Unknown Speaker (0:15): So the inspiration behind this conversation was really, I know, the cultural reckoning I had watching Amanda and Sierra. And really, this is the own the emphasis is on how Sierra is moving through this betrayal that she experienced with her friend of, let's see how many seasons, six, seven seasons or so. A lot. Where she has definitely positioned herself as her ride or die. And we are watching this betrayal happen in real time.

Unknown Speaker (0:49): But before we get to the actual betrayal, we see Sierra being the human that she is just comforting this woman through her this marriage that has gone awry, comforting her, just holding her. At one point, she's holding her face. And I swear to god, it was like the modern version of the help. You're smart. You remember?

Unknown Speaker (1:13): Beautiful. You got this. I will fight for you. And we are already knowing what the betrayal is, which just makes it extremely hard to watch. Now when this first happened, public sentiment was like, oh my gosh.

Unknown Speaker (1:30): I can't believe I can't believe this happened to her. Oh, audiences of all nations was really resonating with Sierra until Sierra spoke up. Until she spoke up about the ultimate layer, multiple layers of betrayal that has been surfacing since the betrayal. And she's speaking up and she's loud and she is unapologetic. Now it's, well, now she's a victim.

Unknown Speaker (1:55): Now she's playing a victim. I don't know what the big deal is. Why was she they were only together six months. The tide has completely turned in the favor of Amanda.

Unknown Speaker (2:06): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (2:07): Who is the betrayer. Right? I have to wonder how do we stop this cycle and how do we push on Bravo and production to really give our women, all women of color. And I'm not just talking about black women now. I'm also talking about Peggy on Real Housewives of OC.

Unknown Speaker (2:26): In fact, every woman, every woman of color that's been on OC, and that's a whole different segment that we will get into, has been villainized. Their first season usually takes three seasons to be villainized. They're villainized the first season. They don't last more

Unknown Speaker (2:37): for you.

Unknown Speaker (2:38): It's how do we transform that? I think we've reached the nodal line. So how do we, how do we turn it around? What is the transformation that needs to take place?

Kat (2:47): When things like the Amanda betrayal are happening right in front of us to Sierra. So when and we see this in real life, does that then make you feel a certain level of distrust and resentment?

Unknown Speaker (3:04): I would say, for example, if you saw your people, anyone from the Persian Valley style, anyone from the Shahs of Sunset integrated into a cast and you know what? I I'm gonna use Peggy on Real Housewives of Orange County and how her her culture, her sense of self was not celebrated from the moment she walked on the screen. She was immediately deemed problematic. I'm not Persian, obviously, but I felt that experience. And I wouldn't say that it makes me distrustful because I'm not the one with the problem.

Unknown Speaker (3:32): That's something that they own.

Unknown Speaker (3:35): Yeah, that makes sense.

Unknown Speaker (3:37): And, and, and more empathetic. Like when I saw Peggy, when I've seen Joe Della Rosa, Lizzie, all of those characters, Katie Janella most recently, I felt that. And, and I don't have to share their culture just to understand their pain because it's very much mimics what we go through.

Unknown Speaker (3:53): That's true.

Doctor Talley (3:55): So how do we find solution? How do we make this turn? It's first the movement towards liberating this naming system, overt and covert, that for black women to really understand, am I being cast in my authentic self or am I being cast based off of this archetype? I think we need to really recognize how we internalize and how we control those different types of images so that when we walk onto a scene, we know exactly what is expected. Now, of course, you want element of surprise, But then we also got to say I'm just going to say it.

Doctor Talley (4:33): If it doesn't fit your narrative, don't do it. Stop selling out yourself for a check. Stop selling yourself out to be on a screen. There's too many screens like the good edit that you can be on and still be able to get the notoriety and things, but you get to control the narrative. And I think we need to look at those images that Black women actresses and Latina actresses are finally controlling the narrative that this is what I'm choosing to do.

Doctor Talley (5:05): And so we have to first make the stance. You just because you bring something to me doesn't necessarily mean I have take everything that you feed me. We gotta stop trying to be part of a narrative and an image that downplays us as people with melon, people with culture and and vitality and all of those. I mean, the juiciness that they want to suck from, but then also suck it dry to where it's nothing and then move on. Let's get another person.

Doctor Talley (5:36): It's very much like a vampire. I'm gonna keep sucking you dry because you bring so much culture to my lack of culture and seasoning. And then I'm going to find the next person then when I'm done with you. And so we gotta make sure that we don't have everyone suck from our vein. That's something that I think if we're going to take this first step in a resolution and a turn is to really decide we're going to control our own image in the spaces that we choose, that is safe and that will elevate the message that we're trying to get out.

Unknown Speaker (6:11): Literally bravo. Literally bravo. Amazing. Yes.

Unknown Speaker (6:20): That's great.

Unknown Speaker (6:21): That journey that you took us on, and also, Kat, your question too, I definitely want to elevate that, is that what we can What I would like production to know as we end this is that what we see on screen and when we see ourselves represented, it means something to us. And we kind of carry it. I don't necessarily, for example, Kat, think I've walked away with distrust, but I've walked away with deep empathy for Veneta and commitment to really unmask some of these dynamics that we're doing today. Veneta and Sierra are really the inspiration behind this episode, to be honest with you. That's crazy.

Unknown Speaker (6:55): But also, I'm going to take with me and reflect on how this shows up in my real life in spaces where I have been in those situations where I felt, as you said, Doctor. Talley, my lifeline, my agency, my assets are being like sucked dry with nothing to gain, being sucked away, just being basically appropriated, you will, which is actually just a different level of cultural appropriation when you think about it, because it's so much about our culture to show up and to support. That's what we've been doing from day one. Even before we got here back in Africa, we've been doing the same thing. So that is, I would like to push for Bravo and some of these companies to give more programming, like you said, Doctor.

Unknown Speaker (7:38): Talley, to really show us authentic narratives of authentic women going through authentic struggles without their narratives being tainted for the consumption and the pleasure of white audiences who don't really want to see us anyway.

Doctor Talley (7:53): Exactly. And we can all carry Louis Vuitton, a Hermes bag, and drive a Bentley. And we can have $2,000 bundles and things of that nature because we are the because we have our own sense of wealth and culture. And it's not so much about the money. The money is great.

Doctor Talley (8:12): But when we talk about language and culture, that's what they're feeding off of. But we own that, and we need to own our own wealth for that and take care of that. And we get to choose how it's being, seen. Because at the end of the day, we're the blueprint.

Unknown Speaker (8:26): So you're gonna need us anyway. Kat, closing thoughts? Sorry, Kimberly.

Kat (8:30): This was a great discussion and thank you so Doctor. Talley and Kimberly for being our guests. I think we could use more of these conversations.

Unknown Speaker (8:39): Let's do that. I think so.

Unknown Speaker (8:42): Well, thanks so much for joining us. Invaluable. We will be continuing this conversation. I'm so excited. Audience listeners, you know what?

Unknown Speaker (8:51): No lie. Race is hard to talk about. Some people say, Why are you bringing race into it? Well, if this is an American television show, then we all know that race is very endemic to the American experience, and it's going to be talked about, just like other dynamics that come up. I want to just say this one closing thought, that when you see things happen to our Black archetypes on these shows, and they come back and they're trying to name their experience, and they're bringing the racial component into it, just like Garcelle did at that dinner with Dorit and Lisa.

Unknown Speaker (9:26): And she was trying to explain how hard it was for her to be in that room. The first comment that the audience will always say is, why are we playing the race card? Well, let me just tell you a little bit about that race card. America dealt that game first. So when you play that game to us, then we're going to deal back those cards.

Unknown Speaker (9:44): And our way at the Good Edit is dealing those cards back by having objective commentary about what is really happening on screens in this racial reckoning and this cultural reckoning that's happening that we watch every week and that it filters into our daily life. And with that, you know where to find us at thegoodeditunfiltered.com. And with that. See you later, ladies. Bye.