Supacell. If you haven’t heard this word over the last few weeks, we must ask where you’ve been. Since the Netflix series created by Rapman debuted on June 27th, word of mouth has spread like crazy. For those unfamiliar with Supacell, the series follows Michael (Tosin Cole), Tazer (Josh Tedeku), Sabrina (Nadine Mills), Rodney (Calvin Demba), and Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa), a group of seemingly ordinary people from South London who unexpectedly develop superpowers. These are not just any old ordinary people though. What makes Supacell so unique is that it’s a series that features Black people at the forefront.
There are many reasons to watch Supacell, so we had to put a list together because we feel more people need to know about this show!
1. Representation Matters
We know this is a common phrase that has been repeated time and time, but that’s because it’s true. It will never stop being true. Representation matters. Seeing yourself onscreen matters. As I mentioned, Supacell is a series with Black people leading the charge. Being a Black person myself, I can say I did not grow up seeing a lot of representation in specific genres of entertainment. That includes the world of superheroes. I mean, sure, when I watched shows like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, there was the Black Ranger (a little on the nose there, by the way), Zack (Walter Emanuel Jones), but it wasn’t like he was getting a ton of story when his white counterparts were right there. Not to mention, he was also a guy, which I am not. My only view of a female superhero on that show was that of the pink ranger Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson).
That is why I would have loved to have had a show like Supacell when I was growing up. It would have shown me that we can be anything. One of the great things about this show is that, as Rapman put it, it shows that Black people are bankable. It shows people that we are more than just the sidekicks in the superhero TV show or film. We can lead a story just as much as the next person. All you have to do is look at the current buzz that Supacell is continuing to generate at this very moment. The series is one of Netflix’s most-watched programs this month, surpassing 20 million views on the streaming service. That proves that people want to see themselves represented. But what’s more, it proves that viewers generally want something that showcases what the world actually looks like.
Representation doesn’t just apply to what we are watching onscreen. It also applies to the representation behind the scenes. The crew is filled with people of color which we love to see. One of the other things that is so great about what Supacell is doing is that it utilizes technology designed for Black people to be elevated. Specifically with the camera. While watching interviews and reading various articles, I learned that Rapman used an ARRI camera that is designed to show Black skin in the most flattering way. That is a huge deal because I’ve watched so many shows that Black people are in, and they are always lit poorly, especially when next to their white costars. It is very obvious. They will either appear too dark or too washed out.
Some people might think this isn’t a big deal, but it is. Watching Supacell, I was in awe of every Black character’s beauty. And that is a fact. I never once thought, “This lighting is so bad.” Rapman attended a Netflix event and he actually spoke about this new technology. According to Rapman, the ARRI camera was launched just before filming on Supacell began, and he had to pitch to be able to use it. Isn’t that crazy? Having to pitch to be able to use a camera that will highlight Black skin in a flattering way. The entertainment industry is quite interesting. But we’re glad to know that he and his Director of Photography, Aaron Reid, were the ones given the opportunity to use the Arri 35. What’s even cooler about this is that Supacell was the first show in the UK to use that camera.
2. Relatable characters
Every single one of the characters in Supacell is relatable. They are all dealing with problems of their own as they unexpectedly come into their powers. Michael, a favorite of mine (Cole), works as a delivery man and is in a good relationship with his girlfriend Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo). Still, he’s also trying to balance taking care of his mother, who is dealing with severe sickle cell. He can teleport, freeze time, and travel through time. Tazer (Tedeku), is a young man who lives with and cares for his grandmother because his mother abandoned him (Or so he thinks). He doesn’t make a lot of good choices, particularly the choice to be a gang leader, which is extremely dangerous because he’s constantly involved in violent confrontations with rivals tied to a villainous drug kingpin that goes by the name Krazy (Ghetts). His power is invisibility.
Sabrina (Mills), also one of my favorites, is a Nurse who has the power of telekinesis and can fly. I find her incredibly relatable. No. not because she’s telekinetic and flies. Because I’m also a nurse. I was excited to watch her navigate her career. I loved her conversation with her sister Sharleen (Rayxia Ojo) about working so hard as a Black woman trying to get noticed at her job to get promoted to Charge Nurse. That is such a real and true conversation. It’s just as real and relatable as the conversation Dionne and Michael had about why Black women continue to go on shows like Love Island when we’re always rejected for the white girl. For someone who isn’t Black, they would just think that was thrown in for the sake of promoting a TV show, but it’s not. These are real conversations we, especially Black women, have while watching shows.
Rodney (Demba) has the power of super speed. He’s a young man trying to find the next big come-up. He’s a weed dealer, but he’s actually really misunderstood. When you get to episode five, which is all about him, it will break your heart and piss you off. That’s all I’m going to say. Lastly, we have Andre (Abrefa), an ex-con, attempting to create a fresh start for himself so as to provide for his son. He has the power of super strength.
3. Their powers are important but not what makes the show.
You probably read this reason and said, “Their powers are important but not what makes the show.” How can that possibly be when it’s a superhero show? Well, that’s because Supacell is not a superhero show. It’s a show about five Black people living their lives who just happen to have powers. Think about Charmed, for example. Prue (RIP Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) had powers as the Charmed ones, but that wasn’t all they were. They were three sisters who had regular lives to balance and had to make the powers work with all of their life stuff. It’s the same for Michael, Tazer, Sabrina, Rodney, and Andre.
Once they all start to learn they have powers, they aren’t running around saving other people and strapping on capes and leotards. If anything, they’re using their powers for their own personal reasons. Michael, who stumbles upon his powers after teleporting himself to the future, learns that Dionne will die in three months, so his mission ends up being to find the other four so that they can work together to stop it from happening. Tazer uses his powers of invisibility to take down his rivals, and umm… it’s not pretty (think Kick-Ass levels of violence). Sabrina is more reluctant to use her powers, but when she does, it’s to help her sister when she’s attacked outside of a club (trigger warning: Attempted SA). Rodney, well, he uses his super speed to deliver weed in five minutes. His intentions are good, though. He’s trying to make money for himself and his friend Spud (Giacomo Mancini) to have a better life. When Andre discovered his super strength, he was not doing too hot. Because he’s an ex-con, he can’t get hired anywhere. That, of course, made it difficult for him to help his son. A friend persuades him to use his newly acquired super strength to break into a trap house to steal a money-filled safe.
So, the powers don’t make them change who they are as people—at least not in season one. If we get a second season (fingers crossed, because we must), maybe that will change as the series grows.
4. Takes a disease and flips it on its head.
Going into Supacell, I had no idea what I was getting into. I knew I was watching a show about Black people with powers, but I didn’t know that it would be as unique as it was. When we meet Michael in his episode, we see how devoted he is to taking care of his mother, who has sickle cell. For anyone who doesn’t know what sickle cell is, it is an inherited blood disorder that inhibits the ability of hemoglobin in red blood cells to carry oxygen. It is a lifelong illness that blocks blood flow and can lead to complications such as stroke, infections, and severe pain, which is known as a crises. Sickle cell disease disproportionately affects black people.
I say all this to say that what Rapman did with this was take a debilitating disorder and use it as the thing that makes each of the five people special. Michael, Sabrina, Tazer, Andre, and Rodney learn that the thing that connects them is that they have a parent with sickle cell disease. As I watched the first episode and heard Michael say “sickle cell” I thought to myself, “Hmmm sickle cell, Supacell.” After watching some of the press for Supacell, I’m glad I waited to do so after I finished it because otherwise, I would have known beforehand that sickle cell was the thing that contributed to them having powers.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rapman was asked about his unique spin on sickle cell, and he had this to say: “I never understood how there’s a disease that mainly affects dark skin. It didn’t make any sense to me, like color is just darker or lighter, why does it mean if I’m darker, I am now a victim or a target of this disease more than anybody else? I didn’t understand it. So I said, you know what? If there’s something that makes dark skin weak, why don’t you spin it on its head, and there’s something that makes dark skin strong, makes them super. So, I thought this would be great for the origin of their power.
5. The love story
Something that is so important in any show that has superheroes is always the action. And there is no shortage of that in Supacell. That is important, but so is the love story. Michael and Dionne’s relationship is beautiful to watch and a lovely representation of Black love, which we rarely see onscreen. Their love for each other is undying, and they are willing to do anything to help each other. That isn’t the only love story, though. There are different love stories showcased. We have a love of sisters Sabrina and Sharleen and Tazers love for his grandmother and even his friends despite being gang members. That’s still his family, and they’re like brothers to him. Andre has his son AJ (Ky-Mani Carty), whom he wants to do right by. And Rodney has his best friend, Spud (Giacomo Mancini), who is also like a brother to him. The theme of found family is strong in this show.
What I also enjoyed about the story is the level of trust everyone has with each other. The most common thing was that all five people felt safe enough to reveal to the ones they loved that they had powers. It wasn’t like the typical superhero show, where someone learns they have power and hides it for several episodes. The reveals were immediate, except for Andre because his son doesn’t know yet. Only his friend does. I loved that the people they chose to share their secrets with didn’t judge them. In fact, they fully embraced them and showed a lot of understanding.
Supacell is a fantastic show. Every episode will keep you on the edge of your seat. I hope that it continues because there are still a lot of stories that can be told. After the way episode six left us, I cannot imagine that just being the end of the show.
Supacell season 1 is available on Netflix.
