‘Wayne Brady: The Family Remix’ Recap – ‘Dear Mama’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Wayne Brady and Maile Brady in ‘Wayne Brady: The Family Remix’. (Photo Courtesy of John Fleenor/Freeform/Disney.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘Wayne Brady: The Family Remix’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve learned a lot about the importance, the power, and the impact of the truth, courtesy of the Freeform series, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix. Since Wayne and his family have explored every single one of those elements by welcoming us into their home and their lives and through Wayne’s decision to open up about his life, his sexuality and the truth about everything going on with him really. Which has indeed brought forth amazing lessons on the truth, some sobering moments with the family and now… something quite delightful.

In that, the next episode in this saga explored something quite powerful. Specifically, what do we do with our lives when we have started to speak our truth and explore who we are, and that made ‘Dear Mama’ quite the impactful and beautiful tale. For several reasons. In large part, because Wayne did indeed have to answer that question. For he was still struggling with his work on The Wiz and wondering how to find his authentic self for the role and well… a good chat with the director of the project and support from his family helped him to realize to embrace his truth, embrace the moment and just thrive within it. Feel it really, because we are now who we are when that truth comes out, and there’s nothing to analyze, we just have to live and enjoy the ride.

Which in turn, prompted Wayne to do more wonderful things to embrace the moment, the future and the truth about what he wants in life. One element is a stable family life. That was why he invited his biological mother, whom he hasn’t known as well as he would like, and the biological mother of Sundance-Isamu, to join the Core Four for an incredible Mother’s Day dinner. One filled with honesty, understanding and love, and unity. Which brought Wayne to tears and filled his heart with love and helped him to understand that power of the moment and the wonder of being honest and embracing truth and well, Wayne finding a better place mentally in this tale, allowed for the show to expand a little further on the rest of the family as well.

Since we did indeed learn how Sundance-Isamu came to be part of the family via time with Jason and Mandie, and we also spent a lot of time with Maile here and learned about some of her interpersonal dealings and some of her passions. Such as how much she loves music, and being around it, and making it. In fact, that passion brought about a bit of drama in this tale. Simply because once, Wayne was done with the workshop and back in Los Angeles with his family, Maile’s big focus was getting her music video put together and in the midst of assembling the choreography for it, she ran into a little conflict with Wayne and Mandie. In that, they saw an opportunity to freshen up her track and make it pop for the video. Advice that was welcome since Wayne and Mandie know their stuff, but also hurtful because she really wanted to dig into the creative process and do what her parents do, of her own accord.

Which was fascinating and relatable to watch play out, since Maile is in that strange space in her life where we have all been at some point. Where parents and guardians still have some say in our lives, when we are ready to break out. But while we wait to see what comes of that, we can celebrate one beautiful journey. One that spoke to how being honest benefits us, and how it helps us to grow and be a better person through and through, and it was just satisfying and wholesome to see Wayne find some footing, and peace, and love and joy, because everyone deserves that in this life. And it will be equally as wondrous to see Wayne and his family grow further now that the foundation is laid down for an honest tomorrow. Until next time.

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