‘Black-ish’ Recap: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun
By Bené Viera ·
The Johnsons finds themselves in the ever so polarizing gun control debate after a series of break-ins ravage their neighborhood. Dre wants to exercise his 2nd Amendment right to protect his family while Bow is staunchly against it. She especially doesn’t want a gun anywhere near the kids. Speaking of the kids, they don’t feel safe anymore since they found out their dad was lying about having a gun. Now that they know the truth they all go in overdrive to create ways to protect themselves. Pops offers to teach Zoey karate. Instead he’s teaching her how to Pledge the hardwood table, vacuum and clean the bathroom.   Considering how often Dre’s coworkers give him bad advice, it’s amazing he still tells him his business, but he does. Boss man Stevens is a card carrying member of the NRA. Charlie tells him to get the gun. When he realizes he’s on the same side of the debate as the foolish guys at work he rethinks his position. His change of heart doesn’t last long. By the time he makes it home from work another neighbor has been robbed. Bow doesn’t think violence is ever the solution even if you’re trying to protect yourself. She is armed with statistics on all the things that can go wrong with a gun in the house. Statistics don’t mean a thing to Dre who is so dead set on getting this gun. The gun argument moves to the bedroom. “You are lucky we don’t have a gun in the house or I’d shoot you right now,” Bow snipes. Dre pulls out his arguments scorecard. He has lost the battle of owning a motorcycle and putting a urinal in their master bathroom. He thinks it’s time he wins one, so he’s getting this gun no matter what Bow says. The twins have packed their bags to go live with the family down the street who owns a gun. They’ve lost all confidence in their goofy dad who put his pants on over his head. Zoey is still learning karate, a.k.a. how to take chore orders from Pops.     While at the gun shop, Dre sees firsthand that the process to buy a gun needs to be modified. An elderly lady was able to get a shotgun with no hassle, but because Dre wants a handgun he has to fill out paperwork, take a test and wait 10 days. The twins take matters into their own hands with a Home Alone strategy. If Macauley Culkin can do it, why not them? Bow tries to change her hubby’s mind during the 10-day waiting period. The fact that one person every five minutes gets shot, according to Bow, doesn’t work. Bribing him with a motorcycle doesn’t either. A nice game of rock, paper, scissors should settle it once and for all. Dre throws out his trigger finger. “What is that?” Bow asks. “Gun. Gun beats everything.” So Bow withholds sex and gives him the silent treatment. Cold world.       As Bow is ignoring Dre in the bed, she hears a thump downstairs. The kids rush in the room. Everyone thinks someone has broken in. Dre panics, and it’s Bow who yells, “Dre, get the gun!” Dre can’t get the gun out the box fast enough so he points the box at the intruder. Only the intruder is Pops.     Bow is really disappointed in encouraging him to grab the gun when they felt unsafe. She hates guns more than how Levi’s fit. But they finally have an honest talk where Dre opens up about the violence in his ‘hood growing up and feeling like having a gun is the only way to not become a victim. She respects it and lets him make his own decision. Pops comes clean to Zoey. He doesn’t know karate; he carries a gun. He jokingly says he’s shot a lot of black belts. Pops tells his son he’s done good for himself. The family is in a good neighborhood. He agrees to hold the gun (and lock it up) for Dre until he learns gun safety, then he can make his decision. Everybody wins, except now, Pops can pull the “I’m armed, don’t mess with me” card whenever he wants.

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