After six long months, The Get Down: Part 2 has come to our televisions and Netflix-friendly devices. Just like Part 1, Part 2 delivers the same gorgeous cinematography, excellent music, and heart-wrenching plots.
The last we saw The Get Down Brothers and Shaolin Fantastic, they were on the cusp of breaking into something big with the emerging get down. Mylene and the Soul Madonnas were also hitting into the disco world with their religious dance music. Now months later, each group are rising in ranks of popularity.
Part 2 changes up the mode of storytelling this time around, however. A lot of exposition and transitional moments take place in Dizzee’s comic book retellings. The comic book exposition offers something unique, but as a whole it feels unnecessary to have it. They could have easily told the same story live without the use of animated cut scenes.
That being said, a lot of what happens in these comic tellings seem too fantastic (Shaolin Fantastic to be exact) to be a part of the grounded, melodramatic narrative. Animated sequences aside, part 2 is just as strong as the first part.
Zeke and Mylene, both rising stars, are dealing with their stardom and their relationship. In the first and second episodes, they have what would be a typical struggle in trying to stay together and connected. Unlike most other shows, they pull through really fast. They love each other, they want the other to be successful– even if Mylene doesn’t agree with the lifestyle that Zeke’s success coincides with, namely Shaolin’s involvement.
The B-plot involving Shao and the other Get Down Brothers all deals with the gritty underside of the get down that Mylene doesn’t like. Being involved with Fat Annie has its perks and its drawbacks, more on the latter side. In fact, Fat Annie is the reason we get to see the most epic and grand of music numbers in the last episode.
The music was great for this part, especially Mylene’s numbers. After all, this show is set during the height of disco and the rise of hip hop. Part 2 delivers the two different styles and genres tying them in with the drama that’s involved with both.
At the very tail-end of part 1, we saw Dizzee becoming exposed to the LGBTQ world. It was a surreal experience for the character and the viewer. The hope was to see that exploration and his development as he entered that world. But such was not the case, as Thor was shelved for this part, and Dizzee was out of commission for a majority of these episodes.
For being such an amazingly well done diverse show, The Get Down does fail in that regard. With Dizzee and Thor out of the picture, the only glimpse of potential of same-gender attraction could make a case with Shaolin himself. Multiple times his relationship with Zeke is used as a jab. Shao really does care about Zeke, that much is clear. But it’s ambiguous to what those feelings are. He clearly doesn’t have any feelings for the women he’s shown with, and his misogynistic nature could be read as internalized heterosexuality showing itself in distaste.
In the moments Dizzee is present, he continuously alludes to going to the opera. Coming out of the end of both parts 1 and 2, the entire show can be read as such. Part 1 shows the origins, everyone on the brink of fame. Part 2 features the fall, the tragedy, the ambiguous open-ending that leans towards the positive… at least for our two rising stars. The others? Not so much.
The Get Down: Part 2 resolved all the plot lines, and opened it up to new ones as well. I would love to see more, especially with Dizzee coming into his own sexuality (assuming things go right for him after that ending). But there’s no word on being renewed for a second season, and frankly this show overall seems to be one of Netflix’s sleeper content. It’s a fantastic show, but I don’t see other media talking about it. It’s certainly no Stranger Things, and one has to wonder why that is.
Perspective in Color 