The Portrait of Nola Darling as an Artist

When I finished Season 2 of She’s Gotta Have It, I was reminded of one of my favorite words. Künstlerroman is a German word that describes a narrative where a person comes into their own as an artist. If Season 1 of Spike Lee’s series focused on Nola Darling gaining ownership of her body, whether it be in the form of creating boundaries with her lovers, dealing with the trauma of being sexually assaulted or navigating the complex politics that come with being a black woman in the increasingly gentrified Brooklyn, season 2 takes a strong focus on Nola’s discovery of her fully developed voice as an artist.

In Season 2 Episode 1, its another summer in Brooklyn and we find Nola Darling with exquisite box braids, in the throws of a committed relationship with the grounded yet controlling Opal Gilstrap. Nola is developing a bond with her precocious daughter, Skylar which is a cause for concern in the eyes of Opal. Where children need stability, the free spirited Nola Darling has no qualms with describing their relationship as “sisterly” one day and Mother/daughter, the next. At first glance, I thought season 2 was going to have a main focus on the protagonist enduring a committed relationship and learning the dynamics of a blended queer family. However, thats what I’ve always liked about this Spike Lee Joint. Whereas we might think this series main focus is showing a hip…