{"id":2510,"date":"2026-09-25T19:42:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funkynubianrepublic.com\/convo\/2026\/09\/25\/south-central-saga-the-black-watch-digs-into-the-drop-wandas-redemption-lamars-good-kid-m-a-a-d-city-struggles\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:42:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:42:33","slug":"south-central-saga-the-black-watch-digs-into-the-drop-wandas-redemption-lamars-good-kid-m-a-a-d-city-struggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funkynubianrepublic.com\/convo\/2026\/09\/25\/south-central-saga-the-black-watch-digs-into-the-drop-wandas-redemption-lamars-good-kid-m-a-a-d-city-struggles\/","title":{"rendered":"South Central Saga: \u2018The Black Watch\u2019 Digs Into \u2018The Drop,\u2019 Wanda\u2019s Redemption & Lamar\u2019s Good Kid m.A.A.d City Struggles"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Source: Miles Caliboso \/ FX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Snowfall<\/em> <\/a>may have ended, but South Central\u2019s saga is far from finished, and BOSSIP and Cassius are digging into a new decade of drama, gang culture, and West Coast beats by way of a good kid in a m.A.A.d city.<\/p>\n

On the latest episode of The Black Watch<\/em>, the brands\u2019 editorial-led series that examines notable film and television projects through thoughtful discussion and cultural commentary, the panel unpacked\u00a0The Drop: A Snowfall Saga,<\/a><\/em> the spinoff that expands the universe created by the late John Singleton.<\/p>\n

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Source: The Black Watch \/ iOne Digital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BOSSIP Managing Editor Dani Canada was joined by comedian Richard T. Jones, producer Serita Wesley, and Jeremie Rivers to discuss the premiere, Wanda and Leon\u2019s return, the compelling crop of new characters, and whether The Drop<\/em> has what it takes to build on Snowfall<\/em>\u2019s celebrated six-season run.<\/p>\n

Set roughly four years after the events of the Snowfall<\/em> series finale, The Drop<\/em> reunites viewers with Wanda and Leon as they attempt to reinvent themselves in 1990s Los Angeles. The new series moves beyond the crack-era backdrop of its predecessor to explore a changing South Central shaped by gang culture and the rise of West Coast hip-hop.<\/p>\n

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For Richard, however, news of a return to the Snowfall<\/em> universe wasn\u2019t initially cause for celebration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first saw that they were going to do a Snowfall<\/em> spinoff, I was actually very upset because I was like, \u2018Leave it alone. Leave it alone. Leave it alone,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After one episode, however, he reconsidered. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo paraphrase the old church song, I am glad to be in the Snowfall<\/em> universe one more time,\u201d Richard joked.<\/p>\n

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Source: The Black Watch \/ iOne Digital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Serita was similarly surprised that Wanda would be at the center of the new story, but the series\u2019 leap into another era quickly piqued her interest.<\/p>\n

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Source: The Black Watch \/ iOne Digital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so happy that it\u2019s, like, \u201990s and everything else,\u201d she said. \u201cThat was the part for me that I was like, \u2018Okay, all right.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeremie needed even less convincing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHip-hop, West Coast, \u201990s? I\u2019m in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Source: The Black Watch \/ iOne Digital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The premiere puts Wanda front and center as she adjusts to life back in Los Angeles after returning from Ghana.<\/p>\n

According to Richard, the character\u2019s relentless drive makes her an ideal person to follow into the next chapter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWanda\u2019s a hustler. She been a hustler,\u201d he said. \u201cShe wakes up hustling.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that seeing her chase new dreams while still carrying the stigma of her past addiction \u201cseems like a natural evolution of the character.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serita agreed, but admitted it was difficult watching Wanda repeatedly reminded of who she used to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt for Wanda a little bit watching this first episode because I\u2019m like, at what point do you start trusting the former crackhead?\u201d she said. \u201cAddiction is a sickness. When can we let it go?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Source: Ray Mickshaw \/ FX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dani agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear she\u2019s cleaned herself up. She has a new job now. She\u2019s trying to get into the music business, and they\u2019re just like, \u2018There go crackish Wanda! Here comes Cracky!\u2019\u201d Dani joked. \u201cGive my girl some grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

That grace also comes, at least in part, from her ex Leon, who continues to see Wanda beyond her past.<\/p>\n

But while Dani credited him for still having Wanda\u2019s back, Richard said he\u2019s unimpressed by Leon\u2019s own history.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like Leon. Leon\u2019s a goddamn sociopath,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n

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Source: Ray Mickshaw \/ FX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of Richard\u2019s favorite moments in the premiere comes when Wanda and Leon sit on the hood of a car, and she forces him to face his own role in the devastation surrounding them, considering his previous drug dealing with Franklin Saint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWanda breaks it down, and Wanda is like, \u2018Look, you are directly responsible for our neighborhood being messed [up] right now. Not society, not the system, you,\u2019\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

For him, it was an overdue dose of accountability for a character who participated in flooding his community with crack before eventually walking away.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeon gets away scot-free,\u201d Richard added. \u201cYou have ruined an entire community, and you just get to walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Wanda and Leon provide the bridge to Snowfall<\/em>, The Drop<\/em> is already assembling its own crew.<\/p>\n

The premiere introduces Lamar, played by Asante Blackk; his brother James, portrayed by Peyton Alex Smith; and Artillery, played by Compton rapper Buddy.<\/p>\n

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Dani said she was intrigued by Lamar, while the rest of the panel weighed in on the cast members. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeyton surprised the hell out of me,\u201d Richard said. \u201cWhen that man sat down at that piano and played the piano, I was not expecting that as part of his character at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

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For Richard, James\u2019 decision to ride for his younger brother despite the danger surrounding him added another layer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point, Peyton\u2019s character, the piano plus riding for his little brother, after that I was like, \u2018This man could do no wrong.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeremie was similarly impressed by how quickly the premiere establishes James\u2019 priorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gotta remember, he\u2019s a Crip. He\u2019s going into Blood territory, but he\u2019s thinking about his brother,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s not thinking about gang culture. This is family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cTo see the character principles already being established and layered in the first episode, you\u2019re like, \u2018Okay, yeah, Peyton, he gonna be all right,\u2019\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Asante\u2019s Lamar also made a strong first impression, particularly during a tense sequence in which he attempts to make it home safely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had massive anxiety watching that scene of Lamar trying to get home,\u201d Serita said, praising Asante as an actor whose characters make viewers instinctively want to root for him.<\/p>\n

The pursuit also inspired one of the episode\u2019s less scholarly observations when Serita wondered why the Crips chasing Lamar were running \u201cfast as hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe athletic Crips,\u201d the panel joked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ACLU, Athletic Crips of Los Angeles,\u201d Dani quipped.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey need their own Olympics,\u201d Serita added.<\/p>\n

But Could Franklin Saint Come Crashing Back?<\/h3>\n

As promising as the new characters may be, The Drop<\/em> still exists in a universe indelibly linked to Damson Idris\u2019 captivating portrayal of Franklin Saint.<\/p>\n

And Dani couldn\u2019t help wondering whether the former kingpin could eventually come stumbling back into Wanda and Leon\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you be surprised if Wanda and Leon are out somewhere, walking around, and they stumble into the now kind of crackish Franklin Saint?\u201d Dani asked. \u201cI would love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard was immediately ready for Franklin to make a potentially chaotic cameo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love that too,\u201d he said, joking, \u201cFranklin gonna break into Wanda\u2019s car or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would be an idiot to not come back,\u201d Richard added.<\/p>\n

Jeremie suggested there\u2019s also room for the character to return in a much different condition than viewers last saw him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Wanda could get clean, Franklin could get clean if it\u2019s been four years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Watch The Black Watch<\/em> discuss The Drop: A Snowfall Saga<\/em> below!<\/h3>\n