Phenomenal Women of Color

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Johnnie Wise is a young, impressionable girl.  What is your opinion on Johnnie and the life choices she made throughout the series?

He Said: She truly epitomized "use what you got to get what you want."  Once her mother and Earle turned her out, her youthful innocence was lost and replaced by selfish greed.  Granted, she was very young and still very immature when she was forced into prostitution but as she got older, she didn't mature and never seemed to grasp that her choices affected so many people.

She Said: In the beginning Johnnie was innocent, just as all children are.  Once her mother sold her virtue, Johnnie's innocence died and greed was born.  I don't feel that Johnnie was only greedy for material things but I also believe she was greedy for love.  True love.  The love she found in Lucas.  Lucas saw Johnnie as a "good girl" and the "little girl" in her wanted to hold to that because her right to be a good girl was taken away from her.  She never stopped to acknowledge that although her mother took her innocence, being a good girl was not a matter of being a virgin but a matter of living in Christ.  But hard knocks made Johnnie tough.  Made her wise.  Made her fit.  Life is all about the survival of the fittest.

Lucas Matthews was just as young and impressionable as Johnnie.  What do you think of his life choices throughout the series?

He Said: Lucas' chivalry and love for Johnnie allowed him to get caught up.  His desire to give Johnnie the things she had gotten herself made it easy for him to fall into trap after trap that Napoleon set for him, including Marla.  He never had a chance.  Him going to prison saved his life.  The old guy in prison schooled him on a lot of things of life that allowed him to know when to pull up and not get caught up in mess.

 She Said: Lucas made some extremely dumb life choices and I attribute them all to him loving Johnnie.  Once he saw all that Johnnie had, he decided that wasn't enough to just be a "man" he had to prove himself worthy of being HER man.  That proof was in his pockets.  The more money he had the more deserving he was of her.  Then there was his lusting.  Money and Sex...the dumb kid was doomed before he ever started.

How do you feel about Napoleon and Marla's roles in the lives of both Johnnie & Lucas?

He Said: Napoleon never had a redeeming bone in his body.  His desire was to use everyone including Marla to get what he wanted regardless of the outcome.  This eventually led to the death of him and Bubbles.  Even worse was the fact that  Bubbles had forewarned him about what would happen as soon as Napoleon laid his eyes on Johnnie.  Marla was all about the money.  She showed over and over that she was willing to put up with the way Napoleon treated her as long as she knew she was going to be taken care of and paid in the end.  Even though Napoleon went along with it and knew about Lucas and Marla, I think Marla still thought in her own mind that this was her way of getting back at Napoleon for all the affairs he had in the past and the proverbial "Forbidden Fruit."  Mature White woman turning out her young Black Buck.

She Said: As adults, I expected more of them but when you examine the type of people they were, age was never going to make them honest, decent people.  Johnnie and Lucas turned out to be nothing more than pawns in their game.  I do feel that to some degree they both loved them in their own way.  But then again, maybe their lust clouded their vision and they both paid with their lives because of their love for sexy and control.

From the beginning of the series, sex/money is everyone's motivator.  Do you feel that sex really has that much power?  Discuss.

He Said: Yes indeed.  Sex runs the world.  Those that can provide it and know its' true power can use sex to get what they want.  Those that want sex are willing to do whatever to continue getting sex.  Always a need for sex. 

She Said: Sadly, it does.  They say the love of money is the root of all evil. Then I'd have to say the love for sex is the root of stupidity.  Men have left their wives for new sex.  Men have launched wars in the name of Justice but for the love of sex.  Many men have died or have killed for sex.  Sex rules the world.

Do you think Johnnie's decisions were based on her love for Lucas or her love for money? Discuss.

He Said:  Johnnie had feelings for Lucas but her love for Lucas always took a back seat to her love of money.  Johnnie felt she was entitled to money, revenge, whatever due to being turned out at such a young age. 

She Said: I think both.  Johnnie's love for Lucas came naturally and throughout the entire series you can see how important he is to her.  Despite the life choices Johnnie had made, Lucas still saw her as a good girl and loved her as such.  You can tell that losing his love was like losing all.  When it came out during the trial that Johnnie slept with that stockbroker, her biggest fear was realized.  She feared losing Lucas more than losing her fortune.

Is Johnnie a victim throughout the entire series?  Why or Why not?

He Said:  Yes and no.  When she is 1st sold into prostitution by her mother, yes, she was a victim.  As she grew older, she made decisions that she clearly didn't think through yet justified every decision.  She was doing things to get out of the business, doing things to keep Lucas safe, doing things to avenge her mother's death, doing things to make sure her neighbor could move out of New Orleans.  She seldom if ever thought about the ramifications of her own actions and how her emotions allowed her to get caught up in Napoleon's deceitful web.  He knew all along how she would react before she ever had a clue about it herself.

She Said: I believe Johnnie is a victim.  With her innocence taken from her at such as early age, the course of her life was forever different.  All her young life she was told that the way of life her mother lived was not by choice but it was in her blood and it passed on to Johnnie.  She was taught that there was nothing she could do and she believed that.  I'd like to say that Johnnie was old enough to know that the choices she made were wrong and she could chose to do differently but could she?  She was young, no matter how grown she seemed.  She was a pawn in her mother's game.  She took her place in a sex hungry and money driven world and she in turn became the queen and had pawns of her own.  Thankfully the viscous cycle ended with her.

Do you feel Lucas is a victim? If yes, how so?

He Said: I feel Lucas was more of a victim than Johnnie was.  She knew how he felt about her yet continued to justify sleeping with other men in order to make more money and continue living the life she was accustomed to.  Make no mistake, Lucas was far from being an innocent bystander but Johnnie used his unconditional love for her to constantly manipulate Lucas and keep him where she wanted him.

She Said: Just like Johnnie, Lucas was a victim to the world of sex and money.  All he wanted in life revolved around the power of sex or the power of money and he knew nothing other than those two things.  So he too adapted to his environment.

What do you feel is the main focus of this series?

He Said: Once innocence is lost and someone is exposed to the darker side of life, usual logic and morals are replaced by greed and what's in it for me.  Everyone and every situation becomes a part of how can this benefit "Me".

She Said: In my opinion, this is not a story about the greed of man (or woman).  It's a story about innocence lost and true love found.  No matter the circumstances, Johnnie and Lucas' love was always the main focus.  This was a love story.  It was a story the love they had for each other.  Their love was innocent.  It grew.  It got tainted.  But through it all, it remained true.  Each time Johnnie broke Lucas' heart, their love grew stronger.  When Lucas broke Johnnie's heart, their love grew stronger.  Even time and circumstances couldn't end their love.