This week, we share the excitement of 'Get You A Me," our brand new series on Netflix's 'Still Watching Netflix' Youtube channel. Then, we get into all the baby mama drama in the air starting with the latest episode of ‘Insecure’ and ending with Summer Walker’s new album ‘Still Over It.’ There's a lot of lessons to be learned between the two and we are grateful. We spend the rest of the episode fanning out over the greatness that is 'The Harder They Fall,' Netflix's new all-black Western film. We get into the thirst, the fashion, and of course the violence. We share some of our favorite scenes including the badass women-led fight scenes. Finally, we rate some of our favorite fighting scenes of all time where fierce women get to battle it out.
Okay, We’re Choosing Violence
Scottie Beam You're listening to, OK, now, listen, a biweekly show where we chat about what's on our minds, what we're binging and what's blowing up our timelines. I'm Scottie Beam, a media personality, content creator, music enthusiast, and a wing connoisseur.
Sylvia O'Bell And I'm Sylvia O’Bell, culture writer, host, producer and lover of Beyoncé.
Scottie Beam I mean, we have a lot of updates, Sylvia. We have a very important update, Sylvia.
Sylvia O'Bell We do, we do have some big news.
Scottie Beam We were ringing some bells on Instagram and Twitter. You hear me?
Sylvia O'Bell We sure were. Because just last week we announced finally that we have a new show! Coming all the way on Netflix’s Still Watching YouTube channel, and it's called Get You A Me. And by me, we don't meet us. We just mean women like us. We are helping some eligible bachelors become more eligible. For cuffing season. We're trying to help them bag women, you know, just give them some much needed advice on things like what, how they dress, how they keep their home, how they communicate.
Scottie Beam We did that, Sylvia, we really did. We did community service, literally. I am claiming all of this on taxes, because,
Sylvia O’Bell Listen.
Scottie Beam A lot of y'all don't know the half. The work that Sylvia and I had to put in.
Sylvia O’Bell It was hard work! We had to pull up our sleeves. Okay?
Scottie Beam Right. Roll them up!
Sylvia O’Bell Roll them up. All right? Tie our hair back, OK?
Scottie Beam Please, we got our hands dirty.
Sylvia O’Bell All right?
Scottie Beam You hear me? Under the nail.
Sylvia O’Bell We had gloves on,
Scottie Beam It was insane.
Sylvia O’Bell It was a lot, and I just know that when I get to the pearly gates, it better be on the list of good deeds to help, help me get through.
Scottie Beam The tippety-top!
Sylvia O’Bell I be like, “Now God. I know you saw me help these niggas out!”
Scottie Beam Yo I’m gonna be like, “Yo, Jesus, God. All a y’all.” Okay?
Sylvia O’Bell I know you saw!
Scottie Beam Y’all see what we just did. I mean, he, don't bring up anything else.
Sylvia O'Bell I know I did some things, but I just, I know you see that part, though. I know you see this part.
Scottie Beam I made up for it.
Sylvia O’Bell Right here.
Scottie Beam Exactly. Give me my win.
Sylvia O’Bell But no, I mean, it’s going to be a good time and you guys have been asking, asking, asking for more videos of us. Well, here you go. Run it up. Stream it up. Rewatch it up.
Scottie Beam Please.
Sylvia O’Bell Please, support your girls.
Scottie Beam So that it can get on that Netflix streaming service. You hear me?
Sylvia O’Bell We have a plan, just help us.
Scottie Beam We have a plan. We have a plan, guys. So let's just run it up. All right. Share it with your cousins, aunties, uncles. All of em.
Sylvia O'Bell Your niggas, your roster.
Scottie Beam Your roster.
Sylvia O’Bell Because, you're welcome. We're doing this so you don’t have to. You share a link, you don’t even, we’re saving... We're trying to keep you from being the Bobisha the builders that we talked about.
Scottie Beam I did that so you don't have to. All right?
Sylvia O'Bell Yeah. So the first episode is out by the time this episode is out, so go check it out on that channel. It will have premiered this Tuesday, November 9th, of this week. So, and every Tuesday, you can catch a new episode for the next few weeks. It’s a limited series, so it's not ongoing. But for the next month or so, you'll be getting an episode each Tuesday, so check it out.
Scottie Beam If you can’t find it, it’s the link in my bio, it will be the link in Sylvia’s bio, and so,
Sylvia O’Bell It will be there.
Scottie Beam Every bio, Twitter, Instagram bio. It’s there. OK? No excuses.
Sylvia O'Bell Yeah, so I'm excited and I'm excited for people to get to see us, our personality visually and just how we interact. And even just it's a fun time, like it’s, it’s lots of jokes. It's good, it's expressions and we're excited about it and we hope you guys enjoy. So yeah, let us know, do all the social media things and let us know how they feel about it. What else has been going on this week girl? Let me tell you. Between the Summer Walker album and this week's episode of Insecure, it has been a triggering week for the baby mamas of America. I don't even have a child, nor a baby daddy, and I'm tired.
Scottie Beam You talk about triggering my worst fears. Like I was like, This is, this is scary.
Sylvia O'Bell Nightmare on Elm Street.
Scottie Beam Yeah, no, they, they, I was sitting there looking at my boyfriend like, you nigga, you better never. You hear me? I wish the fuck you would. You hear me? I would be wanted immediately.
Sylvia O’Bell Posters up.
Scottie Beam Shit!
Sylvia O'Bell Baby’s gonna be an orphan cuz you tried it.
Scottie Beam and my baby’s goin understand.
Sylvia O'Bell Momma did what she had to do for her respect. Let me tell you,
Scottie Beam I’m not playing with y’all.
Sylvia O’Bell It was a PSA. This week's episode of Insecure, it was a P.S. motherfucking A. It was.
Scottie Beam What did you say? You said, you text me you like, I'm holding my birth control pills a little tightly.
Sylvia O’Bell I’m holding it tight. Tonight I slept on my birth control pills pack just nestled next to me. We’re not gonna miss a minute of taking this pill on time you gave me cause
Scottie Beam I was like the pull out requests are in order. You hear me? Pull out. Pull out.
Sylvia O'Bell Listen, it’s the cuffing season PSA y’all needed, it was the reminder. It's going to get real cute and cozy. There’s gonna be a lot of sweet things because it's cold out. Baby, it's cold outside. Don't forget what can happen. You refer to this episode of Insecure every time you feel weak about it. OK, cause it's not fun. It's not fun and games. One stroke too many. Next thing you know, you Condola. Don’t do it!
Scottie Beam Right and then you got Summer Walker that's like, Listen, I'm telling this story so that y’all won't have to live this story because nigga, I am going through it.
Sylvia O'Bell Fourth baby mama.
Scottie Beam She’s going through it.
Sylvia O’Bell Not one, not two, not three, but four?
Scottie Beam Great scott. Help me.
Sylvia O’Bell First of all, when I saw the track called 4th Baby Mama, I said, she about to let the chopper sing. Yep. Then she started to track talking about this man's mother, and I said, Oh oh, oh oh, London on the whatever. You have pissed this young woman off. And it's, I mean, all of the songs, I love Summer Walker's vulnerability in her music. I think as a writer, like it really stands - Like, That's what makes me… like, the little narrative she's able to give and the feeling she's able to bring out of people really what I align with. But albums like this one is just so triggering. Child, Summer’s too good at it, her pen is too good at it for me, because I'm over here, stressed, and I'm nobody's baby mama, like I said. But like, I love this album, Still Over It. I was very concerned when I heard “Ex for a Reason,” because I do not like her on the up-beat tracks. I would like Summer to keep it slow, mellow and emotional for me. And so I was very glad that most of the album is that. we both love the “Unloyal” track with Ari Lennox.
Scottie Beam I mean, fuck and like Ari Lennox is Ari Lennox
Scottie Beam That voice!
Scottie Beam I skipped everything to listen to Ari Lennox first because I was like, I need to hear what they saying on here. And then I, you know, did what I did, but that, first of all that song is fire simply because they're like, bitch, I'll be unloyal nigga.
Sylvia O’Bell You want me to be the villain?
Scottie Beam I’ll be that.
Sylvia O’Bell Guess I'm unloyal then. Ha!
Scottie Beam Hello?
Sylvia O'Bell You think I care about you giving me the title of loyalty? Y’all can have it. Keep it.
Scottie Beam You can have it, sweetheart. You can have it.
Sylvia O’Bell Goodbye. I loved it. I listened to it like, what, eight times.
Sylvia O'Bell Yeah, and I mean, I always try to listen to an album in order. And it was very, it was very hard for me to keep my patience. The first time I listened to it, I was trying to respect the sequences, the sequencing.
Scottie Beam Sometimes I don’t.
Sylvia O'Bell It’s just hard. But I love I mean, I love that song. I love, you know, “Reciprocate,” “You Don't Know Me,” “Insane.” Like, Oh, and “Screwin?” Omarion did what I hoped that they would do with that one. But yeah, no, I love the whole thing, and I love that she incorporated Cardi’s narration in the beginning intro track about like, when these women come for you online, put it in your music, don't fight with them online, put it in your music and capitalize off of that because they're trying to capitalize off of you. That was a word, and I hope people heard it. It'll come off better, because you'll be able to tell the full story with context more than you could with any tweet or post or IG story.
Scottie Beam Exactly, you’ll control your narrative. What did you think of “Ciara’s Prayer?”
Sylvia O'Bell Yeah, “Ciara’s Prayer.” It was actually like what I needed it to be, like, what I liked most about it is that so much of it focused on her and what she needed to become to be ready for a certain type of relationship versus her just praying for a man. And I think like that's what I liked about the prayer it was about, like help restore my faith in love and my hope in love because it's not til you, you can do all the healing in the world, but like when you're in it, you can be given a great man. But if you're not ready for that great man because of what the past niggas did?
Scottie Beam It’s not gonna work.
Sylvia O’Bell It’s gonna self-destruct, and that's a lot of self work that has to happen. And I think that's so interesting. The parallel actually between Ciara and Summer, because like people, I mean, before Russell, Sierra was like, a seventh baby mama? Like how many kids you got by the time Ciara was there? And like, you know, she came up from it, so I can see why Summer was like, Dear God, please give me That because I'm already here with this baby. And a lot of crazy baby mamas and this hip hop nigga.
Scottie Beam Right.
Sylvia O’Bell I can see how Ciara is somebody’s, like, a destiny that she would hope to aspire to, because, and I like that Sierra was down to be that. And like, I love, it's so weird, sometimes I get to see someone that reach across the aisle to each other. So like, love that Ciara was down for this. Yeah, I like the whole thing. That's that awesome in them. But there's also been a lot of exciting releases on the Netflix, and we have gathered here today to talk about the bad bitch that is The Harder They Fall.
Scottie Beam Child, child. Let me tell y’all niggas something. All right? I've seen this movie about three times. I do not play about The Harder They Fall. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a very, very long time. So we're going to give it a full episode because it deserves, it motherfucking deserves, and talk about everything from the thirst, to the music, to the bad ass women led fight scenes. Because, you know, I'm a fan, a big fan, okay?
Sylvia O’Bell You are, we are going to get into it, and I do want to shout out before we do that, the Mr. Executive Producer of The Harder They Fall, himself, Sean Carter, Jay-Z, called Scottie out specifically on Twitter Spaces to talk about it, he said Oh, is that Scottie? Bring her up, bitch. Beam me up, Scottie, and ask me the question that the people want to know. And there's no way we wasn't going to brag about that on this here podcast Miss Ma’am. Miss Mama.
Scottie Beam Talk about mother fuckin shocked? That blew my mother fucking mind. I was like, What the fuck? When he said my name almost peed on myself. I was like pull over, pull over, pull over.
Sylvia O’Bell I’m so mad, pull over!
Scottie Beam I don’t even have no question, Jesus!
Sylvia O’Bell You be the one driving and you talkin about pull over.
Scottie Beam Pull over, pull over, pull over, Jesus.
Sylvia O'Bell I love that. And I was so sad. I missed that. I saw what was happening, but I didn't want any spoilers because I hadn't watched the movie yet, so I dipped out, because I was like, dang, I don't want to hear any spoilers. And then I heard that this happened and I was like, dammit! I missed this moment! I would've been screen recording the shit out of it, but thank you to the people who held sis down and gave her the screen recording she needed for that.
Scottie Beam Y’all did, y’all held me down, y’all, because I was like, ain’t nobody catch that!
Sylvia O’Bell They caught it!
Scottie Beam That was random!
Sylvia O’Bell They caught it.
Scottie Beam But yes, what a weekend.
Sylvia O'Bell Oh, yeah, all right. Let's get into.
Scottie Beam Let’s get into It.
Sylvia O’Bell OK, so Netflix’s The Harder They Fall is the first major Hollywood Western movie with an all Black cast since Mario Van Peebles’ Posse in 1993.
Scottie Beam And by the way, that had like Blair Underwood, that had Pam Greer, that had Isaac Hayes, that had Big Daddy Kane, that had Tom Lister Jr., Debo from Friday, had that.
Sylvia O’Bell Know your audience. Thank you.
Scottie Beam I know, girl I’m just letting ya. Like it was, it was out there like they had the cast. OK, Mario was not playing with people, shout out to Mario.
Sylvia O’Bell A legend.
Scottie Beam RIP Melvin Van Peebles, too.
Sylvia O'Bell Yes, another one.
Scottie Beam But with The Harder They Fall, we have the top dog of all the bandits in the world and they, they’re split up into two rivals: The Crimson Hoods and the Nat Love Gang. Rufus Buck is played by Idris Elba. His right hand woman is Trudy Smith, played by Regina King, and LaKeith Stanfield is on their team playing Cherokee Bill.
Sylvia O’Bell Mm-hmm.
Scottie Beam And then on the Love side, we have Jonathan Majors,
Sylvia O’Bell MMM-MM!
Scottie Beam As Nat Love. And Nat Love’s love interest, Mary Field, a.k.a. Zazie Beetz, leading the team of underdogs.
Sylvia O'Bell So the movie is about Nat Love reuniting his gang to seek revenge after he discovers his enemy, Rufus Buck, who killed his parents, is being released from prison. So let's talk about. Let's talk about Jonathan Majors as Nat Love because Scottie Beam, I believe you have a revelation to share with the class that I, for one, have been waiting for since Jonathan entered the scene. Please tell, please tell the people what you feel.
Scottie Beam All right y’all. Because I said I was going to be very open on this podcast. I'll make sure you know, I'm very vulnerable. So I just want to be very clear with you guys. In the past, I did not see the light. OK, I was not clear on the thirst for Jonathan Majors.
Sylvia O’Bell Mm hmm.
Scottie Beam But when you put a gun in that nigga hand. And he starts shooting up the bag niggas, a rat-tat-tat-tat.
Sylvia O’Bell Yes the rat-tat-tat.
Scottie Beam I said, goddamn, I see it now. Yo, I know, I tell Sylvia, I said, I get it, I get it. I get it. I have seen the light. That man is fine. Oh, please forgive me, my boyfriend now, because I was sitting beside him like, whoo! Damn!
Sylvia O’Bell Damn!
Scottie Beam Goddamn!
Sylvia O'Bell Something about a fine man choosing violence. Seeking revenge.
Scottie Beam Shit, did something to my heart. Mine! And he ain't even got to seek revenge, sometimes in movies. I'll just be like, Damn he fine shooting that gun like that. But I was just in love - and he was romantic, just by the way.
Sylvia O'Bell Yes.
Scottie Beam Just a romantic little goon.
Sylvia O’Bell Duality! Duality! It’s the multitudes for me that he was containing.
Scottie Beam Right
Sylvia O’Bell Sofr with her,
Scottie Beam Street love.
Sylvia O’Bell Hard with them. I know that's fucking right. When he asked her, he was hanging up and he was like, How did they beat you like this? I'm killing them all. Literally, I said, energy! Energy!
Scottie Beam Kill them all for me daddy!
Sylvia O’Bell Kill them all for me is hilarious.
Scottie Beam I love it.
Sylvia O'Bell No, I’m so glad. Let me tell you something. I have been attracted to Johnathan Majors since he hopped on the scene with Lovecraft Country. I was too afraid to watch all of it, and that really hurt me because I find that man to be fine. But what really did it for me, Funny enough, was the Vogue, it was something where he was like, he did like a feature where they were following around, him around for a day in this. And it was when he was filming this movie. That's why he was out West and like in that weird house and all that stuff.
Scottie Beam Yes, he was learning how to play the guitar.
Sylvia O'Bell It was when he was gearing up that I saw him in that, in the woods with the Wolves and all that stuff. And I was like, whoo, this man is fine. But, he's not pretty, but he's like, handsome and like sexy and rugged and like a,
Scottie Beam He’s man fine.
Sylvia O’Bell A Man fine, you know what I mean? And Scottie was like, eeh, umm, eeh.
Scottie Beam You know, I have to give it up. You and Gia Pepper, my friend.
Sylvia O'Bell We tried, we were like Scotty, but wait.
Scottie Beam Y’all tried to get me to see the light and God, but, I texted Gia, She goes, Nope, bandwagon is closed now. I can't take no more. Sorry!
Sylvia O’Bell The bandwagon is closed! She’s funny, that’s funny.
Scottie Beam I'm following all the Jonathan Majors fan pages because he don’t have no Instagram. I was like, let me go and follow a few of those just to get some pictures.
Sylvia O’Bell We love him, We love a man who don't have Instagram. OK? Please give me the, give me the most opportunity to crush on you. Just be quiet. Love him because he’s silent, just act and be quiet. Act, and be quiet. That's what I require from my on screen crushes, and he is fitting the bill.
Scottie Beam Listen, because, speaking of be quiet, OK,
Sylvia O’Bell Let’s talk about it.
Scottie Beam Because, we have LaKeith Stanfield in it, and I totally forgot that he was moaning in Clubhouse like about a few months ago. So I said, Wow, I totally forgot that you was over here moaning, in a moaning competition on Clubhouse.
Sylvia O’Bell Scottie please, please!
Scottie Beam By himself, that made no damn sense.
Sylvia O'Bell LaKeith was looking quite good, this Cherokee Bill, he had shaved. Got his line up together.
Scottie Beam All smooth, he was a smooth criminal.
Sylvia O'Bell Just talking, calmly.
Scottie Beam He used his words, yeah.
Sylvia O’Bell Just like something about the cadence of his voice
Scottie Beam Because he knew he was that,
Sylvia O’Bell He knew he was that nigga. And that, and this, it’s going to be the confidence, a lot of time, it’s half the battle, y’all. And so Lakeith came in as suave and confident as we like him to be, or pretend to be. Left all that, all this weirdo stuff, behavior.
Scottie Beam All that moaning at home.
Sylvia O’Bell And it was able to reclaim his place in our thirst.
Scottie Beam That's right.
Sylvia O’Bell On our thirst, because like, ah! This is why we found LaKeith attractive, thank you for reminding us.
Scottie Beam I had to take him down, child. It broke my heart.
Sylvia O'Bell Yeah, that whole cast is fine. I haven't felt this overwhelmed by the fineness in the cast since Black Panther, to be quite honest. Like, I mean, because then there's the daddy of all zaddies. The blueprint.
Scottie Beam The daddy of Hollywood, in my eyes. Okay?
Sylvia O'Bell Idris motherfucking Elba. It’s not enough that you got Jonathan and LaKeith running around these wild, wild West looking all good. You don't throw in Idris Elba for good measure? Child, only Idris Elba can make a jail prison outfit look like Tom Ford, okay? I’m like, did Tom Ford make it?
Scottie Beam Yo, Idris can give a face like he don't even got to say words. Literally, I was sitting in the theater. They did a close up on Idris face and everybody said, God damn. Because it's just, it's just a good mug. He’s got a good face.
Sylvia O'Bell It’s just a good mug. And it's like, What did your ancestors do in a previous, for you to give the blessing of that face?
Scottie Beam Mm hmm.
Sylvia O'Bell And he gets older and just finer, like the gray patches, the sprinkle of salt? Here for it. Let me tell you something. I, too, would risk my life to break that man out of prison. So when Idris was behind that thing, I said, yup! risk it all. I get it.
Scottie Beam Absolutely, Trudy! I would do the fucking same.
Sylvia O’Bell Absolutely Trudy! I’d die behind that, okay!
Scottie Beam I’d die by the dick, okay? That one.
Sylvia O'Bell That's the one.
Scottie Beam And I'd like to give a little mention to Delroy Lindo, who also is a badass.
Sylvia O’Bell You know, he’s been giving me, he’s giving me baby boomer fine.
Scottie Beam That man be knowing what he doing, child. Yeah, he know how to say things. He know how to have that confidence. Like he knew he was a fucking lone ranger and he carried himself like such. So I was just like, goddamn, I do like confidence. I love me some confidence.
Sylvia O'Bell Delroy, everything had that swag to it where he was like everything y’all little boys had done, I'd done it, boy.
Scottie Beam I had done it 10 times over and over.
Sylvia O'Bell So and enjoy and hope that you age as well as I do, thanks. And so, yes, lots of eye candy. And even for those who are not cursed enough to only be attracted to men also got to enjoy Regina King's fine ass. Yes, Zazie Beetz pretty self.
Scottie Beam Fine ass. She’s cute.
Sylvia O’Bell She's a cute girl.
Scottie Beam Very fucking cute, okay? Regina is just a baad, child. Every time I she on my screen, I'm like, goddamn!. Like, what is it like to be Regina King? Please!
Sylvia O’Bell To be God's favorite? What is it? Please tell us. Let us know.
Scottie Beam What is it? Her little light eye, she know what she's doing. I'll be… pissing me off with your fine self.
Sylvia O'Bell Anyway, so in addition to all the eye candy that I quite enjoyed after watching this video, I'm not going to lie. I looked back into the Rodeo Collection from Ivy Park. I am very glad I got my little denim jacket from it because, but I was now regretting not getting the chaps because I was like, Damn man. Maybe I could have pulled off that that them chaps with that denim leotard.
Scottie Beam This would have been the time to bring out them chaps!
Sylvia O'Bell And you knew cause Jay Z was producing it. So like B, where was this energy in the household with that? Because we would have been selling it out.
Scottie Beam With the assless chaps too?
Sylvia O’Bell But yeah, let's talk about the fashion. Let's talk about the sexiness of the fashion because there was hats! There was leather, there was fringe. All of that stuff,
Scottie Beam Yeah. I mean, they were serious about the motherfucking hats, some hats, everybody had a motherfucking hat. That had to be like a way of life, though, like,
Sylvia O’Bell the Sun is hot!
Scottie Beam You had to have it.
Sylvia O’Bell I’m just saying, you got that sun beaming on you and no trees, you need that brim.
Scottie Beam Can y’all please get Sylvia out of here, please. The sun is hot!
Sylvia O’Bell It’s hot! You need the shade!
Scottie Beam Right. And to see your target, too.
Sylvia O’Bell Yeah.
Scottie Beam Sun in my eyes, I don't like that. I got to kill you in comfort.
Sylvia O'Bell Even though I was, I was very impressed with even just back then how people were able to really be so agile and tough. Fabric like denim and leather are not, like, easy to move in. I can barely, it's like, can you imagine doing a workout in jeans and like, let alone doing a whole fight scene with like a leather coat?
Scottie Beam No, it’s hot. And everything is, and by the way, this was real leather like niggas taking that cow.
Sylvia O’Bell OK?
Scottie Beam And putting it on them backs, hunny. Like there aren't,
Sylvia O'Bell Before PETA showed us the light.
Scottie Beam I would lose every fight. I would lose every fight, I would been dead immediately.
Sylvia O’Bell I go to agile my arm and they'd be stuck in the sleeve of my coat. Like, God damn it!
Scottie Beam Sounding like a plastic cover.
Sylvia O’Bell You hear me coming!
Scottie Beam Right, you would’a heard me coming.
Sylvia O’Bell Boots all loud. Heavy footed.
Scottie Beam If it wasn’t that I woulda been like, “Whoo, it’s hot.” You woulda heard “Whoo it’s hot,” from me every five seconds. Goddamn, it’s hot. It’s not hot for you under that hat?
Sylvia O’Bell It’s already got. We already working, we already in the sun in leather and wool and now I’ve gotta fight? I gotta run? I gotta shoot?
Scottie Beam I don’t want no beef with you, man, it’s hot. It’s all I would say, every duel. “It’s too hot, yo.”
Sylvia O’Bell Can I get some water?
Scottie Beam Yeah, can I get some water before we fight?
Sylvia O’Bell The way Jonathan Major stopped to smoke? I woulda stopped for a water. Can I get some essentia out here?
Scottie Beam Y’all ain’t got no water! I woulda jumped into one of them saloons. They woulda had water for me.
Sylvia O’Bell They all better for that then me, that’s what I have to say about that. But I love that they stuck to the aesthetics so well, and shout out to the costume designer for keeping it historically accurate. And you know, everybody looks good. I mean, the only the only stylish question I had was, Mary not tie her hair back from none of the fights like, I was like, you mean to tell me sis is just out here with the fro in her face? Just, you’re not gonna tie your hair back to fight Regina?
Scottie Beam First of all, back then, wasn't nobody grabbing no hair to fight like we fighting with fists. That's what I couldn’t respect.
Sylvia O'Bell Absolutely, that was what I couldn’t respect, too, but we'll get to the fight in a minute.
Scottie Beam Yes.
Sylvia O’Bell What else do we love from this?
Scottie Beam Oh, the music and the camera angles, the shots were shooting! You hear me?
Sylvia O'Bell The actors were not the only ones shooting in this film. Those camera, those camera folks. Let me talk about that director of photography for this specific shot, you know, which one?
Scottie Beam Yes.
Sylvia O’Bell When it’s Idris in the house looking and it's like, it's like they must have the camera on like a little zip line and it zooms into Jonathan’s face, framed him up real good with the brim of his hat, on his horse.
Scottie Beam Just when, when Nat love was on that fucking horse. He was trying to go to Mary’s saloon, so he was like,
Sylvia O’Bell Oh yeah,
Scottie Beam Passing by all the people in the shots of these faces and the music!
Sylvia O'Bell And it was at night, well lit. Imagine well Black people lit at night. Love to see it. But yes, the music.
Scottie Beam Love to, fuck, the music, the music, the music.
Sylvia O'Bell Talk to people about the music.
Scottie Beam Yes, this, first of all, James Samuel.
Sylvia O’Bell Mm.
Scottie Beam Let me tell you something. Not only was the fucking director, but he also controlled all the music. Like, he was head of the music. And let me tell y’all something. He went the fuckin, you hear me, the soundtrack is A1.
Sylvia O’Bell It is.
Scottie Beam A1, every time a song would pop on, I was like, God damn, this is good too! Because usually I'd be like, I coulda did without this right, you know?
Sylvia O’Bell Right.
Scottie Beam But every song I’m like, God, and it enhances my feelings of fighting and love!
Sylvia O’Bell As it should!
Scottie Beam And it really fills me up, even more, to the top! You hear me, that's what music is supposed to do. So I think he just had a great, he has a great ear. He has a magnificent eye.
Sylvia O’Bell Yes,
Scottie Beam Beautiful mind, knows how to write, like this guy.
Sylvia O’Bell All the senses. All five of em.
Scottie Beam All the senses were fucking there.
Sylvia O'Bell I bet the food on set tasted great too. To your point about the soundtrack, too, original music living up to it, like, original songs. Like a lot of times,
Scottie Beam Yes.
Sylvia O’Bell it’s songs like, what I enjoyed the most, like, that existed already and they just knew to put them in there, in certain scenes. But like this was original - when I said, “Bitch, is that Lauryn?” Like, when I heard Lauryn’s voice I was like, is that the Miss. Hill singing right now?
Scottie Beam James, James was able to make a connection between like western and Black music because a lot of the time, like, people feel like Western music isn't that Western sound ain’t from Black people, and it is.
Sylvia O’Bell And it is.
Scottie Beam So he was just like, you know, the reggae was on beat with the rhythm of riding a walking horse.
Sylvia O’Bell Love that shit.
Scottie Beam Like, Get the fuck, what?
Sylvia O'Bell His mind. His mind!
Scottie Beam Oh my gosh, it was incredible!
Sylvia O'Bell Because, when’s the last time you seen reggae in a Western. You haven't, I don't think.
Scottie Beam Hello? But it really does add up. It makes sense.
Sylvia O'Bell Gave it the razzle dazzle it needed and,
Scottie Beam Goddammit, James, you're a genius. Like, he was a genius.
Sylvia O’Bell A genius.
Scottie Beam So yes, God bless. That was amazing. All of these moments were amazing, but we really have to talk about what I came to work to talk about.
Sylvia O’Bell Would you come to work to talk about?
Scottie Beam I said, I woke up this morning, I said, I need to talk to Sylvia about this. This is the things that I need to talk about and this. Is the fighting fucking scenes, the heart of this movie, including the gun scenes like I'm talking about shooting, fighting all of it. I love action films. I love fighting. Everybody knows that.
Sylvia O’Bell You do?
Scottie Beam Okay? Do you? What? I love this so much that I asked Jay-Z and James Samuel about the fighting scene between Trudy and Mary. So I believe in fighting scenes. I really do. They make everything better.
Sylvia O'Bell Sometimes it’s necessary, I mean, especially in movies. Give it to us. Give us the drama of it.
Sylvia O’Bell So what was the exact question you asked Jay and James in their Twitter spaces?
Scottie Beam So I was like, Well, one thing I absolutely loved was the intentionality behind two women fighting that wasn't hypersexualized because we see that so many times. And I wanted to know the process behind that. Jay-Z had said, You know, these women were actual gangsters, like they were gangsters. They was out here doing wild shit. So of course it would be a scrap, you know? But even that like, me and, Sylvia, you know how many times I've seen fighting scenes with women and like where it could have been an actual brawl and a scrap, it ended up being something cute. And they have to wear something tight.
Sylvia O’Bell Right.
Scottie Beam They have to, you know, somebody's shirt is being snatched off, it’s like Undercover Brother. And it just a little too much.
Sylvia O’Bell Right.
Scottie Beam You remember that scene?
Sylvia O’Bell I do. It just came to me the second you said it.
Scottie Beam Then you can't make ugly noises. You got to make cute sounds. Everything.
Sylvia O’Bell Yeah, just like moaning like they’re having sex.
Scottie Beam Right, to like appeal to the man or whatever a sexual thing it is like, it doesn't need to be sexual. It is a scrap. It's a brawl. It's a fight. So James talked about like being intentional with that and knowing that, he said, “That scene, I know, I was shooting that scene, I was making history.” That's what he said. He knew, because there aren't a lot of moments like that in Hollywood, period. So, you know, when the Fela Kuti was playing the intro, they threw down the guns. That was intentional because the men were shooting guns. The women were showing the men how to really do this. Let's put the guns down.
Sylvia O’Bell And let’s see who leaves.
Scottie Beam Right! Let’s see who leaves this barn.
Sylvia O'Bell Let's see who's really the baddest. And I love that it wasn't like Mary being rescued by Nat Love. She was like leave her to me.
Scottie Beam Right, right.
Sylvia O’Bell Be back.I hope
Scottie Beam I handle my own.
Scottie Beam I hope. But Imma do my best and I'm gonna use everything I got. And then James also said that it was a long, it's a longer scene. It's way longer than what we have. The stunt doubles weren't used as much because he wanted to make it look messy. He didn’t want it to be too polished, right? You know, he wanted to make it look like it was actual brawl between these two real gangsters that were real, real hardcore, like, I do this shit.
Sylvia O’Bell They were two of the toughest in both they crews. More than some of the guys.
Scottie Beam Right. Cold hearted, cold hearted.
Sylvia O'Bell They said, let’s go, let's dance, baby. And that’s what they did.
Scottie Beam And they danced, child, and it was beautiful.
Sylvia O’Bell It was beautiful to see.
Scottie Beam And so, I was standing up, I almost stood up in the theatre, Sylvia. I said, let’s go! Like, I couldn't unclench my jaw because I was like, get into it. That's what I'm talking about. Ain’t nothing cute about this! We really fight out here! Anyway.
Sylvia O’Bell We really fight out here! This ain’t cute! You ain’t never been in a fight, it’s not cute when we fight, magically! Then they, you know, and they do not hold back on each other. And you're right, I love that scene so much because I was hoping we would get the two of them, even from when they first met up. You could tell the tension was there, but it was like the tension was there and the respect was there. And I loved that the fight scene, reflected that on the back and it's like, I respect you too much because we both, it's kind of like that unsaid, like, we know what has to be to be women at this time to get this high up and this much respect in our crews and from these niggas. I respect you too much to just get you with a bullet only. That's easy. That's quick. That’s cheap, that’s not worthy of the journey you took to be here. If I'm gonna kill you,
Scottie Beam Right, the death that you deserve.
Sylvia O’Bell You gonna work for it, I'm gonna make you, give you a chance to work for your life. Here you go.
Scottie Beam There was a lot of honor and respect back then with fighting, I respect you enough to kill you when you looking at me like, you know, the eye to eye stuff, not the behind your back shit, like, I'm going to kill you with honor, you know, and that's what I can respect and love about this film. But like them too? I love that. I love that.
Sylvia O'Bell Yeah, because even in the fight scene, when people did take cheap shots at people in the back, it was called out. People were looking at those people crazy like you disrespectful, nigga. You know what I mean? So I love that level, the accountability that happened there, and that definitely was my favorite fight scene. And shout out to Cuffee because Cuffee was one who held her own as well
Scottie Beam Oh my god I love Cuffee.
Sylvia O’Bell And was beaten niggas up.
Scottie Beam You wasn’t about to play, like, Yo, she said, you're not about to play me because I'm small, like, I'm not that. Trust me.
Sylvia O'Bell She tells them she says, “I’ve seen faster in the mirror.” And proved it.
Scottie Beam Huh. Proved it. Try me.
Sylvia O’Bell Try me. So, loved her.
Scottie Beam I loved that.
Sylvia O'Bell I loved how she was like, Yes, I'm a woman, but no, I'm not going to present that way. I'm going to present the way I would like to and like, be that, and you're going to deal. And I just I love her whole character from start to finish.
Sylvia O'Bell So I definitely wanted to shout her out. But it's definitely been a minute, like we said, that we've had such exciting women lead fight scenes in a movie. So we did want to talk about some of our other favorite fight scenes that showcase badass women kicking ass. So we're going to talk about where they rank on a scale of one to ten. One to ten like, ten like it was the best, like what we saw on The Harder They Fall was like a ten. And then a one would be like, what?
Scottie Beam Like Jurnee Smollett as Letty in Lovecraft Country.
Sylvia O'Bell OK, yes that’s a good one.
Scottie Beam She she's a badass. No doubt.
Sylvia O'Bell No doubt.
Scottie Beam Badass. But, you know, busing up white people's car windows, you know, with her baseball bat, I think that was cute. You know, she might not have tried to kill anyone, but she had the style she had the flair, you know, the come get me, I'm here, the fierceness. I like that. You know what I'm saying? So that, that would be like a one to me.
Sylvia O’Bell Gotcha.
Scottie Beam I just want to point out first before we start. Yes, we're going to have some white people in them, OK? Because there hasn't been a lot of Black representation with real ass fights. Black woman representation. So I just want to point that out because I know what I'm about to hear when this podcast is over. But I'll let you all know. I love fight scenes.
Sylvia O’Bell We love them.
Scottie Beam Especially between women.
Sylvia O'Bell So yeah, and fix it, Hollywood. Fix it!
Scottie Beam Right. And Netflix, anybody. I'd love to see a Black Woman Warrior movie. Something. We existed in all times.
Sylvia O’Bell Yes.
Scottie Beam let's put it together.
Sylvia O’Bell Yeah.
Scottie Beam I'd love to see more fighting. Yeah, because we are about that life. We also protect and we've done whatever it took and takes to protect our own. So I would love to see more of it. Yes. So let's start.
Sylvia O’Bell OK.
Scottie Beam Uma Thurman fighting with her sword and Kill Bill. Now, let me tell you something. Kill Bill is my favorite, favorite, favorite. It is in my top three best movies to me personally.
Sylvia O’Bell OK.
Scottie Beam OK. So that girl gets a ten. Uma, I hate Harvey Weinstein. Fuck him forever. But if there was ever a chance, outside of that whack ass, duck ass hoe, where we can get a Kill Bill, I would be very excited, please. Uma Thurman did her motherfucking thing. They had Vivica A. Fox in it.
Sylvia O’Bell That’s a bad white woman.
Scottie Beam That’s a bad fuckin white woman!
Sylvia O'Bell OK. There was no denying.
Scottie Beam You’re talking about revenge?
Sylvia O’Bell She’s a fucking rider.
Scottie Beam Revenge?
Sylvia O’Bell Y’all don’t want to fuck with her.
Scottie Beam Imma kill you. At all. My girl, Beatrix Kiddo, only had three lines and did killing in between each one of them. Killed about three people between each line. That bitch ain’t even have that many lines, but she killed.
Sylvia O’Bell That’s what she did.
Scottie Beam You heard me, she showed up. That was her verbal, that’s how she talked. I talk by the sword.
Sylvia O'Bell She said I can show you better than I can tell you.
Scottie Beam I bet you that.
Sylvia O’Bell And that she did.
Scottie Beam And she did. Absolutely.
Sylvia O’Bell And those, those were some of the most intricate and also graphic fight scenes that I've gotten to see when women involved. And it was so, I mean, even at the time, because I was younger, it was hard for me to watch because you know how I am, but graphic. Like I'm a, I'm a, I'm a punk. Like, I mean, like, I just don't like seeing scary things on television. And so it'll be a lot of like eyes being pulled outta the socket slack and it's like, wow. But I respected getting to see a woman get down and dirty like that, like, ruthlessness.
Scottie Beam Blood all over her. Ruthless.
Sylvia O'Bell Like just covered in blood and sweat and like to the point you made earlier about having to be pretty when you fight, like, Kill BIll did that like, no. We're going to. And there was respect there too. Even like you mentioned Vivica’s scene where, like she told the daughter, if you come back and look for me, I understand. You know what I mean, like there was like some honor, and like and I'll have to deal with that when that time comes. But your momma had it coming.
Scottie Beam You know how cold you gotta be?
Sylvia O’Bell That bitch was like,
Scottie Beam Oh my god.
Sylvia O’Bell That’s some wild shit to tell to a child, but she did! And like, I think to your point about what we would have loved to have seen, I would have loved to have seen a prequel of Vivica’s character, or even the daughter now coming back to seek revenge.
Scottie Beam That's what I was talking about, was trying to get to, where I was like, Child, if we could just get this Black girl her revenge story, what? What? How great that would be! So yeah, that's my ten. That's my 15, to me.
Sylvia O’Bell OK? Ok.
Scottie Beam Uma Thurman did her fucking thing. They buried that, OK.
Sylvia O’Bell This is going to become a Kill Bill podcast in a second. It’s good, she did it.
So next example is Regina King in Watchmen. Because while Regina, like, she was a cop for most of the series, but then we found out, like when they got to getting and her man, her mand her man her man.
Scottie Beam My man, my man, my man.
Sylvia O'Bell She killed people for her man at the end, she was not going down without a fight, and that was bad ass in that sense, for sure.
Scottie Beam How would you rank that?
Sylvia O’Bell I feel like I would give it… a five?
Scottie Beam Okay. Yeah.
Sylvia O'Bell You know, I'd give Watchmen overall a 10. Don't get that confused. Loved that series. It was excellent. But her actual fight scenes like, Yeah, I feel I'd maybe give it like, I would have loved to have seen more fight scenes from her in that show.
Scottie Beam Yeah, I agree.
Sylvia O’Bell So that's why I'm like, I would have liked to see more of it.
Scottie Beam RT everything you said. And then we have… oooh, I don’t play about this girl. I don’t play about her. Then we got Angelina Jolie in Salt, now,
Sylvia O’Bell OK?
Scottie Beam Debate your auntie, because let me tell you something, Salt to me personally.
Sylvia O’Bell Umm-Hmm.
Scottie Beam Was that bitch. You hear me. She was that bitch. Now she was another, her man, her man, her man. Listen, they fucked up and killed her man. And she said, heard you. Don’t you fucking worry, everyone is going to die. And she did that. And the fights were great. I don't, listen, Angelina Jolie alone. Let's just talk about it. Lara Croft. OK, we have her as Mrs. Smith as well. The girl gets down. The girl fights. I love it. I don't know what she does outside of that, but I do know. I know. I know. I do know,
Sylvia O’Bell She be actin.
Scottie Beam That this bitch will turn shit upside down when it comes to fighting for her niggas.
Sylvia O'Bell She does do a very good action film, she’s a fighter, like she's really, Angelina Jolie is really great at that. Now, you know, I, I think it must have come out when I was upset with Angelina Jolie because it took me a long time to forgive Angelina for stealing Jennifer Aniston's husband like that. That was some foul shit that she did. And now that that relationship has dissolved, I can maybe now come back around and watch some of these movies that miss out on.
Scottie Beam Now Sylvia, real question. Real question. And this is, this is the white news, the E! News. So Angelina Jolie met him on what Mr. Smith and Smith? And that’s when they got together?
Sylvia O'Bell That's how they got that when they started their romantic stuff. Yeah. Filming that.
Scottie Beam Got it. Got it. Damn, Angelina! And you know, Jen Anniston’s not going to hit her with the woman to woman thing because Angelina nuts.
Sylvia O’Bell Angelina’s nuts!
Scottie Beam Clearly.
Sylvia O’Bell She looks like she chooses violence a little bit. So what would you give, ehat would you give Salt? Number wise?
Scottie Beam I would give Salt. She does great, uuh… I would say, ten, I’m sorry.
Sylvia O’Bell Okay, hey, you know, this is your truth. This is just your truth.
Scottie Beam I have to give her, this is my truth, this is just my truth. Yes. And then.
Sylvia O'Bell OK, yes. Our next example is a one Halle Berry as Catwoman. I did not mean to chuckle when I said that, I just was thinking, y’all be, y’all be dragging Catwoman, and y’all know what y’all do. Y’all know what y’all do on the internet, y’all know who you are. Y’all be dragging Catwoman, okay, Halle did what the script allowed her to do. But she did get to do some choking and throwing of these guys around and her whip, you know, and her abs glistening, her fresh nails as a weapon. Like, it very much fits this, You have to be sexy and fight stereotype that we talked about that we were like, happy to see The Harder They Fall remove itself from, which is that they had Halle in like spandex, leather titties like out, you know, like she had to be very sexy with her fighting. It was very much, you know, with the male gaze in mind.
Scottie Beam Right
Sylvia O’Bell When she was doing it, and I do wish they would have allowed her to go harder.
Scottie Beam She has a movie coming out that involves her fighting some more. So I'm excited to see that because Halle gets down, I believe, Halle likes UFC.
Sylvia O'Bell Yes!
Scottie Beam She likes to fight. She likes to watch fighting. So I am down to see more of her fighting, getting down scrapping.
Sylvia O'Bell Yes, get her the fight scene she deserves because I feel like, if you all gave it to Halle, she would execute it. OK? So like, give her that chance. Child, she has been working for so long!
Scottie Beam My girl gets down. What would you rank this?
Sylvia O’Bell In Catwoman? She was so good. I mean, okay, so
Scottie Beam Fighting, too, we have to say fighting.
Sylvia O’Bell Okay, not the movie.
Scottie Beam I’m not saying over all.
Sylvia O’Bell Just the fighting actual scenes.
Sylvia O'Bell A 6.5? Or a four, I’m like, on either side of five. I'm just not sure about wanting to go a point up or a point down. Like she got to fight more than Regina in Watchmen, which is why I feel like maybe I'd give it above a five, but I just didn't, I wish it would have been more gritty. I love that her nails were a weapon, as a girl who loves my nails.
Scottie Beam Yeah!
Sylvia O’Bell I liked that she was all about that. And she was very agile, hence the cat. Um, So I thought, yeah, we’ll give her a six?
Scottie Beam We’ll give her a six.
Sylvia O'Bell Six point five, maybe? Yeah. Cool, cool, cool. What's next?
Scottie Beam Yes. We did that gracefully. Now, oh, the bad bitch that is Pam Grier!
Sylvia O'Bell Talk about it. The godmother of all this shit.
Scottie Beam Foxy Brown.
Scottie Beam Okay, now let me tell you something.
Sylvia O’Bell OK, tell us.
Scottie Beam My girl don't miss. Pam Grier in Foxy Brown did not miss ever, and she will catch you in the middle of your forehead, right in the middle of your eyes! With a gun that came out from her afro! you hear what I’m saying to you?
Sylvia O’Bell I hear it.
Scottie Beam And! she killed about three people in a room. Okay? it was A1. First of all, she bad. We all know Pam Grier is bad bad bad bad. But when we're talking about this fighting, Pam Grier gets down and she is the OG of OG's. And I will always give her a 10 because that gun should have never, I don't even know how you hide it in yo damn afro for it to come out and it be so small. And pew pew pew! Everybody laid the fuck out.
Sylvia O’Bell Everybody.
Scottie Beam So I love Pam Grier. I love her in Foxy Brown. She wants to watch people suffer in that movie, and I am absolutely down. She does not play that shit. So Pam Grier, I will give a 10 to because, she, she basically was the pioneer of like, getting dirty, getting down.
Sylvia O'Bell She was, she sets the blueprint for sure, and I feel like a lot of the extra points come off of just GP, general principle, respect. Like would I have loved to see her get more gritty and graphic, too?
Scottie Beam Yes.
Sylvia O’Bell Yes. But it was a sign of the times.
Scottie Beam It’s the times.
Sylvia O’Bell And it was like, it was supposed to be very comic booky. So like, I get that that's the feel that they were going for. Yeah. So, cool cool cool.
Scottie Beam So, it's, it was good. It was good. I love her. So yes, then we have Tessa Thompson in Thor.
Sylvia O’Bell Yes, we do.
Scottie Beam Sylvia, you remember that movie? You seen that movie?
Sylvia O'Bell I saw Thor once.
Scottie Beam OK, so.
Sylvia O’Bell You know, I tried to keep up with the Marvel Universe because I do love the Avengers. And a lot of the other sections. What I did like about Thor in The Avengers was that he was the funny one. So I was like, “Oh he’s a lot of comic relief in this, let me see what they talking about in the Thor universe.” And when I heard Tessa was being cast in it and I liked that she was always down, you know, to go hand-to-hand. sword or no sword. You know what I mean? And like jumping on the little spaceships, and naming her guns, her badass attitude. For me, I always give extra points if you're willing to put the weapon down, and get to getting, you know what I mean, and like Tessa does do that in Thor.
Scottie Beam Yes.
Sylvia O’Bell Have you seen it?
Scottie Beam I loved Tessa in Thor. Yeah, I've seen it, like, about three or four times. simply because Tessa is in it and they make her look like a God. Like, the way that she walks around with such confidence. And like, there's this slow motion piece when she's walking that I'm like, God. It just feels Godlike. Like, it, it makes my heart flutter a little bit, that I know that she's going to go kill some shit. You hear me? And also, she's not an emotional person, you know, she's just in the moment of fighting and likes to fight, you know, that's what she does. That was her job to protect where she was from. So I absolutely loved her. I'll give her an eight, because it wasn't a lot. It wasn't as, of course, it's a Marvel film. It's not going to be gory and graphic. But, you know, killing was done.
Sylvia O'Bell Killing was done. She showed up as a bad ass chick, out here doing the thing. I do love that they put her in, like you said earlier, a different time, era. Like, we're not only like, you know, modern whatever, it’s like, give us people from the past.
Scottie Beam We existed in all time, every time.
Sylvia O’Bell We kicking ass since the beginning of times.
Scottie Beam Fictional times, non-fictional times we were in everything, put us in every fucking thing!
Sylvia O'Bell Every timeline, in every era that you create, better be a Black woman up in there somewhere, kicking ass, is all we are saying. Thank you. All right, so. final example.
Scottie Beam Finally, oh my gosh, I am the biggest fan!
Sylvia O'Bell The bad bitch. The biggest bad bitch that is Danai Gurira, a.k.a. Okoye head of the Dora Milaje in the Black Panther!
Scottie Beam In Black Panther. OK, I got to be honest with y’all, for real.
Sylvia O’Bell OK, be honest.
Scottie Beam I think about this character probably once a week.
Sylvia O’Bell OK!
Scottie Beam I kid you not. I kid you not. I don't know if it's because she has this, “leave your emotions at home. I came here to protect,” demeanor that I absolutely love and I look up to, and I know this is not a real character.
Sylvia O’Bell Right.
Scottie Beam But I love that she portrayed that, and that she was like, this is my job. My job is to protect Wakanda.
Sylvia O’Bell Yep.
Scottie Beam And whomever serves Wakanda, I have to be behind that person. I loved that. This is not all emotional, please, stop with the emotional shit.
Sylvia O'Bell It’s very principled. She's a very principled woman. Her loyalty, she knows who her loyalty lies with, especially in a world where people and things switch up on you. You have to have a moral code, and I think what you're getting to is like, Okoye had a moral code that she stuck to, and did let anything sway her from, even love.
Scottie Beam My boyfriend, all a y’all, can go.
Sylvia O'Bell Yeah, because, you know, she loved Chadwick. The Black Panther character, she loved him. But when he lost to Michael B, she said, Love you, But, this is where my loyalty lies. Like, You know?
Scottie Beam Also, her own, her own boyfriend. But she was like, You too can die, all of y’all.
Sylvia O'Bell He asked her, straight up, mid fight scene. “You, my love? You would do that?” And she said, “For Wakanda? Ya damn skippy!”
Scottie Beam Ya damn Skippy. Immediately.
Sylvia O’Bell Didn’t hesitate.
Scottie Beam I love that. Also she just didn't play that shit with white people either. And we love you and we love that.
Sylvia O’Bell And we love that.
Scottie Beam We love that, I love that she stood behind that. And also, how clean she was with that motherfucking spear, that spear, how she fought. The whole Dora Milaje, like,
Sylvia O’Bell In lock step.
Scottie Beam Like, I wish I saw that younger. I didn't know about that until, until I got older, but that was the shit that I yearn and I want. I love. I wish they can do like a film with just her and everything around her.
Sylvia O'Bell The Dora Milaje, I would love a spin off on the Dora Milaje and like the girls, because like, I feel like it's something you have to be training for your whole life and like, girls probably have to make a decision young.
Scottie Beam And guess who gets a film about that? Wonder Woman, who I don't give a damn about, but they have a whole thing about that. I know people know that story. I would love to know more about that.
Sylvia O’Bell Yes.
Scottie Beam In a film, is all I’m saying.
Sylvia O'Bell Cuz the spear is not an easy weapon of choice. You got to be bad bitch to be killing with a spear, that takes a lot of force. It's not like, you know.
Scottie Beam So precise!
Sylvia O'Bell It’s about force and balance, with a flip of the wrist.
Scottie Beam Everything everything.
Sylvia O’Bell And like I, adding to your point about, like, defying beauty standards early on, when we’re fighting, love that they all shave their heads. They're like, this is, we're not here to be pretty. We are not here to be your fantasy. We are here to get down.
Scottie Beam To protect.
Sylvia O’Bell And kill anybody who steps in the way.
Scottie Beam and we'll do whatever the fuck it takes to protect.
Sylvia O'Bell Our king and our country.
Scottie Beam Right.
Sylvia O’Bell I'm gonna give Okoye a, a nine. I'm gonna give her a nine. Because I would have loved more fighting scenes, like you mentioned. I feel like every time she did what she had to do, it was great. But they did often let you know, obviously, the Black Panthers take the lead. The men really took the lead a lot in the fighting scenes in that movie, and it wasn't like, we didn't get to see her get super gory and down. You know what I mean? Like, I would have just loved the full fist to fist fight scene, like solely that.
Scottie Beam When she jumped off that top level at that gambling game with her spear?
Sylvia O’Bell Oh, now that was a shot.
Scottie Beam And the red?
Sylvia O’Bell And the dress flying and the train?
Scottie Beam I died.
Sylvia O'Bell Love a woman who can fight an evening gown. Love that.
Scottie Beam Child. So, that was fun. But other than that, you know, let me tell y’all, it was hard as hell to find the Black female action leads when we were making this list. You know, it's not common, and I really wish it was more common because there are girls like me who absolutely love watching fight scenes and love watching, you know, action films with Black women in them.
Sylvia O’Bell Right.
Scottie Beam You know, who aren’t just eye candy in the film or whatever else we're used for. So, yeah, I really wish that there would be more because, I also would audition because trust and believe, a bitch will shoot.
Sylvia O’Bell Right.
Scottie Beam And fight, on film. Not in real life. I don't do that no more.
Sylvia O'Bell We’re not condoning violence in real life.
Scottie Beam But on film, absolutely.
Sylvia O'Bell And the only point I want to add, in addition to what we said was like, also like just, not only in sci fi films, either. Like, there's not enough women fighting in the power universe for me, getting down and dirty with it. You know what I mean? Like when you go to your average runaway girl, Like most girls in these neighborhoods, they're not just the dealer's girlfriend or wife, like they had to fight to just even do whatever and like, that's never really showed, either. And so like even in just your everyday stories, like we wish fighting wasn't a part of everyday life in certain areas, but it is. And they only ever show the guys get into it in those movies and shows.
Scottie Beam I just want to say, like there are, there are a lot of women, gangs as well.
Sylvia O’Bell Right?
Scottie Beam People love doing gang movies. Nobody has told any women gang stories or anything like that that exist in the hood. Like not saying real ones, but make a fictional one up that you've done, you know, research on in the hood or whatever it is. I just would want to see more stories about that.
Sylvia O'Bell Stories, all around, that’s all I’m saying. And like, in like, yes, different universes, but also in the one that we exist in. Because, what's ironic about it is Black women have got to fight every, alls our life, we have to fight. So the fact that that's not reflected in the stories is wild. It’s just wild.
Scottie Beam It’s just crazy to me.
Sylvia O’Bell As if white women are fighting more, or have to fight more, when it's not even the case.
Scottie Beam Oh, we should actually rank Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple because let me tell you something, my girl.
Sylvia O’Bell Not Sophia!
Scottie Beam We got to get Sophia a ranking because, my girl
Sylvia O’Bell She was whoppin Harpo’s ass.
Scottie Beam Knocked that nigga Harpo into yesteryear. You hear me? Just off of hitting Harpo, and also telling us all her life she had to fight, which I do believe.
Sylvia O’Bell The power in that backswing, that right hook was heavy.
Scottie Beam I give her a ten, too. Ten, Sophia.
Sylvia O'Bell Took that man off his feet, though.
Scottie Beam Yeah, well, the thing about that.
Sylvia O'Bell Hopefully at the very least, we'll get maybe The Harder They Fall sequel, because those who've seen the ending know that there does seem to be an opening for a bad bitch female cowboy led situation I hope it happens, please!
Scottie Beam Oh my god, do it! I would die. I would die.
Sylvia O’Bell Cast some more,
Scottie Beam Y’all would have to have me on set.
Sylvia O'Bell Put Halle Berry in that one, too.
Scottie Beam Yes. Halle.
Sylvia O'Bell Put Viola up in there.
Scottie Beam Put Viola in there.
Sylvia O’Bell You know what I mean? Give em!
Scottie Beam You could even put Cynthia Erivo in there.
Sylvia O’Bell Yeah give us some more dark skinned characters.
Scottie Beam Because you know that one time she ran in Widows, I was like that girl deserves to be in something.
Sylvia O’Bell She fast, she was fast. I love how we all got caught up on that one break scene where she broke, what’s that, damn, that girl fast.
Scottie Beam I talk about that shit all the time, and my boyfriend said to me, “Just because she ran?” I said, “Because it was fast!” She ran really fast!
Sylvia O'Bell She picked up speed in a way, that you, people can't always pick up speed like that.
Scottie Beam No, not with them little legs, she was out.
Sylvia O'Bell And her arms are giving action hero. OK, so please.
Scottie Beam Oh, speaking of arms, Angela, let's put Angela Bassett in there.
Sylvia O'Bell Yes, she don’t always got to be queen mother. Let her get down and dirty more because even, yes, I want more of her in action movies as well.
Scottie Beam So yeah, we got, we got a list. James Samuels. Please call us. Call us.
Sylvia O’Bell Call us. We're available.
Scottie Beam Call us. Please.
Sylvia O’Bell If you wanna brainstorm. And you can put our font, credit, smaller. Our names, in the, you know, it’s fine.
Scottie Beam But yeah.
Sylvia O’Bell All right. Well, that's our show, guys. Thank you all for tuning in.
Scottie Beam Our show is a production of Pineapple Street Studios in partnership with Netflix and Strong Black Lead. Shout out to our team, our editor is Jess Jupiter and our producer is Taylor Hosking. Our music is by Amanda Jones. Special thanks to Max Linsky and Janna Weiss-Berman.
Sylvia O'Bell Make sure you share your thoughts with us on the episode using the #OkayNowListen, I want to hear who your favorite badass, women led by scene characters are and what you, what you feel about the rankings. Please tell us, please. And follow Strong Black Lead on the socials, @StrongBlackLead and follow us too, I’m @SylviaOBell
Scottie Beam And I'm @JonathanMajorsFanClub to @ScottieBeam.
Sylvia O'Bell You know what? Like Gia said, the door is closed. The bandwagon is closed! Get in the back of the line! Alright.
Scottie Beam I’m sorry you guys, see you on the web! What do we call, the Majees? The Majettes! Shout out to the Majettes! We’re here!
Sylvia O'Bell So happy to have you, honestly, refreshments, you know where they are. right in the back. Until next time, folks, stay blessed.