Under One Roof: 1.6 ‘Blacker the Berry’ Recap

Original Air Date: May 21, 2008

Although the show is still worse than atrocious, Under One Roof has improved a bit since I last tuned in. The change isn’t in terms of writing or the cast members’ performances but rather the degree of buffoonery — the actors have toned down their clownish mannerisms and facial expressions, though nowhere near enough.

Having admitted that, the show remains one of the most unfunny sitcoms ever in the history of the genre. I can’t even begin to imagine what MyNetworkTV execs are thinking when it comes to this series, and I hope to God they don’t renew it (but they probably will).

“Blacker the Berry” primarily revolves around the two Hill children, teenagers Walter Jr. and Heather. In the first case, housekeeper Sun Ho’s teenage niece Charlene arrives to visit while her parents go on a short trip to China for some “real” Chinese food. They don’t take their daughter along because, well, they can’t afford a ticket for her and the food, too.

Despite the sweet, innocent persona she projects, Charlene is actually a typical hormonal teenager, and she gets the hots bad for Walter Jr., to his tremendous, geeky dismay. The only problem is when Sun Ho catches Charlene getting too physical, Charlene lies that he’s the one putting the moves on her, and Sun Ho believes it. Walter Jr. eventually gets back at Charlene by luring Sun Ho into the kitchen while Charlene, unaware, gets fresh him with him yet again.

The main plot of the episode involves Heather, however, who starts to get in touch with her black side when new neighbors Brenda and Jamilia arrive. Brenda is a highly successful attorney active in the black community, and both she and her daughter Jamilia turn Heather on to how to “act black.”

Two things happen as a result: Heather begins to adopt a “blacker” attitude, including getting her hair braided and using more African-American-inspired slang, and her mother Ashley — who’s white, in case you didn’t already know — starts to feel left out of her daughter’s life.

To get close to Heather again, Ashley makes a commendable attempt to fit in with a “black lifestyle.” She takes it too far, however, focusing on tired ghetto stereotypes, such as the fried chicken, watermelon, and big-booty myths.

When Ashley embarrasses Heather during a social gathering with other black people at the Hills’ home, it’s Calvster who steps in to help Heather understand her mother was only trying to remain a part of her life. So, Heather talks to Ashley, the two reconcile, Heather realizes that even she was taking a ghetto approach she’s incapable of sticking with (learning a new slang word everyday was harder than keeping up with regular words, for instance), and all is right with the world again.

There’s also a side plot involving Calvster’s attraction to Brenda. He spends almost the entire episode trying to get in her pants. It’s only when he’s supposedly sincere and tells the lawyer he can’t erase his criminal past although he’s changed that she finally starts to soften.

Then Calvster makes the mistake of revealing he’s only interested in a one-time round of sex (she calls it a one-night stand, and Calvster basically asks why does it have to take a whole night and why do they have to stand up during it). Goodbye potential hookup.

RESOURCES

• Under One Roof Episode Guide
• Under One Roof Website