by Rebecca Farley | via Refinery29
Why did it take so long for us to get to Troy’s side of the story? Maybe because he’s not central to the story this season, although he is important. He is, after all, the face of last season’s riot, as the guy who shattered a window in Hancock house. He’s lost. He’s no longer the Head of House at AP — Coco booted him in episode four — and he’s struggling to find his purpose.
To the hourlong dramas of this world: Observe how Dear White People crafts a feature-length narrative in just 30 minutes of television. In episode seven, Troy Fairbanks experiences the full hero’s journey, from peeing in a fountain, failing at open mic night, chatting with a poodle, and all the way to succeeding at open mic night. If Dear White People can do it, and sneak in loads of exposition in the meantime, so can Westworld.
Abetted by mushrooms and the boys of Pastiche, Troy tries to figure out what his “brand’ is. Is he funny? The stand up he does in the first half of the episode is not good. So, he journeys through the characters of the show to figure it all out. Each character he meets shares an anecdote about Early College Troy, a character we didn’t meet last season.
Turns out, despite his legacy standing and leadership skills, Troy wanted to be a comedian. His freshman year, he wanted to join Pastiche, the show’s send-up of The Harvard Lampoon. (What’s the Harvard Lampoon, you ask? It’s the birthplace of Colin Jost.) But after a drunken night ended in peeing in a fountain, his father insisted on Troy going another route. The show sneakily introduces a faction of Black Winchester alums who… appear to be more powerful than the Illuminati. (“Is this a Black Illuminati or something?” Troy asks. One member replies that they’re more “competent” than that particular secret society.) These faceless alums, shrouded in shadow, insisted that Troy take on head of AP house.
In his journey to become head of AP, Troy befriends Reggie, who’s desperately in love with Sam. To amend this, Troy sleeps with Sam, who gives him a boost in the AP standings. Eventually, he does become head of AP, which brings us to the beginning of season 1. He was sleeping with a professor last season, remember?
Click HERE to read the rest of the recap, “Troy Fairbanks.”