SEASON PREMIERE: BMF ‘See It? Touch It… Obtain It’, Recap
The latest STARZ and Curtis “50 Cent” — produced crime drama takes place in Detroit where the infamous Black Mafia Family was founded. BMF tells that story with culture editor Bianca Gregg recapping each episode weekly.
An adult Demetrius appears circa 2005 and is welcomed by a friend who says it has been two years since Meech was in Detroit. There’s a block party to celebrate his home-coming. He stares at the front door of his childhood home as the show begins to go into his story touching on the things they sacrificed to get to where they were. As he narrates the first few minutes of the opening, he poses a question about regrets and then answers quickly, “NO.”
We open with brothers Meech and Terry as children. Both are getting ready for school as their father, Charles slides out of the door to get to work but not before giving their mother, Lucille, some love. Both brothers stop at a small store before heading to school.
Meech talks about how he wants to eventually elevate his family out of struggle. His boss Pat rides up and Meech talks about one day wanting a car just like his. Meech gets into Pat’s car, clearly skipping school to work and as they start to ride off. Pat stops the car and Meech tells his brother to get in. According to Meech, from that day forward, the brothers were in business together.
We jump to them now being in high school. Meech and Terry go and meet members of a rival gang, the 12th St. Boys at a big game at the school. Terry slides into one of the locker rooms to grab a gun from one of his friends. Meech and Terry head down to the basement to talk to the rival members.
Terry pulls his gun.
Back at home, Meech tries to explain to Terry that the gun was unnecessary. It’s clear the brothers have very different approaches to things. Terry is the hothead but presumed innocent to his family. Meech is ambitious but calculated in his moves. Meech dropped out of school to be in the streets full time but Terry is still enrolled and apparently an honors student, as we find out at a very awkward family dinner.
At that dinner, Charles paints the picture of Meech being the disappointment of the family.
Meech meets with his crew to discuss a new location for their business. He suggests the park they are standing in — 12th St. Boys turf, but Meech doesn’t care about that or the dealings being close to children. We later find out that Meech has a good relationship with a detective who looks out for him with an overzealous woman in the neighborhood that feels it is her job to protect the community from drugs.
Terry gets into it with a classmate named Kwame because he continues to make comments about Terry having a child as a teenager. The pair get into a scuffle right in the classroom but not before we see how much of a thinker Terry is when he talks about Karl Marx.
Meech gets home with some food and his parents demand to talk to him. His mother found Terry’s gun. Instead of Meech telling on his brother, he takes the heat for the gun. Charles kicks his son out but not before Meech announces the house is in foreclosure. Although Meech offers money to pay the mortgage up, Charles pride and strong feelings against how his son makes money causes him to refuse the help. After Meech and Charles get into a small scuffle, Meech storms out.
A man name Lamar shows up to Meech’s girlfriends home. Lamar is her ex. She refuses to allow him to see his child, who according to her is not his child. Lamar hand her a bracelet to give to the little girl. Lamar waits outside in his car and spots Meech leaving the woman’s home. He attempts to hit Meech with his car and warns him to stay away from his woman.
The following day, Meech and Terry meet in the park to talk to their crew. Kato is under fire because she cheapened the price on the drugs the crew is moving. She tells the guys she did it because it was getting slow out. They dismiss Kato but realize there is some truth to the information she gave them. The guys decide they need to step on the product a bit and cheapen the price. The formula works! Meech and Terry sell out of their product quickly, however a bit too quickly for Pat.
At Pat’s party, Meech and Terry decide it’s the right time to ask for more product. Pat asks them what happened to the product he just gave them and Meech tells him they already sold it all. Pat tells them they are moving way too fast and that moving rapidly could put a target on their backs, by way of law enforcement. Pat’s answer leaves Meech desiring to branch out on his own. Meech knows he owes a lot to Pat and wants to make him rich but at this point he is willing to move forward with his plan without waiting on the okay from Pat.
Lawanda gives birth to Terry’s son and the family appears to reunite in the hospital. A few days later, Meech calls Terry to hurry him to a meeting the pair are supposed to have. When Terry goes out to the car to retrieve the baby’s pacifier, he is shot in the face by an unknown assailant.
Takeaways:
A strong start to a story of Black organized crime.
The casting of Meech is impeccable. From the casting of older Meech in the beginning of the episode to Lil Meech having the opportunity to play his father, that in itself makes this series special.
