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This week’s episode of OWN’s latest drama, David Makes Man took viewers on a deeper dive into the inner workings of the title character’s community and introduced a few new characters.
Akili McDowell continues to shine as Dai, and we get a closer look at how his mind works as he navigates one particularly challenging day. When Dai is tasked with dropping off his brother, JG, at his grandfather’s house, the brothers are unexpectedly joined by Raynan (Ade Chike Torbert).
Turns out, Raynan is Sky’s son, so the relationship between him and Dai is more complex that we thought. Both boys reminisce about Sky’s ability to make an impact with his words, and it’s clear his death is taking a toll on both of them. What’s most interesting about the dynamic between these two is that the energy shifts back and forth between threatening and loving, with Raynan flexing his power in one moment, and the next, teaching Dai how to holler at a girl walking by.
Raynan wants Dai to make things right with his uncle Tio-Teo (Elvis Nolasco) after falling asleep while on lookout duty. Once the boys are in front of the big boss, it’s clear he wants Dai to work for him, forcing him to deliver a pack of weed back to his housing complex. After Dai reluctantly agrees, he’s on a mission to make it back home with no money for the bus and a dead cell phone.
The lengthy trek has him shook, and he’s sweating from paranoia about the stench of weed radiating from his backpack. After making it to the final bus stop on foot, he’s desperate for water, which he finds thanks to a friendly transsexual named Femi. It turns out, she is waiting to get another new character, Starry, on to the same bus Dai is waiting for. Starry is en route to the Ville to stay with Miss Elijah (Travis Coles) and we get a sense that there’s more to come from that storyline.
Tarell Alvin McCraney, Phylicia Rashad, and Akili McDowell dish on ‘David Makes Man’
Once Dai finally makes it back home and delivers the package, he’s once again faced with the ghost of Sky. Dai knows his deceased mentor wouldn’t be happy about his latest adventures and he’s struggling with the pull of his hood pitted against the potential of his future.
Check out the video above to get more about David Makes Man from its Oscar-winning creator, Tarell Alvin McCraney.