first two episodes supasel There could have been a more thorough focus on Sabrina (Nadine Mills) and the other women on the show. Instead, they serve primarily as supporting characters in the male narrative. So this episode of Sabrina is one I’ve been waiting for because it brings her superpower struggles into the spotlight. It turns out she did what many of us would do, especially as a health care worker — she consulted a doctor to check her brain.
Sabrina’s Powerful Narrative—Almost
Sabrina’s powers—the ability to push and move objects, or telekinesis—usually manifest as rage. While the narrative of black women being socially incapable of expressing anger is an important one to explore in superhero narratives, it’s frustrating to see that Sabrina’s powers and related anxieties also make her careless and spaced out. It’s annoying to see this trope being a significant part of the only major non-male character’s power and narrative.
Dion: Don’t control your own destiny
The episode is also more female-centric as it follows Dion (Adelayo Adedayo) away from Michael (Tosin Cole) during the workday. As a social worker, Dion uncovers information about a missing non-human woman, building more threads between the superhumans.
However, as Dion continues to investigate and brief Michael on the situation, he fires her and argues with her about getting involved, while refusing to reveal to her the real reason for his concern and anger: that he saw her tombstone. His refusal to grant Dion the power to live makes our golden boy superhero completely unappealing. If you watch the show through a feminist lens, it’s hard to root for him.
suspense resolved
The second episode centers on Taze (Josh Tedku) and ends on a cliffhanger with the imminent threat of violence. The third episode shows the analysis of this scene and is full of surprises. This makes the story feel more connected and less episodic, which becomes increasingly important as Michael uses his time travel powers more frequently. The tighter narrative allows Michael’s ability to get lost and destroy to enhance the quality of the story rather than make it more confusing.
Speed up and more “random” encounters
Michael’s powers also speed up the narrative, and we experience his confusion every time he tries to figure out how far he’s jumped.
As the show goes on, we see the characters have near misses with each other, and then the interactions become more and more direct with each episode. In the second episode, we see Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa) assist Sabrina in a distracted moment that could prove fatal. These growing connections show how the characters’ survival, safety – and possibly power – are intertwined.
Additionally, the increased presence of villain Kraz (Getz) puts Sabrina into protective mode and escalates the overall violence level. Villains exist to further tie the characters’ stories together.
Lack of control: power to do whatever you want
a topic supasel The characters’ agency over their powers has been explored since the first episode. In some cases, certain characters can control their powers at will. Other times, these powers appear to come into play randomly when in closer proximity to another character, or as a result of an emotional reaction.
The lack of control or agency in using the power they are given reflects the racial and socioeconomic issues of all the characters discussed in the first episode. In this way, show creator and executive producer Rapman makes a powerful statement about the stratification of England and society at large.
Sickle cell back in focus
The sickle cell plot thread returns in this episode after disappearing in episode two. Michael once again assists his mother at the sickle cell clinic, and Andre talks to his son AJ (Kay-Mani Carty) about the disease. As AJ points out, this again ties the show’s title to a disease that primarily affects black people.
This confirms that the bond between the characters is genetic, although the show’s title also reinforces how the characters need to rely on each other to survive, a message about the black community.
