“The D.L. Chronicles: Episode Thomas” is an odd little beast. On one hand it triumphantly swaggers around the room with its’ chest out, boasting its high quality filmmaking, exceptional writing and superb acting. On the other hand it carries a weight of a stale name and dated history that’s akin to an early 90s rapper still trying to stay relevant in these teenage years of the 21st century.Yes, I’ll explain. First a little backstory. I’m a discreet masculine Gay Black Man who’s not in the closet. Some would argue that Discreet and Closeted are the same thing, I disagree. I freely live my sexual and intimate life without letting that wholly define who I am. While I’ve never technically been “on the down low”, I know full well the misdirection that comes with being “discreet.” Although I’ve never been directly asked if I was Gay by friends or family, in the past I’ve still used all of the typical tricks to just not have to deal with the subject at all: Changing pronouns, blaming work for lack of a girlfriend/wife, etc.
Even with all that, I’ve never dated women while simultaneously dating/sleeping with men. This fact brings me back to “The D.L. Chronicles.”
We start with the same opening theme from the previous episodes and Chadwick’s familiar voice giving us commentary. Keep this in mind; I’ll get back to this because I think it’s is one of the biggest flaws of the film. Next we dive into the story and immediately you get the sense you’re in the hands of real filmmakers. We’re quickly introduced to all of the main characters, the world and the conflict in a visual way, not with the characters telling us the backstory through forced exposition. We slowly get pieces to the puzzle and build on the character of Thomas Gavin, played by Gabriel Corbin. The performance given by Corbin is both subtle and commanding as he’s able to carry many scenes with a wide range of emotion without even speaking a single word.The title character Thomas is a firefighter who has recently been paralyzed during an accident while on duty. A physical therapist-slash-caretaker Steven Nevins (Johanny Paulino) comes on board to help Thomas gain both confidence and independence while adjusting to his handicap. Feeling pushed away is Thomas’ best friend and neighbor Columbus (DeLaRosa Rivera) who tries his best to lift the mood of his buddy who’s clearly going through a depression. All of the actors deliver nuanced, engaging, non-stereotypical performances that help us instantly believe the depicted relationships of the characters on screen. This is a testament to the on-screen talent, the casting choices and the film’s directors guiding them correctly.
With everything I loved about this new episode, there were some significant problems I had with the film and the continuation of the franchise in general. First off, while pretty much the entire film was very easy to follow, I did get slightly taken out of the narrative in a few instances. The main shock came at the tail end of an otherwise engaging dream sequence. There’s an odd reveal in there that is just plain confusing and distracting. Very surprised the filmmakers not only chose to photograph it that way, but also to leave it in the edit at all.
Secondly, this film would definitely be better served as its own separate identity. Putting this under the antiquated banner of “D.L.” is a misnomer. It feels like calling a new model Nissan Maxima a Datsun, the car manufacturers name from many years ago. True the film is from the same writer/directors and involves gay content, but the meaning of “down low” has changed a lot since 2007 and this new complex film incarnation doesn’t fit the current urban definition. Just like the term “discreet” carries a lot of misdirected negative weight, the term “down low” makes us imagine bisexual men hooking up and whoring around with men and women simultaneously. This film, thankfully, has none of that.
I can understand LeNear and Gossett’s business decision to retain the recognizable name from a series with a pre-existing audience, but it may be time to let it go. Let this eagle soar and stand apart from its older brother. The original series only had 4 episodes over FIVE years ago, as great as they were, that’s not really what I’d call an example of a strong, winning brand worth holding on to for dear life. The opening sequence featuring familiar music and Chadwick’s narration literally add nothing to the film. To be honest, even under threat of Zero Dark Thirty torture, I’d be hard pressed to even remember what was said by Chadwick in the first few minutes.
As the story in “Episode Thomas” came to a close, I thought to myself how much I’d like to see what happens next with these characters. Based on the series’ format, this will not happen. One could make the argument that this fact may have contributed to the downfall of the series back in 2007. Imagine what kind of show this would be if we had 4 episodes following the Boo character, his family and those around him? Imagine if it were 4 episodes of Mark or Robert’s life…Given time to live and grow with these characters would have changed the depth and fan attachment to the franchise.
– Nick D
See Octavius Williams’ Review of “The D.L. Chronicles: Episode Thomas” HERE.
Nick Delmacy
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I just wish we could view the entire series. This series is so elusive to me. I lose interest when it is not readily available in a freely accessible format. Please show me where I can get access. The marketing on this piece is terrible.
Sooooooo agree. Their marketing sucks. Even with websites like us who support them, nothing. We haven’t gotten a single email or press release, ever.
LOL we’ve talked about this stuff b4… the whole marketing stuff. I wish that these directors would be better with networking. They have potential but they don’t even utilize it.