WELCOME TO THE VALLEY.

UNCLE CLIFFORD #1 'LET THE STAGE BE YOUR STEPPINGSTONE, NOT YOUR TOMBSTONE'.

It is the end of yet an exciting and thrilling season of P-valley, closing its second season on a landscape of beautiful high, leaving us on the edge of the cliff agonizingly anticipating whether a third season is in the works. 

The end of the second season left us with a lot of loose ends that need to be tied, is Hailey going to tell Andre about the baby, or is she going to disappear and raise it by herself. Will the Roulette prove to be a new challenge for the Pynk in her new business venture?. How much of Lil Murda and Uncle Cliffords romance will we witness in full bloom?.

P-valley created by Katori Hall, was first introduced to us in 2020, depicting the lives of strippers, transwomen, and queer men in the deep south.  The all-black cast was a breath of fresh air with its realism on the characters.

The show is breathtaking and refreshing in its storytelling of how we get to experience and go through what it is like to be a gay man in today's society and waves of trials and tribulations because of societal norms that cage them. 

In the first season we are introduced to Uncle Clifford, a man in his 40’s, a beard, heels higher than most our standards, lace fronts brought to the forefront and sass that only a few wishes they possessed, with pronouns she/her. She owns the Pynk, she took over from her grandmother that she runs with a set of rules. In mainstream media we are never subject to witnessing characters like Uncle Clifford as a lead character. 

Uncle Clifford who is the one of the main characters is eye watering to look at, he is not the typical gay men to be cast for such a role. In roles we are conditioned and used to seeing the typical muscled good looking black man with a tight ass which is a misrepresentation of the media on gay men. Uncle Clifford ticks none of those boxes and shows us that gay men come in all shapes and sizes.

The Pynk is best described as a haven for black women who must resort to stripping to make a living.  The Pynk showcases a different view to the world of stripping that we have come to know, in the Pynk women sell the fantasy but not the sex.

Rule #4 'You a hoe, You out the do'

Uncle Clifford rule # no titties on the floor.

Her counterpart Lil Murda and love interest is a muscular good-looking rapper that passes as straight, we are introduced to Lil Murda who is an upcoming rapper in the valley who made his debut at the Pynk. Their romance is teased throughout the first season after a passionate night in Uncle Cliffords office. However, is short lived due to the rampant homophobia and transphobia in the Deep South.

Now throughout the season we see an uncappling romance unfold between Uncle Clifford and Lil Murda who deals with his own sexuality. Throughout the season one gets to see the amazing writing come to life between these two characters showcasing the real romance struggles of queer black men in the south.

Lil Murda being a closeted rapper also plays a factor in the two not being able to blossom their love. A love that seems like it can never be due to the deep conservative societal norms that still plague the South. 

During the first season we discover Lil Murda share a diner scene with his first love Big Teak grappling to come to grips with himself.  When Big Teak commits suicide Lil Murda knocks at the door he knows will open.

Lil Murda and Big Teak in the diner scene

Season two takes place during the pandemic, Uncle Clifford and Lil Murda are now living together and we get to see their romance start to blossom for the first time.

Uncle Cliffords grandmother gets sick with Covid, and we get to see Lil Murda come to Uncle Cliffords aid as an extra pair of hands. In this season we get to see the relationship of two black queer men as leads represented on television because they aren’t the average Joe.

In television we are conditioned to see a set of what a queer men should look like and the template he should fit in being tall, muscular, well dressed and breath taking on the eye.

Writer hall explains that it was important because Lil Murda has been trying to run away from showing people who he truly is for many years of his life. She further continues to say that season 2 is really about focusing on what he has to say about the world and what he has to say about himself

A uncongenial pair that seemed to have found each other through the midst of society, its riveting to see the two because it’s not a black gay couple we would normally be introduced to but a realistic representation of what queer love is and what being gay actually looks like in reality.

Queer men come in all shapes and sizes and that is what makes up this beautiful community being that we are a one size fits all. We see Uncle Clifford not seeing himself the way Lil Murda sees him as a beautiful being worthy of love. In the queer community men are told that they should go to the gym and have a six pack, dress exceptionally well, and above all look like a Greek God.