Fix: Prodigal Daughter Returns Home, Small Town Charm, Queer Joy, Fabulous Clothes
Platform: Prime Video
Prime Video Summary:
From Producer Norman Lear comes a heartfelt comedy that follows Harry (George Wallace), an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as a proud, trans woman, Desiree (Laverne Cox). Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends and neighbors, as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around.
FYA Summary:
When Desiree’s art gallery goes out of business, she leaves New York City for her childhood home in Alabama — showing up on her estranged father’s doorstep for the first time since she began presenting as a trans woman. As Desiree settles back into familiar surroundings, old relationships start to mend while new ones blossom.
FYI: It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that the family’s last name is Slate and “clean slate” is even part of the car wash’s slogan.
Familiar Faces:
Laverne Cox as Desiree and George Wallace as Harry
Now a certified city slicker, Desiree has been therapized and doing the work — although sometimes doing a little too much with her bougie tendencies. (She’s big into crystals, y’all.) Comedy isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Laverne Cox — although I loved it when she showed up as the legendary Cousin Sheena on The Mindy Project — but she gets to showcase those skills here.
Harry is ADORBS. While he might be set in his ways for most things, he’s making an earnest effort with Desiree. George Wallace has one of those long careers that I can’t even pinpoint how I became aware of him. He and Laverne are also creators and executive producers of the show, so it’s no wonder that the roles are tailor made for them both.
Rounding out the cast are Louis (D.K. Uzoukwu), Desiree’s childhood bestie who’s still in the closet; Ella (Telma Hopkins), Louis’ force-of-nature mother; Mack (Jay Wilkison), Harry’s employee who’s smitten with Desiree; Opal (Norah Murphy), Mack’s precocious pre-teen daughter; and Miguel (Phillip Garcia), the Slates’ eccentric next door neighbour.
Couch-Sharing Capability: High
Who among us can resist a small town full of quirky characters?! It’s a short binge with only 8 half-hour episodes, and the show doesn’t really get too heavy. Even when transphobia and racism rear their ugly heads, they’re still handled with a light touch.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Matcha Optional
Much like Desiree’s beverage of choice, the show goes down easy and doesn’t need anything stronger to enhance the experience. (Although a warm tea would be a great match(a) for coziness!)
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Good Clean Fun
It definitely says a lot about our shitshow reality that watching someone live a nice soft life is considered escapism. In Clean Slate‘s world, everyone has the capacity for change, and Black trans women are cherished and protected. Now if only life could do a better job of imitating art. (Tbh the most unrealistic part is actually Desiree fitting her amazing wardrobe into one suitcase.)
