Review: The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder “Father Figures”

Overview

Word gets out that Maya and KG are adopted children of gay fathers which sends the kids and Oscar into a frenzy. That latter part is actually important, because Oscar’s trying to get a loan for his new business and one of Maya and KG’s dad’s, Randall (Billy Porter), happens to be the local bank’s loan officer. To help smooth things over, somebody with a large social premise alerts the neighborhood that Maya and KG are having an all-you-can-eat gumbo party which gets everyone in town on the same page as we dance the night away.

Our Take

Loved this episode. Just as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill passes and people are questioning Disney’s recent contributions to political opponents of gay rights, Disney+ premieres this episode that focuses on insensitivity surrounding gay rights. Black culture’s reaction to gay rights is a prism that really hasn’t had much focus in any medium, and The Proud Family firmly plants a flag as to where this franchise stands. Show creator Bruce Smith made a promise that this series wouldn’t just feature a token gay character, and instead, promised a whole cast of characters that are across the spectrum. Obvious examples so far include Michael’s non-binary aesthetic, and the Leibowitz-Jenkins parents, with the latter getting the focus this week.

The execution is near flawless, and I’d be lying if I didn’t shed a bit of a tear during the exquisite party scene. I did feel some audio production issues for voice records, most notably during the bank loan scene where it sounded like Tommy Davidson was recording in a cardboard box, and that alone almost sent me going crazy. But, the message from the episode was so important and so well done, I let it slide. I would’ve liked to have seen a bit more of Penny’s contributions, like organizing some sort of a march or something, but with the limited run-time I can see where a lot of good ideas maybe just would not have been able to fit.

The irony of the episode is that it almost felt like a season finale, but we’re getting six more episodes on the way and I think this show has found it’s groove rather quickly which makes me that much more excited to see what’s coming down the pike.