Quiet on Set Episode 5 did one thing right

Though many were disappointed with Quiet on Set Episode 5, the episode did manage to handle one big topic right.

When it was announced that Investigation Discovery’s docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV was going to release a bonus fifth episode, fans were excited as they expected more interviews and never-before-seen-footage.

However, since Episode 5 was released, many viewers have expressed their disappointment with how the episode was put together as they viewed it more as a cash grab than shedding more light on what occurred behind closed doors.

But, despite the episode not being what fans expected, Episode 5 did one thing right and that’s giving more of a voice to the Black former child actors.

In the original four episodes, Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, the two Black All That members interviewed, weren’t given a lot of time to talk about their experiences on set as the only two Black kids.

While the pair were shown talking about their experiences of feeling isolated or targeted on set due to their race, the series definitely didn’t go into as much detail as it should’ve.

But, in Episode 5, both Samuels and Hearne were allowed the space to talk about being Black in this predominantly white space and how that effected them as children and adults.

The pair were allowed to touch on feeling tokenized, overlooked, and having to stick with the other Black people in the room in order to survive.

It was extremely important to allow Hearne and Samuels talk about these experiences because they’re pretty universal to both Black people and people of color.

I myself, as someone is who is half Black and half Hispanic, resonated with Samuels’ explanation of why people of color look for each other in every room and Hearne’s frustration about Dan Schneider half-hearted defense about the importance of diversity in his shows.

I completely understand what both Samuels and Hearne were talking about because, though I didn’t experience these microaggressions on a Hollywood set, I still felt them at school, work, and in social settings.

If there is one thing Quiet on Set Episode 5 did right is was giving both Samuels and Hearne the platform they deserved to call out the racist things they experienced as it allows them to connect with other POC who have gone through similar things and showed them, not only are they not alone, but there will always be people around to stand up for their experiences.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is streaming on Max now. You can read one thing missing from the docuseries here, while for more true crime, check out all the documentaries hitting streaming this month.