with her mind. She's and she's very powerful, very powerful, um, and yeah's very powerful. She can, and we learned that in the future she'll actually be able to fly using this power, but she, yes, she is, she is very, very powerful. So how do you think her power correlates with her situation?

Jess:

Let's see, she can move things out of the way, move any kind of objects or obstacles, and that's kind of what she's been doing all her life with her siblings.

Niq:

Yeah, I agree. I think she has always had to pave the way clear the way. She's always had to be forceful. She's had the responsibility as the oldest child and I think that that's how her power physically manifests, and I just think that that is everything.

Jess:

Everything else, because she has to be perfect while cleaning up all the messes of the youngers.

Niq:

Yeah, so I think it's a perfect power for her situation and I think that they really did a good job of creating that correlation. I need to find an interview with the creators of this show.

Jess:

I need to.

Niq:

I need to. I would love to have a, would love to see them have an in-depth discussion, but as a character, I love Sabrina. I do. She's a good she. Once again, like Michael, I feel like she's a good person, and the thing that they have in common is they both had their life together before this situation happened, and the power disrupts their life absolutely, and I think that's why it takes so long for them both to understand their power, understand how to use their power and come to accept their power, because the power is not something that has helped them. It's only really been a, a hindrance and an issue in stopping them from moving forward. So they actually had that in common.

Jess:

They do have it in common and do you feel like the sister's behavior char you can tell char got on my nerves. Um, now, the girl who played it, she played the hell out that part. But char gets as a character, gets on my nerves. Do you feel like her behavior is amplified when she realized her sister had that power?

Niq:

uh no, she was already the worst and she just kept being the worst. I don't even. I don't because she was already doing too much it putting herself in. Remember when she was in the alley with the guy who ends up trying to assault her? She did, even though she had seen her sister use her power. She didn't believe that her sister had power. She thought that her sister, like, hit her, her ex-boyfriend, with something, and so she. But she was still putting herself in extreme situations and so initially, when Sabrina attacked the guy that was trying to assault her, sabrina was literally beating him with her shoe. She did not use her powers and they were walking away and her sister turns around and goes back to fuss at the guy some more instead of leaving. I the. She is just irresponsible and reckless. I don't think the powers, I don't think she acted worse because she found out her sister had powers. She is the worst and that is it.

Niq:

And when you put like she, like the actress did a great job. Here's the thing. When it comes, when it comes to performances, no notes, no. No, everybody did their big one, excellent acting. No notes, no notes. Okay, I lie. One note Dion's wig was terrible and I'm like you could have stopped any any uk girly and asked them to install that wig.

Niq:

Those girls, their wigs be on point. I don't know why dion's wig look like that. That's the only thing. But that's not an acting note, that I don't know that. I'm like'm like. I see those girlies on TikTok. Their makeup is always on point and their hair is always flawless. I don't know what was going on with Beyonce. That was bothering me. I swear that wig was a paid actor. It was doing stuff to me. I'm like we were the paid actor. It was doing stuff to me. I'm like is it moving? What is going on? Why can I see the lace? But other than that, no notes, no notes. When Charlene did their hair to go to the club, first of all, their outfits when they went to the club, oh my God.

Jess:

Amazing. Okay, so good. Okay, here's the other thing. When they were getting ready to go to the club and Sabrina first had on that track suit, I'm like Sabrina only agrees to go to the club with Shara. Shara keeps trying to get her to go when she realizes that Crazy is supposed to meet her there and she's like, again you're going for protection, trying to get her to go when she realizes that crazy is supposed to meet her there. Again you're going for protection, because that first outfit you put on was a black tracksuit and that's an I'm-a-fight-somebody tracksuit. Okay, I know how you dress when you're about to fight somebody. You put on all black. You want clothing that you can move in. She got her hair out of her face. She probably had Vaseline in her purse. She was going and just in case she had to whoop this dude's ass she was not going to be huge and Char stopped her. That's the one good thing Char did was stop her and change that outfit because she looked. Both of them looked incredible.

Niq:

Oh my god, like their hair, their outfits. I said oh Girl, that gold dress yes.

Jess:

They I said oh.

Niq:

Girl, that gold dress, yes, that gold dress. They look so good, they look so good. I was like man, these sisters are bad, they are bad. But I'm sorry, I feel like I got off topic. But yeah, so I think that there are correlations between Michael and Sabrina, because they both had their life together and how they accepted and how they accepted their powers.

Jess:

Thank you so much for joining us today. Join us next week as we continue to dive into supercell.