Women of Color Unite teamed up with Jamul Casino in San Diego to present the first two episodes of the new season of Cross, and yours truly was blessed with an invite.
First, let’s address the delay in posting this, to put it simply, health has not been ideal, both physical and mental, so writing anything has been difficult, but I didn’t want to skip posting, so thank you for your patience. Onto the main event!
From arrival, the event was themed at every turn from a step and repeat with the Cross logo to themed drinks at the bar in the entrance room. Then the screening room made up of a conference room or two connected together, 2 screens available to people could see from either side of the room, in the back, a theater snack bar at no cost that served popcorn popped on the premises for freshness served in paper evidence bags and boxed candies provided in plastic evidence bags that looked real real. (Keeping this aside for the Great Pumpkin giveaway later this year, the bag that is, perhaps another item or two.) Staff from the casino were walking around with small bite food and drinks. Once everyone had arrived and most folks had some food and had their movie snacks on hand, the event truly started.
The lovely Cheryl Bedford from Women of Color Unite took the stage, did a quick intro, and the first episode of season started, quickly followed up by episode two. If you watch the show, you’ve likely already seen these, if you don’t, get to it as these are timely as can be, something surprising when one finds out it was all written in 2023. The first episode is a bit on the brutal side for those who have survived SA or love someone who has been a victim. The second episode dug deeper into what would become a multiple-episodes arc for sure. Details are vague on purpose here to avoid giving anything away. The writing here is solid, the direction works, the cast is solid, this one of those shows where the lead is charismatic but also ready to have other folks take center stage when the story can gain from it. The feeling of these episodes together is more like a thriller with a glossy aspect to it than an old school police procedural.
The screening captivated the audience, but the Q&A was clearly the central element of the event. This Q&A was conducted by Bedford with thoughtful questions directed at each guest so everyone could participate. The panel included actors Johnny Ray Gill, Alona Tal, Ashley Rios, writer Marissa Lee, and Gabrielle Ramirez, each of them giving throughtful answers to the well-researched questions they each got. Possibly one of the best post screening panels in a long while. Sure, the questions were pre-planned, and there were no questions from the public, but it was a well-done discussion with some harder subjects, and lots of good information given.
The Q&A session was followed by a gift bag distribution, then a rooftop party where food from Ben’s Chili Bowl in DC, appetizers from the casino, and a solid bar with staff that didn’t hesitate to create something similar to the themed-drinks in an alcohol-free version when asked. The party was great for mingling, networking, and taking photos at the Cross mini set-up. Later in the evening, folks made their way down to the speakeasy at which point, this tired human headed home.
