‘Wayne Brady: The Family Remix’ Recap – ‘NY State of Mind’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Mandie Taketa, Wayne Brady, and Jason Fordham in ‘Wayne Brady: The Family Remix’. (Photo Courtesy of John Fleenor/Disney/Freeform.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Wayne Brady: The Family Remix’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
​
One particular flaw that the vast majority of ‘day in the life celebrity’ shows harbor, is that they tend to hold back, in every sense of that phrase. For they don’t always show us an authentic day in the life, they don’t always showcase what a celebrity is truly like and what they are actually going through in their lives. Simply because there is always that fear that being too authentic and too open will somehow be damaging to a celebrity. As though it will shatter the mythos of who they are, and well… it is a flaw… simply because it does the audience and the celebrity in question, a grand disservice. For they are and will forever be more than their persona or their mythos… they’re a person. 

One that has ups and downs, one that harbors fears and worries and has bad days like anyone else in the world and all should see that, and that is why the Freeform series, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix, is so important. Simply because this celebrity show has bucked that flaw and is truly presenting us with what we’ve always wanted from this kind of show and for proof… look no further than this week’s episode. For ‘NY State of Mind’ immediately followed up on last week’s tale, by showcasing a tearful Wayne, who was deeply conflicted by doing the very show we are now watching, and wondering if he should continue because of the very real fears he was experiencing regarding being so open and so raw about his truth. Which set the tone for a powerful episode, one that informed us… we were in new territory for this type of show.

Because let’s be honest, we just don’t see celebrities be that vulnerable and well, that was just the tip of the iceberg. For as this episode continued along, we saw Wayne in a whole new light, one that was genuinely relatable. Because Wayne got back to work after deciding to continue the show, in part because performing and acting is what fuels Wayne and puts food on the table, but Mandie knew this push to get to work was something more. Specifically, an attempt to avoid facing the truth to come, and to also not resolve some unresolved emotions. Which she confronted him about when a grand opportunity/dream dropped into his lap, and this too was powerful and real. Because so many of us do this, and it showcased how a man as famous as Wayne, can succumb to such behaviors, and it genuinely removed the mythos of celebrity and showcased humanity over anything else.

Not to mention, the core four’s collective decision to let Wayne go to New York and play the part of the Wiz in The Wiz, allowed for us to see another side of celebrities we never see. Wherein Wayne struggled behind the scenes with taking on this role, and wondered if he was right for it and if he was going to fail in offering up something authentic. Which made for a shocking end to this episode, because we saw Wayne Brady, one of the biggest stars on the planet, deal with Imposter Syndrome, and deeply worry about being good or showcasing talent when time and time again he’s made performing and acting look easy on our television screens and the silver screen and well… that made for a raw and visceral episode that was unlike anything in this genre.

Because this… this was authentic. This was truth. This was a celebrity shedding persona and mythos to show us who he is and bare his fears and his soul, and that made for one incredible tale. One that simply engaged us from beginning to end by offering up a story that was so relatable and really informed us of what drives Wayne and fuels him, and what haunts him, and it truly makes us want to see more of this journey. Because now, we want Wayne to find the peace he deserves, the calm that his truth will bring him and see him overcome pain that lurks in his heart. Because of how human and beautiful this story has become, and because such a journey inspires so many and well, this episode deserves a round of applause for finally delivering what we want from a genre of storytelling that has promised so much and delivered so little, and it will be fascinating to see what lies ahead as Wayne continues to bear his soul. Until next time.

---