‘The Get Down’ Recap, Episode 2: “Seek Those Who Fan Your Flames”

“Seek those who fan your flames.”

As pockets of the South Bronx are set ablaze, the dreams of those fighting to flourish–despite the grim reality of their surroundings–begin to dim. Backstories of the main characters continue to unfold, as does a love story between Books and Mylene, but episode two of The Get Down gives viewers a glimpse into the harsh conditions of the Bronx in the late ’70s, from the demolition of residential buildings to the growing drug epidemic.

Archival footage of the South Bronx is blended with impressive set design in such a way that authentically captures the energy of the time period. The portrayal of the borough, with the layering of old school samples and new music, commands nostalgia of an era you may have never lived through; viewers are transported back to a period of time vibrant with soundscapes, but also a time in which hope is dimming due to the wreckage of black and Latino communities. Luhrmann casted writers and actors with such talent that they make you feel as torn as they are. A prime example is Mylene’s mother, Mrs. Lydia Cruz (played by Zabryna Guevara), whose eyes are filled with disenchantment, except for when she hears Mylene speak of her dreams or stuns an auditorium full of churchgoers with her vocal prowess.

While twirling as she sweeps the floors of her father’s church (Pastor Ramon Cruz, played by Giancarlo Esposito), Mylene asks her mother what her dream was back when she was a teenager. “We didn’t think that way, querida,” she first says, but later reveals, with a widened smile, that she wanted to be a veterinarian. Oh, how her voice is reminiscent of many of the women I was raised by! That includes my mother, a woman of color whose dreams were placed on hold —or maybe even faded out— so she could offer the American dream to her family, in this country where people of color fight —and die— to simply live, let alone dream.

Another character whose dreams are tested is Shaolin. Near the end of episode two, Shaolin finds the worn down building where he resides up in flames. While Shaolin, Brooks, Ra-Ra, and Boo Boo go out to celebrate Shaolin mastering a DJ technique taught to him by Grandmaster Flash, Dizzee stays behind. As Dizzee places his pen to the wall, two kids are seen pouring gasoline down the hallways and one telling the other that “someone in the South Bronx [is] paying people to burn down houses.” It’s frustrating to see how those in power take advantage of kids’ mischievousness, persuading them to burn down their own city.

Shaolin races to try to save his record collection, but it’s too late. All day he and Brooks had been racking their brains trying to decode a lesson from Grandmaster Flash. They finally gained the knowledge they were looking for when Shaolin asked Fat Annie (Lilias White) for her blessing to be let out of the game, then only to revert back to it, being left with a clouded vision.

“This isn’t Disneyland, this is the fucking Bronx,” Shaolin tells Books, who pleads for him to reconsider going back to his old lifestyle. “Either you be strong or you be gone. Either you beat the world or get beat.”

It’s funny, the tables have turned for the same reason Books pleads for Shaolin to reconsider going back to his old lifestyle: it’s because he sees his potential. Also, perhaps he fears that if Shaolin leaves, so will the hope that Shaolin has sparked within him and the rest of the Fantastic Four Plus One. “Seek those who fan your flame,” reads the graffiti painted on the subway train in this particular episode.

As much as things change, things stay the same. Yes, The Get Down takes place close to 40 years ago, and yet here we are in the year 2016 stuck with a presidential candidate that calls Mexicans rapists and police officers that have been aimlessly killing people of color (a majority of whom are black men). Tucked in the middle half of episode two is a scene featuring Cisco, in which he recites keys that apply to today.

As a community is at the brinks of giving up, Cisco continues to plan to rebuild it, “It’s such bullshit, man. House is white, picket fence is white, but do all the model people have to be white?” he asks, while picking up a figure of his life-size community model. “These mother fuckers, they can’t conceive brown people and black people owning homes.”

Even today, it feels like people of color can be easily approved for a car loan or student loan, but God forbid we ask for a business loan or a house loan to achieve success. Thankfully, as in the series and in real life today, brown and black people are standing in solidarity against injustice, from recommending to turn to black-owned businesses to rallying when issues affecting culture arise. One theme I hope gets highlighted in upcoming episodes is the unity between brown and black people on a macro level, beyond Books and Shaolin’s budding friendship.

[Watch the “Seek Those Who Fan Your Flames” episode of The Get Down on Netflix]

Erika Ramirez–born in San Jose, CA and based in Brooklyn, NY–is a freelance writer, editor, and producer. She’s the founder of digital magazine, ILY, which is about love. She’s held editorial positions and written for various outlets as Billboard, ROOKIE, NPR, Milk Studios and more. Follow her on Twitter: @3rika