Road Trip
Episode 3 of Colin in Black & White begins with a look at white privilege, and specifically how that plays a part in Colin kneeling during the National Anthem. With a whole slew of different archival shots from this incident, another shot of Trump pops up before we cut back in time and continue our timeline. Colin continues to feel like an outsider, despite exceling on the football field. For baseball though, he’s not doing too well. This white privilege is something that follows Colin off the field, especially when an ice-cream vendor refuses to give him an ice-cream. This same vendor also doesn’t think twice about serving his white friends. Colin soon realizes that this sort of behaviour is widespread and extends across the country. As the weeks roll on, Colin’s enthusiasm begins to dwindle. That is, until his parents suggest he drive to their next locale. Now, the route has been fine all these trips but this time, with Colin driving, the police pull him over. This, unfortunately, starts an uneasy incident that’s all too common in America. The final game day arrives and Colin faces hostility on the baseball field too, as the umpire tries to psyche him out while he’s playing. Eventually though, Colin realizes that he’s not going to get a fair run of things so he makes the most of it and does his best. Their team win the tournament and everyone heralds Colin’s abilities. The hostility from haters doesn’t deter him though, as Colin remains determined to continue on after winning the tournament. He even has some choice words for a racist man at the swimming pool too.
The Episode Review
Each of these episodes have so far been adding tools to Colin’s arsenal to lead up to his iconic taking the knee segment at the football game. From fighting back against inequality to the white privilege that some black people experience in America, Colin in Black & White continues to showcase this racism and struggle to make it in sports in its rawest form, with some pretty shocking moments of racism. The officer out on the road is probably the most obvious example of this, and the changed focus to depict baseball working in the background adds an extra dimension to Colin’s story. For the most part, this chapter serves its purpose, highlighting inequality and racism. It’s just a pity then that it’s accompanied by that stilted and – dare I say – monotonous Colin Kaepernick narration. It’s not a complete deal-breaker but it’s enough to notice right the way through this show. It’s the only thing holding this back right now, in what’s otherwise a pretty solid sport drama.
