A popular belief suggests that books are superior to their screen adaptations, but what happens when they’re not? Take “American Psycho,” for example, which transformed Bret Easton Ellis’ enigmatic novel into a captivating thriller on the big screen. Or what if the situation is too complex for a simple comparison? This is particularly true for “The Other Black Girl,” the novel that captured readers’ attention two summers ago with its intriguing title. The word “other” poses an unsettling question that many can relate to: If one Black woman is the “other,” then who is the first? And can that dynamic change? Can one Black girl become prominent while the other fades away, similar to “Single White Female”?
These are the dilemmas at the heart of Zakiya Dalila Harris’ gripping page-turner. The story initially starts out as a straightforward and fascinating account of what unfolds when Nella, the only Black woman at a predominantly white book publisher, encounters Hazel, a new Black employee. Initially, there is a sense of relief — “Oh, finally, another Black girl!” — but it takes a sinister turn that feels a bit clumsy and struggles to recover.
Zakiya Dalila Harris’ novel grapples with the unraveling of its twisted plot, but the TV series adaptation, “The Other Black Girl,” created by showrunners Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey, addresses this issue more effectively. With 10 half-hour episodes to expand on the implications only hinted at in the novel, and Harris herself involved in the writing process, the adaptation remains true to the original story.
The series starts off strong, resonating with fans of the book by incorporating recognizable elements. It vividly portrays the challenges of being a Black person in predominantly white spaces, including gaslighting, discomfort, ostracization, and a perpetual sense of otherness. Additionally, the adaptation introduces its more sinister elements early on, establishing a foundation that continues throughout the narrative.
In the present-day storyline, we meet Nella, a young, ambitious Black woman navigating the predominantly white corporate world with her distinctive Afro. Like the novel, the TV adaptation effectively captures the disheartening experience of being the only Black woman in an overwhelmingly white office, forced to support a problematic white client. Despite airing on a mainstream streaming platform, “The Other Black Girl” maintains the novel’s specific narrative style. Reddout, Hickey, and their writing team draw heavily from Harris’ language and create an implicit connection with Black women in the audience.
The microaggressions at the office, the well-intentioned but clueless white colleague claiming allyship, and the expectation for Nella to support a problematic white author all ignite the central conflict in the story. Nella finds solace in her best friend, Malaika, with whom she can freely vent about workplace frustrations. When Hazel, another Black woman, joins the company, some hope for a different experience for Nella. However, things become ambiguous as Hazel manipulates Nella, making her question her own judgment, and gaslights her throughout their interactions.
Ashleigh Murray delivers a standout performance, adding depth to Hazel with a backstory absent in the novel. The inherent trust between Black women, based on shared experiences and race, is a disconcerting aspect of the narrative. The expectation for two Black women in an overly white space to support one another makes the deteriorating relationship between Nella and Hazel even more impactful. The importance of Nella’s friendship with Malaika, where they don’t need to code-switch, is also demonstrated.
The TV adaptation focuses on the environments that breed animosity between Black women, specifically the overwhelmingly white corporate America that shapes the dynamics between Nella, Hazel, and the mysteriously vanished author Diana Gordon. This exploration resonates with Zakiya Dalila Harris, who drew inspiration from Nella Larsen’s novel “Passing,” examining the pressures Black women face and how they interact with one another versus the rest of the world.
Hulu’s adaptation delves into these themes delicately, giving Hazel a more fleshed-out backstory and avoiding the pitfall of relying solely on genre elements to tell the story. However, the subplot in both the book and the series doesn’t quite come together, failing to provide a fulfilling connection to the overall narrative. Instead, it is the evolving relationships and motivations that make the story compelling.
On the positive side, the multiple time periods in the TV series are executed more effectively than in the book and become increasingly relevant as the story unfolds. Paying attention to the year stamps and the characters’ hair reveals a pattern in the experiences of Black professionals in this specific setting.
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